Sydney World Film Festival 2026 – Award Winners Announced

Last night marked the close of another buzzing edition of the Sydney World Film Festival, a grassroots celebration of bold, independent cinema from across the globe. Hosted over four evenings at our home base in Sydney, the festival drew a lively and engaged crowd of film lovers and filmmakers, with screenings introduced by long-time industry champion John Samaha.

This year’s Official Selection featured 31 hand-picked films—a tight, diverse lineup drawn from more than a thousand submissions. From raw debuts to refined experiments, the program offered a snapshot of independent filmmaking at its most daring and personal.

The jury has spoken, and we’re thrilled to announce the 2026 Sydney World Film Festival award winners:

• Best Narrative Feature Film: The Insides of our Lives  (Netherlands) by Misja Pekel

• Best Narrative Short Film: Scenario (Japan) by Kazunori Miura

• Best Documentary Short Film: An Ordinary Insanity (United States) by Judith Irene Ehrlich

• Best Animated Film: A Kite Killed A Plane (Israel) by Daniel Sharoni

• Best Experimental Film: First Encounter (Australia) by Marielle Madly Gonier

• Best Music Video: Inner West Goofies (Australia) by Randolph Fields

• Best Super Short Film: Tideline (United States) by Jason Harrington

• Best Australian Film: Lachlan (Australia) by Joey George

• Audience Choice Award: Proteans (Australia) by Mirko Grillini

A huge congrats to all the winners—and to every filmmaker who took part and trusted us with their work.

We also want to thank our community partners, especially Palace Cinemas and Velvet Room, for continuing to support truly independent cinema.

Call for Entries – 2027 Now Open

We’re already looking ahead to next year. Submissions for the 2027 Sydney World Film Festival are now open on FilmFreeway:👉 https://filmfreeway.com/SydneyWorldFilmFestival

See you next year in the dark.

About SWFF

The Sydney World Film Festival started in 2015 as an online-only event, quietly building a reputation among filmmakers who didn’t fit the mainstream mold. With no red carpets or celebrity distractions, it was about the work—and the work spoke loud.

In 2018, the festival took root in a physical venue, opening its doors to live audiences while staying true to its underground edge. Since then, SWFF has become an alternative voice in Australia’s film scene—a space for filmmakers with something to say and nothing to prove.

If you like your cinema bold, strange, and uncensored, you’ve come to the right place.

https://www.sydneyfilmfest.com

2026 Official Selection / winners of The Tarkovski Grant

Dead tooth (France) by Romane Eilahtan

The Bull (United Kingdom) by Victor Nauwynck

Mary Mother of God (Germany) by Johannes Fröhlich

We Who Remain (Norway) by Sindre Mangen Haram

Inner West Goofies (Australia) by Randolph Fields

First Encounter (Australia) by Marielle Madly Gonier

An Ordinary Insanity (United States) by Judith Irene Ehrlich

The Insides of our Lives  (Netherlands) by Misja Pekel

Becoming (United Kingdom) by Shelley Hopkins

Measurements (Italy) by Marta Capossela

Lachlan (Australia) by Joey George

Artifacts (United States) by Beatriz M Calleja

Violet (Germany) by Laura Engelhardt

Super V (France) by Franck Janin

Stranger (Norway) by Jens Glomnes Hertzberg

Tideline (United States) by Jason Harrington

Franck (France) by Fabio Caldironi

Misery and Other Choices (Australia) by Samuel Lucas Allen

An excess baggage (France) by Myriam Garcia Marienstras

A Kite Killed A Plane (Israel) by Daniel Sharoni

Scenario (Japan) by Kazunori Miura

Proteans (Australia) by Mirko Grillini

Face the Music (Australia) by S.N. Watts

Dragonfly (China) by Siyang Liu

NNC (Philippines) by Miguel Santos Regal

A Human Ride (Germany) by Kristian Gründling

Waiting for Your Return (China) by Hao You, Yichen Cheng

Home (Belgium) by Hanne Schillemans, Ralph Timmermans

Release (Hungary) by Zoltan Gergely Szabo

Hairy Dreams (Canada) by Lina Cruz

The Simultaneity of Breathing (Austria) by Mersolis Schöne