We’re getting ready to roll out the red carpet for Made in the West 2024!
This Saturday 30 November at 6pm, we’re kicking off the biggest night for local filmmakers in Western Sydney. Grab your popcorn and join us at Event Cinemas Liverpool for a night of amazing short films, red carpet glamour, and an epic award ceremony.
And of course, of you can’t make it this Saturday then please join us over the summer instead!
Starting 10 December, we’re bringing the festival to you ONLINE and ON-DEMAND with the Made in the West MEGA Movie Marathon. You can binge-watch all 14 films in our marathon lineup, plus an additional 10 shorts that we LOVE, and you’ll even get to see all your favourite filmmakers on the red carpet.
It's going to be a total #couchfest this summer!
We’ve got some incredible hosts lined up to bring the vibes at this year’s festival. From the red carpet to the big screen, afterparty and beyond, they’ve got you covered.
So, whether you’re joining us in person or online, get ready for a cinematic adventure like no other! Made in the West is bringing you the best in the west this season.
It’s time to meet your fabulous hosts!
SHETU SIMONE
We’re excited to welcome back Shetu Simone – podcaster, performer, model and all-round superstar – as your MC for the night! This Saturday, Shetu will be your MC in the cinema, hosting our 300-strong crowd and guiding you through the year’s best short films. We’re so excited to have her on the mic again this year – you might remember she rocked the red carpet a couple of years ago and was our online marathon host last year too.
Shetu has a passion for audio production and sound editing, which she developed during her time at Nova FM. Some of you might recognise her from the BAE Podcast - available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts - where she chats with her friends about all things wellness, their upbringing in Western Sydney and what it’s like being young and black. She also recently had a stint working in community engagement at Darlinghurst Theatre, a community theatre in the city with a passion for pushing boundaries and ensuring diversity on stage and behind the scenes. She’s an amazing host and conversationalist and super smooth on the mic – we can’t wait to see her in action!
JAMES PRESTON
We’re stoked to have James Preston on the red carpet this year interviewing filmmakers and helping us capture all the excitement of the night. James has a wealth of experience on camera – he’s an ACRA award-winning broadcaster (Best Commercial Radio Music Host 2020/21) and a national TV host with Fox Sports and Sky News. We love to see him kicking goals with sports commentating and presenting – he recently flew to England to lead the coverage of the 2024 Touch Football World Cup, in addition to calling for Kayo Sports, Stan Sport, 9Now and 7+.
Before he turned his talents to broadcasting, James performed as a rapper opening for Billboard chart-topping artists Ja Rule and Xzibit, plus he’s had a few acting appearances in feature films and lead roles in TVCs, short films and web series. If you’re a long-time festival supporter then you might recognise James from a few years back as he’s been our festival MC and red carpet host before – we love his work! Follow James on Instagram via @jppretzel
MATTHEW C. VELLA
You know him. You love him. We can’t get enough of him. It’s @Vellamatt himself, moonlighting on the mic this year hosting our MEGA Movie Marathon! Matthew C. Vella is a podcaster and award-winning filmmaker from Blacktown in Western Sydney with an expansive body of work writing, directing and producing long and short form content. He is the producer and co-writer of the upcoming feature film The Undesirables, scheduled for release in 2025 and his short comedy She's Not Your Type won the Audience Choice Award at Made in the West in 2018. His latest project, Nannu, was recently the recipient of the Blacktown City Council's Creative Arts Fund.
Matt is also the founder and facilitator of Western Sydney Filmmakers Hangout, hosting regular networking events and partnering with organisations such as Screen Australia, Arts and Cultural Exchange, CLIPPED Music Video Festival and of course, Made in the West CREATIVE – we host our popular online networking events with WSFH throughout the year. We’re happy he’ll be the face of our MEGA Movie Marathon this year because he’s a great host, PLUS he’ll be leading the way to our festival afterparty too. It’s his first time on the festival crew and we can’t wait to see him shine! Follow him online on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok.
ROSS PAGE
Ross is a podcaster, filmmaker, actor and singer, and a director at Made in the West CREATIVE working with the team that plans and produces Made in the West each year. He’ll be getting you cheering for this year’s films as we announce the winners of the 2024 awards and trophies. Ross founded Made in the West Film Festival more than a decade ago – back when we were just a group of film students running a film night in the old Roxy Hotel, with just a projector stacked on top of an old amp and a couple of milk crates (you can read more about our humble beginnings and the meteoric rise of Made in the West in our 10-year anniversary magazine!).
He’s passionate about building an audience for local films, and many years later, he’s now bringing Western Sydney films to a wider audience than ever before with online screenings, TV shows, interviews and spin-off projects. Ross is also the host of The Pagey Train podcast where he interviews local creatives including actors, musicians, filmmakers and entrepreneurs. You can check out the podcast episodes on YouTube, Spotify (with video) and IHeartRadio. You’ll meet Ross at the start of the night, and then throughout the show as we announce our individual category awards (meet the nominees here) and major trophy prizes.
HUGE thanks to our amazing 2024 festival hosts! We’re looking forward to seeing them in action.
It’s going to be a blast!
We’ve got a killer lineup of films for you this year, from some of Western Sydney's most talented filmmakers. Plus, an incredible gaggle of supporters and fans who are just as excited as we are to celebrate another year of #WesternSydneyFilm.
Still wondering what to expect? Check out our news blog for all the juicy details.
Don't miss out! Grab your FREE tickets NOW before 6pm Friday!