Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, Minister for the Arts

Welcome to the 2017 St Kilda Film Festival, a celebration in all things short film and a festival that is truly made for filmmakers. As Minister for the Arts, I am proud to support an event that has strengthened Australian filmmaking for the past 34 years and screened thousands of short films in its time.

This year’s program is packed with an exciting array of filmmaking in all its short forms – from film, through to music videos, web series and even a Virtual Reality Pop Up Cinema. The extensive filmmaker development program presents a comprehensive series of free forums, workshops and interactive displays where filmmakers can learn new skills and perfect their craft.

Of course, this Festival would not be possible without the films themselves, and Screen Australia continues to provide funding and support for our valuable filmmakers and crew. We look forward to seeing Australia's best on screen with this year's program and congratulate all involved.

Cr Bernadene Voss, Mayor, City of Port Phillip

The City of Port Phillip is proud to welcome you to the 34th St Kilda Film Festival, again being staged at the historic Palais Theatre and St Kilda Town Hall.

We are delighted that Live Nation Australia Venues has made a special effort for the Palais to be available for our opening night in the midst of renovations, which are progressing well.

Supporting filmmakers and the industry is a huge priority for the Festival so we’re proud of our reputation of annually producing an amazing event which fosters and celebrates Australian talent. There are so many success stories linked to past St Kilda Film Festival events – shorts that have gone on to win Academy Awards and major prizes at international festivals, shorts that have become features and enduring creative collaborations.

Film is an important part of Port Phillip – its past, present and future. Australian content is regularly filmed in our municipality, which is also home to talented production houses. There’s no better place than here for a film festival and this much loved event allows us to give back to the Australian film industry and celebrate its impressive talent.

We could not do this without the ongoing support of our funding partners, Screen Australia and Film Victoria. A round of applause must also go to our major sponsor Olympus and the many sponsors and partners who help make this Festival possible for audiences to enjoy.

There are countless dining and entertainment attractions on offer in Port Phillip … Carlisle Street is on the doorstep of the St Kilda Town Hall so we encourage you to explore and enjoy the great food on offer there.

Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the movie magic at Australia’s largest and longest-running short film festival.

Happy viewing.

The Academy Awards® accredited St Kilda Film Festival celebrates the best in bold, passionate and innovative filmmaking from around the country, making it a truly unique event - a publicly owned and operated film festival that has been an exciting and highly respected force in the Australian film cultural community.

Festivals such as this nurture emerging talent and create an increased awareness of the huge talent pool that we have in our midst. Apart from the Top 100 Short Film Competition we also have a diverse range of special events in store this year, including a retrospective of Balaclava’s own Graham Kennedy, a web series program and VR demonstrations. Not to mention the return of the popular SoundKILDA Music Video Competition and the FREE Filmmaker Development program packed full of forums, workshops, networking events and industry stalls.

On the international front, we present an exclusive program of work by young Japanese filmmakers in our Tokyo Short Shorts programs, together with Jeffrey Bowers, Curator of Staff Picks and On Demand at Vimeo and Writer and Curator of Vice Shorts, who presents a session dedicated entirely to the best of Vimeo.

Whether you’re a film buff, filmmaker or just looking for some entertainment this May, I encourage you to delve into our 2017 program and show your support for our incredible local film industry.