Smartphone Film Fest Awards Announced
Sydney Opera House and Chauvel Paddington 23-25 January 2026
Media Release January 23 ,2026
Australia’s own hit international film fest the Smart Fone Flick Fest (SF3), reached its glittering climax last weekend when its 11th annual festival screened a world of films – all made on smart phones – at the Sydney Opera House and Palace Chauvel in Paddington!
SF3 – the biggest festival of its kind on the globe – received around 450 entries this year from all over Australia and internationally, from filmmakers of all ages. The best of them faced off in front of a full house of industry A-listers, festival ambassadors and celebrity and industry judges for a share of more than $50,000 in prizes. They competed across 5 categories: SF3 Gala Finals, SF3 Kids, Feature Films, SF3 Mini (for films 3 mins or less – this year with a theme of ‘Breath’) and SF3 AI.
Smartfone Film Festival 2026
The premiere event, the Gala Finals, took place on Friday 23 January at The Playhouse Theatre at the Sydney Opera House and SF3 Kids the next afternoon – both starting with a pre-show red-carpet reception.
The SF3 Mini & Feature Films followed on Sunday at the final event of iconic Palace Chauvel Cinema in Paddington, Sydney.
Five Top awards – including Best Film, Best Film and Best Score – were scooped up by South African documentary Squashbox by SJ van Breda (pictures attached).
Three more – including Best Director – went to French film Umami by Aida Bahrami.
Smartfone Film Festival
Australian films from Randwick, Bondi, Caringbah, Crestmeadow, Kyle Bay, Georges Hall, Unanderra (NSW) Braybrook and South Yarra (VIC) won another 11 awards in the Gala Finals section – and full details are in the attached list of winners! Photos for all (awards plus screen stills) are available.
In the SF3 Kids section, Best Primary School Film went to Aria, Frankie and Pina Macedone of Alexandria, NSW for Cooking with Frankie and Pina with Best High School Film to Dylan Quick of Caulfield, VIC for Colo(u)rful 3D Square. Best Director was Indianna Thompson of Ashbury, NSW for Communication. Special SF3 Kids Feature Film winner was Unholy Union by Aaron Scully and his students from Hills Drama (Rouse Hill, NSW).
Another 8 SF3 Kids awards went to young filmmakers from Frenchs Forest, Earlwood, Rosemeadow, Port Kembla, Jesmond (NSW), Waurn Ponds and Melbourne (VIC).
Smartfone Film Festival
Best Feature Film went to James Demitri of Lewisham/Coogee for Fire Alive, a found footage horror film. A slew of special awards including Best Mini, Best Adaptation, Best Australian Mini and the Community Award – among others – went to filmmakers from Denham Court, Wollongong, Erskineville, (NSW), Korumburra (VIC) and Coomera (QLD).
Full details in the attached list of winners. Great red carpet award photos and stills from the films available for all.
Founder and festival director Angela Blake said the filmmakers aged 4-80 were thrilled to screen their work at the Sydney Opera House in front of sell-out audiences. “The quality in both story-telling and cinematic use of smartphones blew us away.” Hollywood director and festival ambassador Phillip Noyce said he was “immensely proud of the festival’s impact and its contribution to the evolution of cinema”.
Media: the full list of winners & festival release are attached along with briefs on all finalists. Awards photos by Christina Mishell.
Note, local and international winners are all in Australia currently for interview!
