Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) has partnered with Pride Foundation Australia (PFA) on a new short film initiative.  

One new Australian short film will be funded into production by AFFIF and PFA and will then have it’s world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival 2026.

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The initiative will give one Australian creative team a $40,000 grant to produce a short film up to 10 min.

The Adelaide Film Festival and Pride Foundation Australia are committed increasing equity for LGBTQIA+ Australians to tell their stories and priority will be given to applicants who are First Nations, newly arrived migrants, forcibly displaced people including refugees, and people from CALD backgrounds and/or regional and rural communities to develop their screen storytelling craft and build their professional careers.  

Scripts that include the use of First Nations languages are encouraged.

“Making a short film is such a critical stepping stone for emerging writers, directors and producers and, with this new initiative, we want to support the career development of LGBTQIA+ writers and directors and encourage them to form a creative team with an experienced producer, preferably South Australian.

The World Premiere of the selected short film at the Adelaide Film Festival will lead, we hope, to the creative team going on to make many more screen projects – which one day may also be Adelaide Film Festival World Premieres,” said Mat Kesting, CEO and Creative Director of the Adelaide Film Festival.

Ruth McNair, Chair of Pride Foundation Australia shared her excitement about the new scheme.

“We are so excited to partner with the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund in creating this opportunity to support under-represented film makers and less amplified voices from within the community.  This investment will not only benefit individual career development but will also benefit LGBTQIA+ people and allied communities in Australia through seeing themselves represented on screen.

“This is part of our greater mission to advocate  for systemic change for the most marginalised LGBTQIA+” McNair said.

Experienced producers who are not LGBTQIA+ will be considered on a case-by-case basis where they can demonstrate a prior track record in successfully producing scripted short films to a high standard. Applicants must be residents of Australia and/or Australian citizens.

For further information, including eligibility queries, please contact AFFIF@adelaidefilmfestival.org. Applications close Friday September 12 and the successful team will be announced late October.