Multicultural Film Festival

About the festival

The Multicultural Film Festival (MFF) celebrates multiculturalism through the lens of short films that explore stories of cultural diversity and living in multicultural Australia, home to the world’s oldest continuous cultures and people who identify with more than 300 ancestries around the world.

The premiere event will screen in Melbourne during Refugee Week on 19 June 2025 at ACMI Cinemas and then tour to other destinations across Victoria.

Tickets on sale for the premiere

Join us at the screening and awards ceremony in Refugee Week:

Date: Thursday 19 June 2025
Location: ACMI Cinemas, Melbourne
Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm

Limited tickets available — includes a drink and popcorn!

Book now

Official Selection

Multicultural Film Festival 2025

Friends of the MFF

The VMC has partnered with a network of experienced filmmakers and industry professionals who have become Friends of the MFF. These passionate advocates are committed to championing diverse storytelling and supporting the next generation of emerging talent across Australia’s vibrant screen industry:

Atong Atem is a South Sudanese artist and writer from Bor living in Narrm Melbourne. Her work explores postcolonial practices in the diaspora primarily working with photography and video.
Appointed as the VMC’s Chairperson, from 2015 to 2019, Helen Kapalos is one of Australia’s most respected broadcasters, a seasoned communications leader, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker.
John Safran is known for his bold explorations of culture, faith, and society. He has won numerous awards for his impactful documentaries, and TV series. His latest book is Squat: A Week Squatting at Kanye’s Mansion.
Josh Piterman is the author of Behind the Mask and the only Australian to play both the roles of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and The Phantom in the brilliant original production of The Phantom of the Opera on London’s West End.
Ra Chapman is a Korean-Australian writer and actor whose work spans film, television, and theatre. Ra garnered a 2025 Australian Writers Guild (AWGIE) Award nomination for her TV comedy series White Fever.
Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Australia, Tig Terera’s debut TV series, SWIFT STREET, which he created, wrote, and directed (episodes 1-4), was funded by SBS and Magpie Pictures.

Categories, Prizes and FAQ's

VICTORIAN ENTRANTS (3 Categories)
• Best Victorian Short Fiction Film sponsored by Swinburne University of Technology
Short fiction films created by Victorian producers, directors, writers or actors. To be selected by the judging panel.
• Best Victorian Short Non-Fiction Film sponsored by The Bruce Wong Foundation
Short non-fiction films (e.g., documentaries) created by Victorian producers, directors, writers or actors. To be selected by the judging panel.
• People’s Choice Award for Best Victorian Short Film sponsored by The University of Melbourne
To be chosen by the audience via live voting at the premiere screening. Selected from Victorian films in the Official Selection.
NATIONAL ENTRANTS
• Best National Short Film sponsored by SBS
Short films from across Australia in any genre (fiction, non-fiction, animation, music video, or other). To be selected by the judging panel.
INTERNATIONAL ENTRANTS
• Best International Short Film sponsored by Segmento
Short films from outside Australia, in any genre (fiction, non-fiction, animation, music video, or other). To be selected by the judging panel.
SPECIAL AWARD (All Entrants)
• Chairperson's Refugee Stories Award sponsored by the Victorian Multicultural Commission
Short films addressing refugee or asylum seeker experiences in any genre (fiction, non-fiction, animation, music video, or other). This category is open to filmmakers nationally and internationally. To be selected by the VMC Chairperson.
Prizes
All films chosen for the 2025 MFF Official Selection will:
- receive an official MFF laurel, a digital image acknowledging the film’s specific achievement that can be displayed on the film and in trailers, websites and social media
- have their title, crew and cast featured in the MFF Booklet alongside a synopsis and still image
- be hosted on SBS On Demand
- be available on the VMC’s YouTube Channel
- be promoted to government and non-profit organisations for screening events or broadcasts (see below Rules and terms)
All Award-Winning films will:
- receive a monetary prize of AUD$2000
- receive a one-hour online industry professional development session with relevant SBS representatives to discuss tips and ideas in a Q&A session
- be featured in the MFF Booklet (as outlined above)
- be credited as such in all publications, screenings and broadcasts
All Victorian Award-Winning films will:
- Victorian winners will receive a Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF Membership) valued at $78 with a number of exclusive perks to enjoy.
Who can submit a film?
Entry is open to Victorians, Australians and people overseas.
Do I have to be a professional filmmaker? 
No. You do not need to be qualified or experienced in making films. Anyone with a recording device is encouraged to submit an entry, as long as they and their film meets the requirements.
Is there an submission entry fee? 
No.
How long should the films be?
Films must be between 5 and 12 minutes in length.
Do films have to be in English?
No. Films can be in any language or have no speaking at all. Foreign-language audio (or important on-screen text) must have English subtitles.
Do films need to address a subject matter? 
Yes. Films should address racism, social cohesion, multiculturalism and/or cultural diversity, and/or feature people with relevant lived-experiences. We understand cultural diversity to refer to differences among groups of people due to racial or ethnic backgrounds, faiths, languages and / or traditions. Films that showcase the commonalities between people of different cultures are encouraged.
Do I need to provide anything else with the film? 
Yes. Entrants must provide a film synopsis, an image of themselves and biography of up to 150 words, including their background. 
How many films can I submit?
You can submit a maximum of two films, as long as they are significantly different from each other.
What format do films need to be in? 
So that the VMC, Swinburne, SBS OnDemand and other providers can screen the films, they must be submitted in the following format.
• Standard: Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) 1080 p (1920 x 1080) 
• Format: 1998 x 1080 (the 1998 format conforms with DCP) 
• Aspect: 16:9 
• Audio: Stereo, sample rate 48khz (128 kbps) 
• Codec: MPEG 4 (.mp4) 4.5 Mbps 
• Frame rate: 24fps 
• H.264 compression 
• For films shot in SCOPE format the format needs to be 2048 X 858
Rules and terms
The MFF is run by the State of Victoria (the State) acting by and through the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) in association with Swinburne University of Technology (Swinburne University). The MFF includes the submission and judging of films, the announcement of the Official Selection, award-winning films and those receiving an honourable mention, and the screening or broadcasting of films by organisations approved by the VMC.
Please visit Film Freeway to read these terms carefully.
If you have any questions, please email the VMC at events@vmc.vic.gov.au
If you have technical questions or difficulties submitting your film, please email Swinburne University at adionysus@swin.edu.au.

Past festivals

Multicultural Film Festival 2023

2023 awards

Best Short Fiction Film
Leopard Directed by Kamil Domaradzki and Ali Zoghi Written by Kamil Domaradzki Produced by Ali Zoghi and Christie Heilig	Winner
Jia Directed and written by Vee Shi Produced by Nicholson Ren, Vee Shi and Taysha McFarland	Honourable Mention
Best Short Non-Fiction Film
Beyond the Cut Directed, written, and produced by Daniel Guerrero	Winner
Mandarin Directed and produced by Ji Li, Wanshu Li and Mingyang Yao	Honourable Mention
Best Open Category Film
Australian Mongrel Directed by Rocco Fazzari and Belinda Lopez Produced by Rocco Fazzari	Winner
Emerging Filmmaker
Kaede Miyamura Director and writer of Kotoba Produced by Evangeline Parks	Winner
Chairperson's Choice
Two Dollars Directed and written by Natalia Cricri Produced by Natalia Cricri and Luke Smith	Winner
People's Choice
Jia Directed and written by Vee Shi Produced by Nicholson Ren, Vee Shi and Taysha McFarland	Winner

2023 official selection

An Ode to My Denim Jacket Directed by Christa Fiona Hill Written and produced by Jill Sioson	Australian Mongrel Directed by Rocco Fazzari and Belinda Lopez Produced by Rocco Fazzari
Beyond the Cut Directed, written, and produced by Daniel Guerrero	Burnout Directed, written and produced by Jonathon Charlie Copson-Pacal
Djaambi Directed and written by Joel Brown Produced by Jodie Kirkbride	Going Home - Về Nhà Directed, written, and produced by Han Nhi Ngo
Jia Directed and written by Vee Shi Produced by Nicholson Ren, Vee Shi and Taysha McFarland	Kotoba Directed and written by Kaede Miyamura Produced by Evangeline Parks
Leopard Directed by Kamil Domaradzki and Ali Zoghi Written by Kamil Domaradzki Produced by Ali Zoghi and Christie Heilig	Likes Directed and written by Sheena Reyes Produced by Erin Davoren Lewis
Mandarin Directed and produced by Ji Li, Wanshu Li and Mingyang Yao	Mei-Mei, Speak More Chinese Directed by Joanne Tindale Written and produced by Bon-Wai Chou
Melbourne Busker Pop Singer Frankie 33888 Does A Documentary Directed by Ruairi Walsh Produced by Chad Aizicowitz	Ran Directed and written by Kiko Wayne Jr Produced by Dave Kelman and Bluebird Foundation
Surrounds Directed by Juno Shean Written by Jason Baker	The Choice To Love Directed, written, and produced by Anna Dvorak
Town Common Directed by Vince Lovecchio	Two Dollars Directed and written by Natalia Cricri Produced by Natalia Cricri and Luke Smith
Yiayia Mou (My Grandmother) Directed, written, and produced by Koraly Dimitriadis

Multicultural Film Festival 2022

2022 awards

View transcript

Category	Film	Awarded
Best Short Fiction Film	Unsaid	Winner
Best Short Fiction Film	The Ninth Tower	Winner
Best Short Non-Fiction Film	The Fade	Winner
Best Short Non-Fiction Film	Baba	Honourable Mention
Best Open Category Film	Kariwa	Winner
Best Open Category Film	Best Wishes	Honourable Mention
Best Emerging Filmmaker	Hold Up	Winner
Best Emerging Filmmaker	Ek Din (One Day)	Honourable Mention
Best Young Filmmaker (4 to 11 years old)	To Colombia and Beyond	Winner
Chairperson's Choice	5km and 8pm	Winner

2022 official selection

We congratulate these filmmakers, whose films are included in the list of 19 officially selected from the total of 346 films entered into the 2022 competition Australia-wide.

5km and 8pm

Written and directed by Le Luo. Produced by Natalia Bornay.

Akosia – Go

Written, directed and produced by Dale Edward Crawford

Am I a Man Yet?

Written by David Koutsouridis. Directed by Chris Kennett. Produced by Bec Petraitis.

Baba

Written, directed and produced by Firass Dirani.

Best Wishes

Written and directed by Zhang Xiaoan. Produced by Su Yang and Zhang Xiaoan.

Beyond The Pitch

Written by Maggie Garcia Pena and Lucia Larotonda. Directed by Maggie Garcia Pena. Produced by Melbourne Social Soccer. Filmmaker Noopur Powale.

Biting the Bullet

Written, directed and produced by Lizbeth Calingasan.

Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Currawa Primary School

Written, directed and produced by Jarod Bacon and students.

Ek Din (One Day)

Written by Marque La Brooy. Directed by Dion Wheeler. Produced by Callum Harrod and Marque La Brooy.

Her, Grace

Written by Gracie Lolicato. Directed by Katrina Lolicato. Produced by Arc Up Australia.

Kariwa

Written, directed and produced by Kiara Rodriguez-Hextall.

Klesha

Written, directed and produced by Rukmal Nirosh Fernando.

Mediterranean Madness

Written and produced by Koraly Dimitriadis. Directed by Artemis Evlogimenou.

Sunset Stories

Written by Jiawen Xue and Todd Manion. Directed by Todd Manion. Produced by Janwun Xue.

The Fade

Written and directed by Thomas Elliott.

The Hold Up

Written and directed by Cassandra Nguyen. Produced by Alison Rodrigues and Cassandra Nguyen.

The Ninth Tower

Written, directed and produced by Kauthar Abdulalim.

To Colombia and Beyond

Directed by Obayda Kannouj. Produced by Pongky Nataatmaja.

Unsaid

Written and directed by Alex Nesic. Produced by Zixuan Li and Dimitrios Stoforidis.

2022 award categories

Best Short Fiction Film
Best Short Non-Fiction Film
Best Open Category Film (animations, comedies, music videos or other)
Best Emerging Filmmaker (by those who have made one or less films)
Best Young Filmmaker (ages 4 to 17 years)
Chairperson’s Choice

Our 2021 Multicultural Film Festival was presented online on Thursday 26 August 2021.
The Multicultural Film Festival was proudly presented by the Victorian Multicultural Commission in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training and in partnership with Swinburne University, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Department of Film and Animation.
The Multicultural Film Festival showcased short films that explore stories of diversity and inclusion. Proudly presented by the Victorian Multicultural Commission in collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology.
Shortlisted films featured characters who are encountering new ways of life, struggling with feeling isolated in a new country or within their cultures’ traditions, or beginning to embrace and celebrate their difference.
Thank you to our event partners, SBS and Mushroom Creative House for supporting the 2021 Multicultural Film Festival.
Best Open Category Film
Congratulations on the honourable mention ‘For Becky’, directed and produced by Chido Mwat.
Congratulations to the winning film ‘Love and Revolution', written by Sara Saleh and Candy Royalle and directed and produced by Jacqui North.
Short Fiction
Congratulations on the honourable mention for 'Mother Tongue', written and directed by Jessica Li and produced by Samantha Kwan and Heshi Wijerathna
Congratulations to the winning film ‘Amar (Moon)’, written and directed by Fatima Mawas, produced by Ade Djajamihardja, Leanne Tonkes, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Kate Stephens, Leona Hameed
Emerging Filmmaker
Congratulations Sarah Ghassali for 'Don’t Forget Us'. Also written by Gaia Mitting and produced by Natasha Koutoufides.
Congratulations to our winner Xinze Tian ‘Delivery – the people, the story’. Delivery was also produced by Martin Potter.
Best Short Non-Fiction Film
Congratulations to the honourable mentions:
- ‘My Dad Spiro’, written by Diamando May and J.G Alexander, directed by Diamando May and produced by Paraskevas Mourikis
- ‘No More Spectators’ written and directed by Adam McKay and produced by Adam McKay, Aron Clarke and Renai Fejo and ‘Ruby’ written, directed and produced by Sarah Menegon.
Congratulations to the winning film 'I want to make a film about women,' written and directed by Karen Pearlman and produced by Karen Pearlman and Richard James Allen.