About the competition
Now in its fourth year, Sony presents the Catchlight Film Festival to once again celebrate the best short-form filmmaking shot on Sony cameras across Australia and New Zealand. The Festival continues its mission to encourage filmmakers at all levels, from passionate amateurs to industry veterans, showcasing the exceptional talent and abilities of cinematographers and filmmakers who are using the Sony system to capture their stories.
What’s New in 2024?
In 2024, the prize structure for the major categories has been tweaked to better suit the needs of our prize winners. Where previous prize winners would take away $10,000 worth of Sony camera gear, that value is now split into $5,000 worth of gear and a $5,000 filmmaking grant, allowing our winners much more flexibility to make the most of their winnings. In addition, the Student Fiction category prize has been brought in line with the other major categories, now awarding the same split $5,000 gear / $5,000 grant prize pack.
Finally, 2024 sees the debut of the “Cinematic Social” category, designed to recognise striking and beautiful work created specifically for the small screen.
Cinematic Social is for the kind of short form evocative content that has risen to prominence on Social Media in recent years, most often in the form of travel and lifestyle Reels. This content does not follow a typical fiction or non-fiction story line. The sequence of content may follow a theme, idea, location, or concept. The key is the visual identity of the content remains the same which unifies the short film.
Competition Dates
Entries open at 09:00 AM AEDT on Wednesday, 21st February 2024 and close for submissions at 12:00PM AEST on Monday, 24 June 2024.
Judging will commence on Tuesday, 25 June 2024 with all finalists notified from Monday, 29th July 2024. If finalists cannot be contacted by Monday, 5th August 2023 their entry will be deemed invalid and another finalist will be selected in their place.
An Awards ceremony for the Film Festival is planned for early September, with online screenings in the month preceding.
Prizes
In partnership with our sister company Sony Pictures Releasing, winners in Fiction, Non-Fiction and Student Fiction will be awarded with a unique experience as well as a prize package of Sony digital imaging products. In addition, thanks to the support of our partners at Atomos, Lemac, VA Hire, Videocraft and Southern Cross Cameras, we are conntinuing our Catchlight laurel awards that highlight exceptional cinematography, as well as the skillful use of Sony’s native lens range, each with a valuable prize attached.
Fiction Winner
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
- A film-maker’s prize package consisting of:
- $5,000 worth of Sony Digital Imaging products,
- A Sony Digital Imaging product loan, up to the value of $5,000, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 13
- a $5,000 grant, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 14
- Up to 3 people from the production team will receive a Sony Pictures Professional Development/Mentoring Session with a Senior Executive at Sony Pictures Releasing and a prominent Australian Producer.
- A double pass to attend the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards 2024.
Fiction Runner-Up
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
Non-Fiction Winner
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
- A film-maker’s prize package consisting of:
- $5,000 worth of Sony Digital Imaging products,
- A Sony Digital Imaging product loan, up to the value of $5,000, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 13
- a $5,000 grant, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 14
- Up to 3 people from the production team will receive a Professional Development Session with a panel of industry professionals.
- A double pass to attend the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards 2023.
Non-Fiction Runner-Up
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
Music Video Winner
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
- A film-maker’s prize package consisting of:
- $5,000 worth of Sony Digital Imaging products,
- A Sony Digital Imaging product loan, up to the value of $5,000, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 13
- a $5,000 grant, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 14
- A double pass to attend the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards 2023.
Music Video Runner-Up
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
Cinematic Social Winner
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
- A film-maker’s prize package consisting of:
- $5,000 worth of Sony Digital Imaging products,
- A Sony Digital Imaging product loan, up to the value of $5,000, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 12
- a $5,000 grant, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 13
- An opportunity to work with Sony Australia Limited on a Social Media & Digital Marketing campaign, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 14.
- A double pass to attend the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards 2023.
Cinematic Social Runner Up
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew
Student Fiction Winner
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew.
- A film-maker’s prize package consisting of:
- $5,000 worth of Sony Digital Imaging products,
- A Sony Digital Imaging product loan, up to the value of $5,000, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 12
- a $5,000 grant, subject to acceptance of the terms set out in clause 13
- Up to 3 people from the production team will receive a Professional Development Session with a panel of industry professionals.
- A double pass to attend the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards 2023.
Student Fiction Runner Up
- VIP tickets for the Catchlight Film Festival award ceremony in Sydney for up to 5 people from the production crew
5 x Cinematography Laurels, one per Category as follows:
- The Cinematography Laurel winner in the Non-Fiction category will receive a $2500 rental equipment package, courtesy of VA Digital Hire Pty Ltd.
- The Cinematography Laurel winner in the Fiction category will receive a $2500 rental equipment package, courtesy of Videocraft Australia Pty Ltd.
- The Cinematography Laurel winner in the Music Video category will receive a $2500 rental equipment package, courtesy of Lemac Films Australia Pty Ltd.
- The Cinematography Laurel winner in the Cinematic Social category will receive a $2500 rental equipment package, courtesy of Southern Cross Cameras.
- The Cinematography Laurel winner in the Student Fiction category receives the following equipment, courtesy of Atomos Pty Ltd (“Atomos”);
- 1* Ninja Ultra Kit
Best Sony Lens Work Laurel, as follows:
- The Best Sony Lens Work Laurel winner across all submissions receives $2,500 worth of Sony lens gear from the Promoter.
Categories
Judges
The 2024 judges for our five categories are to be confirmed. An announcement will be made in the coming weeks.
