#WesternSydneyFilm O.N.E welcomes more filmmakers
July’s #WesternSydneyFilm Online Networking Event was bigger than ever, with a record number of local filmmakers in the room, all eager to catch up and talk about the work happening on the local scene.
Are you wondering when the next O.N.E is happening? Join us on Wednesday 30 September at 7pm for the next online hangout - book your ticket now to join us there!
It's always great to welcome a mix of familiar faces and first-time attendees logging on from across Sydney to share projects, talk about filmmaking and connect with a few people they might not normally get the opportunity to!
There was a mix of emerging creatives and more experienced folks in the room, which is always great at these events – everyone has a chance to get inspired by someone new.
Our guests this session were wonderful too, sharing what they’ve been working on lately and giving some advice and insights.
We always love checking in first with our co-host Matt Vella, to get an update about his current projects Nannu and The Undesirables, and his ongoing work running Western Sydney Filmmakers Hangout. The next IRL networking event is coming up soon! Keep an eye on the WSFH facebook page for event announcements.
Fresh from the stage at our first-ever Behind The Lens workshop for Creatives & Technical roles – held at ACE Parramatta earlier this year – Nic Godoy from Panavision spoke with us about his work with some amazing international films being shot here in Sydney, like Extraction 3 and the recently announced Starman starring Brendan Fraser, and his role as the National Sales and Marketing Manager.
We love how open Nic is to working with emerging and indie filmmakers. His door is always open to local filmmakers who want to discuss lenses and gear for your next project!
Hilary Balmond ASE joined us for the first time to chat too – she’s an editor who grew up in south-west Sydney and her latest work on the film The Valley, a portrait of the Kangaroo Valley and its inhabitants, premiered at Sydney Film Festival this year. She gave us some insights on her process when editing for documentary, the challenges of feature film projects, and the reward in finally revealing the story after a long deep-dive into the edit.
Hilary is an accredited member of the Australian Screen Editors Guild (ASE) and we’ll be partnering with ASE soon for a networking event for editors (and filmmakers who want to connect with editors!). We’re buddying up with WSFH to get the word out too, because we all know how valuable these networking opportunities are for local creatives. Join us on Sunday 19 August for ASE Social Drinks: Western Sydney Edition – RSVP here to let us know you're coming!
Our third guest Nicole Delprado is a producer and screenwriter. She caught us up on her latest animation series projects and her recent trip to Annecy Animation Festival & Marketplace in France with her production company, Pike Salto. She’s a pro at pitching and developing support for screen works – her projects Flic Flac, Weird Warden and Stunners have all received development support from Screen Australia and other funders.
Nicole has been doing some consulting in this space and we’ve got plans in the works to partner with her coaching business NicoleWriteNow on some future workshops! It’s part of our focus on distribution and development as we work on building skillsets and momentum among our community. Watch this space!
First up though, we have a juicy conversation event coming up called Pathways to Distribution - Navigating Indie Film Distribution. We've partnered with WSU Launch Pad Creative on this one, and we’ll be in chatting with two Australian feature film producers about the realities for independent filmmakers as they work to reach wider audiences for their films.
It’s a conversation for indie filmmakers, students or anyone interested in film distribution today – RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET HERE.
So we’d like to say a HUGE thank you to Nic, Hilary and Nicole for joining us on the night, and to Matt for co-hosting the session with us.
And of course, thank you to everyone who joined the conversation throughout the evening!
These sessions only work because people are willing to show up, share and ask questions and support each other’s work.
And you asked for It – we’ve head your feedback – we know you want EVEN MORE time to chat to each other in the next events …. So that’s what we’re going to do!
We know our events are fast-paced and designed to have you meet a bunch of people on the call, but this time we’re going to experiment and let conversations flow a little more, let the tech talk untangle, and give us all more time for hangs… come along and see what we’ve got in store for you!
Join us at the next online networking session on Wednesday 30 September! It’s a 7pm start and you can reserve your free ticket here.
And in the meantime, if you’re currently working on a short film, submissions are still open for the 2026 Made in the West Film Festival – our 15th year!
Opening Night will be on the evening of Saturday 28 November and we’ll be rolling straight into our first Sunday Marathon session of the summer on Sunday 29 November. Those Sunday sessions are taking place across the summer season as part of our MEGA Movie Marathon, wrapping up with final awards at our Closing Night Party.
And that brings us to the final piece of behind-the-scenes GOLD that we shared with our friends at #WSFONE the other night – and now we’ll share with you too – we’re super stoked to let you know that Panavision has come on board as our first festival prize sponsor of the year!
That’s right, Nic the wonderful folk at Panavision – likely the most in-demand camera and lens hire company in the world – are back to support our People’s Choice Award this year. And guess what??
They’re pledging an even bigger prize than last year! Yes, you heard us right...
In 2026, Panavision is once again throwing their support behind the 2026 People’s Choice Award by donating a $5,000 camera and equipment hire prize to the winner. Amazing!
The People's Choice Award is voted for by our MEGA Movie Marathon audience - that means YOU! - and everyone who watches our short film marathons screening online and IRL in cinemas. The final winner is announced at our Closing Night Awards Party at the end of February.
How exciting!! WE CAN’T WAIT to see who takes home this awesome prize.
Could it be you that wins this great prize to get you cracking on your next short film project in 2027? We hope so!
But you’ve got to be in it to win it! SUBMIT YOUR FILM NOW to be part of Made in the West Film Festival 2026 and join us on the red carpet for our 15th anniversary celebrations!
We’ll be announcing the rest of our awesome prize list over the months ahead. Stay tuned!
Until then, keep making, keep collaborating and keep getting those Western Sydney stories onto screens. We’re right here behind you.