We’re just four weeks away from the 2021 festival and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Made in the West Film Festival returns to Event Cinemas in Liverpool on Saturday 4 December and we’ll be rolling out the red carpet for Western Sydney filmmakers and film lovers for one truly ground-breaking night of short films.
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’re giving you a chance to WIN A VIP FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE for you and three friends!
All you have to do is visit our SHOP to purchase some festival merchandise, SHARE a photo of your merch when it arrives and TAG the festival on Instagram or Facebook.
The package includes VIP entry and lanyards for you and three friends, champagne on arrival and an opportunity to meet the 2021 finalists at our pre-festival party, reserved seating and the best seats in the house, plus popcorn and soft drinks all night (valued at $500).
Our huge Vmax cinema seats 330 people very comfortably (hello luxe leather arm chairs!) and depending on the Covid-safe rules at the time, we are likely to be accepting 75% or 100% capacity.
Please bear in mind that the NSW Health guidelines currently do not allow unvaccinated folks to attend the cinema. Planning a festival during a pandemic is challenging, but we’re following the guidelines and making it work. We’ll have more to share in the days and weeks to come about how we’re preparing for a Covid-safe event.
For those of you who can’t join us at the cinema (or prefer to party at home these days), then we’re bringing the red carpet to you one week later! Brace yourself for a big night in as we deliver our mammoth 10th anniversary festival line-up to viewers across Australia and the world for our second annual online festival.
No matter where you are, if you’re tuning in for Made in the West this year then you’re in for a treat! So grab your friends, some popcorn and a drink, then sit back and enjoy the show.
The 2021 line-up is going to be fantastic!! As always, this year’s films are a mix of gut-punching action, snort-inducing comedies, suspenseful thrillers, web series episodes and animated shorts, plus a great list of locally produced music videos.
*Before we forget, let us give you our usual reminder that Made in the West is an R18+ event. Many of the films will contain mature content and this means that all of the usual things (including L,S,A,D,V, N) will probably (definitely) make an appearance at some point throughout the show. Sorry kids, this one’s for the grown-ups only!
SO... WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
JUDGING IS UNDERWAY: Our judges are doing all the heavy lifting for us right now! We’re so impressed with the panel of judges we’ve put together this year -- all nine of our judges are amazing filmmakers themselves and we think they are wonderful success stories of the Western Sydney film industry. We know they are going to love this year’s films, so congratulations everyone!
OFFICIAL SELECTION: We’re looking forward to screening more films than ever before this year with a bumper line-up of films in the official selection. We announce the 2021 finalists next Monday! We can’t wait to showcase the latest amazing films from the Western Sydney Film community TWICE next month for audiences in-person at Event Cinemas Liverpool and then online one week later!
TICKET RESERVATIONS OPEN: At the end of next week! Tickets will be FREE to attend the in-cinema event, so keep an eye out for our announcements next Friday as we open for reservations. Tickets are limited, so please ensure your guests can attend before you reserve them a seat. First dibs on tickets will go to the 50 amazing filmmakers who entered a film in the festival this year. We’re going to give them access to tickets ahead of the rush!
If you’re feeling fancy, there will be additional options to purchase a ‘Supporter’ ticket with reserved seating, or a ‘VIP Exclusive’ ticket which includes reserved seating, plus champagne on arrival, a pre-festival meet & greet with the filmmakers, plus popcorn and soft drinks all night!
AWARD NOMINATIONS: We’ll announce the nominees for our individual category awards in two weeks, after we’ve tallied the votes from our judges. This year’s filmmakers will go home with a swag of filmmaker prizes and all the accolades that come with winning the award for Best Director, Screenplay, Cinematographer, Editor, Production Design, Sound Design, Original Score, Acting in a Lead or Supporting Role, and/or Best Music Video at Made in the West Film Festival.
ONLINE FESTIVAL TICKETS OPEN: If you miss out on festival tickets or live far away, this is the option for you! Tune in from home to watch our marathon festival event online from Friday 10 December to Sunday 12 December. Tickets will open in late November for individuals and households to reserve a ticket to view the entire line-up of festival films, plus red carpet highlights and interviews with filmmakers throughout the show. Cast your vote for the second annual People’s Choice Award and you could send one finalist home with the final award of 2021!
RED CARPET: Join us at Event Cinemas Liverpool on Saturday 4 December when we roll out the red carpet to celebrate another year of Western Sydney films and our 10th anniversary! Settle in for a HUGE marathon short film screening & awards night in our 3-storey Vmax cinema with a live MC, comfy leather arm chairs, cocktails, friends and mingle with all the best folks from the Western Sydney film scene. Gather your cast & crew, don your best frock and get ready to be snapped by our festival photographers on the red carpet!
MAGAZINE & MERCHANDISE: Did you hear? We made a magazine! Order your copy online and we’ll have it waiting for you when you arrive at the festival. We’ll have some limited edition merchandise available too, so if you’re keen to support the festival and also wear your #westie status with pride, think about making a purchase! Have you seen our festival shop on RedBubble? All items are custom made and carbon neutral, so you can #represent knowing you’re doing your bit for the planet AND your favourite local festival.
TROPHIES & AWARDS: The judges’ votes determine the winners of our most prestigious trophies for ‘Best in the West’ (for indie films) and ‘Best Student Film’ trophies, and their cumulative nominations also determine the winners of our individual category awards, but the final judge on the night is YOU! After all, why should we let the judges have all the fun?? At the end of the night, we’re calling on all cinema attendees to cast a vote for their favourite film! Your vote will determine the winner of our final trophy, the highly coveted Audience Choice Award.
MAKE A NIGHT OF IT: Parking is FREE after 6pm at the cinema and seeing as we know that the cocktails will be flowing, we’ve arranged a 15% discount for online bookings with Quest Liverpool Serviced Apartments -- see our FAQs for details and the promo code. How good is that!? No worrying about the last train home or spending $$$ on an uber. You’re welcome, friends.
There you have it! What an exciting month we have ahead of us!!
We are looking forward to hosting you at the 10th annual Made in the West Film Festival.