Relive the red carpet highlights from 2024!

We're so excited to share the red-carpet Highlights Reel for Made in the West Film Festival 2024!

Hosted by James Preston and featuring interviews with filmmakers and clips from the festival line-up, we love how it captures the spirit of the festival and the incredible talent of the filmmakers who participated. 

“The atmosphere at the festival this year was absolutely riveting! With so many people in the house and such an electric crowd, there was so much action on the red carpet” says Ross, our Artistic Director.

“The films this year were outstanding and we’re so pleased to see half of this year’s finalists included new filmmakers and upcoming artists.”

We love seeing Western Sydney filmmakers shining on the red carpet and we’re so proud of the insightful stories that are being made right here in the west. From heartwarming dramas to music videos, web series to laugh out loud comedies, psychological thrillers to scintillating sci-fis, the 2024 program certainly catered to all.

We remain proud to be Western Sydney’s dedicated platform for emerging filmmakers to showcase their work and connect with industry professionals and fellow creatives. As one of our region’s longest running film festivals, we don’t take that responsibility lightly!

At Made in the West, we believe that film has the power to bring people together, to spark conversation and inspire change. We are thrilled to share the 2024 Highlights Reel with you, and we hope that it will inspire you to seek out new voices, new perspectives, and new stories in the world of film.

So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the magic of the 13th annual Made in the West Film Festival!

Congratulations, Western Sydney! You’ve never looked better <3 

Once again, we’d like to say thank you to everyone involved in Made in the West 2024 – from the 50 entrants, 23 VIP finalists, 5 major trophy winners, 9 individual award winners, 6 genre award winners and 77 award nominees (phew!) -- well done to you all!

To our 10 superstar judges, 5 major sponsors and 16 prize sponsors who gave of their time and their services to support our cause - thank you!

We’d like to take our hats off to the TV crew who spent the night capturing interviews with filmmakers and all the festival highlights – James, our charismatic red carpet host, working with Daniel, our camera operator, Daragh, our producer, Addy, our technical producer, Emily, our assistant producer, and Claire, our talent wrangler and runner extraordinaire. Thank you for capturing all the emotion and excitement of Western Sydney film’s biggest night of the year - the highlights video always brings back such great memories!

A special shout out goes to our volunteers and friends who jumped on board this year to help -- all 25 of them! Thank you to our 2024 crew for making this milestone year our best yet! And to Luke Walker Productions for providing crew on the night to capture all the magic.

We’d also like to say thank you to Event Cinemas Liverpool for being such an amazing venue partner each year and helping us keep Made in the West in the heart of the western suburbs where it rightfully belongs!

And of course, thank you to our in-cinema audience and all the people who tuned in to watch the show from home at this year’s Online Festival over the summer: thank you for being part of our biggest audience ever! You all contributed to the success of this year’s event.

The Western Sydney film community is like no other – we celebrate each other’s wins, we’re not afraid of hard work, we’re super talented (and total slashies!), and we’re certainly not afraid to tell the stories that others shy away from.

You’d better believe us when we say that Western Sydney filmmakers are producing some of the best films in the country right now!

Made in the West will be back later this year to roll out the red carpet on the last weekend of November and celebrate our 14th annual Made in the West Film Festival in style at Event Cinemas, Liverpool.

We’ll be showcasing the very best short films Western Sydney has to offer, so if you have been involved in a project featuring cast, crew, or locations from Western Sydney, then we want to see it!

We’ve always believed that creative work offers great rewards, and as we move further into our second decade of Made in the West, we want to make certain that we grow alongside the film industry - expanding to include more screenings, more audiences, and more opportunities for filmmakers to connect and collaborate to strengthen and embolden the Western Sydney film community.

“Your postcode does not dictate whether you are a good storyteller!” says Ross.

“If you have an idea for a film, just get started. And remember, there are plenty of potential collaborators in Western Sydney that can help - you just need to put yourself out there.”

So what's next? It’s time to get cracking on your next project, Western Sydney filmmakers! 

Submissions are now OPEN for 2025 – head on over to our entry criteria and entry form for more information. (Psst! We’re now accepting projects up to 30 minutes in duration)

Looking to connect with more filmmakers throughout the year? Keep an eye out for our #WesternSydneyFIlm Online Networking Events later in the year to connect with local artists and find your next collaborators!

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We will see you on the red carpet at the end of November for the next Made in the West Film Festival. We'll be celebrating our 14th year in 2025 and we hope to see you there!