Inspiring anyone with a smartphone to tell their story through film

SF3 is one of the biggest smartphone film festivals and educators in the world, bringing affordable and accessible filmmaking to all.

SF3’s 12th Season is open for entries!

Enter now until September 1st for your chance to screen at the Sydney Opera House on 1st November.

No extensions at all this season.

Shorts, features, mini and AI films, from filmmakers of all ages, all abilities and from all around the world. We have prizes for young and first time filmmakers, students and professionals. Share in over $50,000 in prizes and have your film screened on the big screen at our festival in Sydney November 7th-9th, 2025. You must shoot on your phone or tablet but you can edit on any device and use any apps or accessories. There is no limit but your own imagination!

We have 5 categories:

The SF3 Gala Short Film Awards for films made my filmmakers of any age up to a max of 20 mins.

SF3 Kids Awards for films made by filmmakers 18 years and under at the time of filming and up to a max of 10 mins.

SF3 Mini Awards for a film that is a max of 3 mins including credits and titles and is inspired by the word, breath.

SF3 Feature Film Category for a feature film entirely shot on a mobile or tablet and is a minimum of 30 mins with no max.

5. The SF3 AI Best Film Award – for a film written by a writer but that is made using AI technologies. NB. This is a very controversial area of the film industry right now but at SF3 we believe in embracing technology and in seeing where it can take us – always with professional writers and creatives at the forefront, but not shying away from utilising all advances and innovations in the filmmaking and creative worlds.

A very big thank you to our 2026 sponsors who are donating over $50,000 in prizes for our award winners!

SF3 Major Sponsors are Blackmagic Design.

Silver Sponsors are Melodie and Try & Byte.

Bronze Sponsors are Chicken & Chips Casting, Rubber Monkey, Rode Microphones & Waterloo Studios / Sydney Film School and Sydney Actors School

Our 2026 Prize Sponsors are Reeflex, the Australian Cinematographers Society, the Australian Writers’ Guild, the Australian Directors’ Guild, Screen Producers Association, the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, Ribbet, WriterDuet, InkTip, iPitch.tv, WIFT NSW, AACTA/AFI, Backstage, StarNow, Shot Lister, FilmLocal, Song Saga, True Take, NIDA, Trenear Printing, Film Ink, ACTS and Ironbark Digital.

Our Venue Partner is the Sydney Opera House.

What is SF3?

SF3 or the SmartFone Flick Fest is one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals for filmmakers of all ages and abilities. We are a world-wide festival open to anyone with a smartphone or tablet and a great idea for a short film.

Tell me more

Past SF3 Films

Our recent winners are all on the festival circuit but you can watch some of our old finalists here from across the years and be inspired to pick up your phone and create your own!

Watch Now

SF3 is a top tier Smartphone Film Festival. The team genuinely love smartphone filmmaking and supporting smartphone filmmakers. They watch the films, they know the filmmakers. The festival is a professional, warm and inviting space.

Darcy Yuille

Filmmaker & SF3 Best Feature Film Award Winner

This is the new wave of filmmaking and is something all cinema lovers will appreciate — it’s a short, sharp feast of film.

Nicole Da Silva

Actor & SF3 Ambassador

A really fantastic festival run by the team with some phenomenal industry support. They really care about the filmmakers and put on a spectacular show.

Joshua Belinfante

Filmmaker & SF3 Multi-Award Winner

Workshops

We run smartphone filmmaking workshops around Australia and the world, from one hour classes to five day workshops to students of all ages and abilities, both live and online. Email us to find out more – sf3@sf3.com.au

Get Involved

Our Ambassadors

Our Ambassadors are the most wonderful and supportive professionals from the elite of the film industry and include: Phillip Noyce, Kerry Armstrong, Nicole da Silva, Christopher Stollery, Kriv Stenders, Pieter de Vries, Garry Maddox, Kara Rose, Jon Bell, Anthony Kierann, Jason van Genderen & Emily Prior.

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