The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), AFL, and VicScreen have teamed up again for a second round of Footy Shorts, with production budgets increased this year to $25,000.
The call out is for short documentaries exploring how Australian Rules Football unites and shapes Australian life including through players, fans, families and communities.
The four Footy Shorts films will have a gala world premiere screening at MIFF this August, after which they will be available to view digitally across all AFL platforms, including AFL.com.au and the AFL app.
In addition to funding, the projects selected to go into production will have access to the AFL’s archive and Victorian-based AFL clubs, and professional development from industry mentors. Selected teams will have around four weeks more production time this year compared to last year.
More than 30,000 people viewed the inaugural Footy Shorts films across in-cinema screenings at MIFF, the AFL’s Macca’s Grand Final Footy Fest at Yarra Park and Federation Square during Grand Final week, other film festivals, and across MIFF and AFL’s online channels.
Last year’s films included Cardona and Paige Cardona’s Breaking The Line, Kynan Clarke and Isabel Dilena’s Bush Boots, Ramas McRae and Adam Bigum’s Eye of the Game, Danielle Baynes and Lachlan Baynes’ House Divided, and Alexandra Walton and Producers Theo McMahon and Fraser Pemberton’s No Prior Opportunity .
“There’s nothing more Victorian than film and footy, and we are proud to partner with MIFF and the AFL to support Footy Shorts,” said Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks.
“This exciting talent development opportunity will support emerging filmmakers to upskill, gain practical experience, mentoring and screen their work at the nation’s largest film festival.”
To apply, teams must send through a creative treatment (approx. two pages) in response to the brief. Applications close February 23.