Gold Coast Film Festival

22/05/2026

Whether you joined us for a red carpet premiere, discovered a new favourite film, attended an industry event, supported emerging filmmakers through our EMERGE! or love your short films and caught up with friends at SIPFest, we are incredibly grateful for your support.

We'd love to hear about your experience. Jump into the survey link in bio, let us know and go into the draw to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!

19/05/2026

If there's one event that never fails to deliver, it's our Women in Film Lunch. And this year was no exception.

We couldn't have done it without the incredible partners who showed up for us and for every woman in that room. Thank you for the prizes, the take home goodies and the tasty treats.

A huge, heartfelt thank you to:
🛎️ Hilton Surfers Paradise - our festival accommodation partner who also sent one lucky guest home with a two night mini break. Iconic in every sense.
👜 Eau Bags - founded by two Brisbane sisters, built on sustainability and style. Thank you for the $100 voucher and for being such a perfect fit for this event.
💊 Biolae - female founded and changing the conversation around women's health one sachet of Creatone at a time. We love what you stand for.
🐄 MooGoo Skincare - proudly Australian made, family owned, and based right here on the Gold Coast. Thank you for the beautiful packs our guests took home.
📻 Hot Tomato 102.9 - the home of our wonderful host Emily Jade and generous partners all round. Thank you for the Soak Bathhouse voucher and family pass to the movies - absolutely nailed the demographic with these two!
🎬 Dendy Southport - a Gold Coast treasure and a festival favourite. Thank you for the family passes.
💄 Huxley School of Makeup - for setting up at the back of the room and making everyone feel absolutely photo ready, and the makeup fridge prize pack - wow. You were a highlight of the day.
🐾 Well Joy - dental dog treats for our four-legged family members, because let's be honest, everyone either has a dog or knows one. The pups at home were very well looked after today. 🐶
🍦 Frosty Boy - because ending a Women in Film Lunch with a vegan chocolate coconut soft serve is simply the right thing to do. What a treat to finish on!

To every partner: thank you for investing in a room full of extraordinary women. We felt every bit of it. 💛

The Gold Coast Film Festival 2026 is possible thanks to the support of our Major Partners Screen Queensland, Invest Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland along with venue partner HOTA, Home of the Arts.

11/05/2026

🐻✨ The smiles. The dancing. The pure, absolute joy.

What a blast at HOTA last Saturday! Humphrey B. Bear and his friends took over the festival for a morning, and the little ones loved every single second of it. 🎉

From the Big Bear Singalong Show to the meet and greet with Humphrey himself, the room was full of the kind of magic that happens when children light up with happiness. And honestly? The grown-ups loved it just as much. 😂

A huge thank you to OZPIX Entertainment and the Magic Forest Group for bringing this incredibly special morning to life, and to every family who came along and made it so unforgettable.

This is what GCFF is about - joy, community and making memories together. 🌴💛

The Gold Coast Film Festival 2026 is possible thanks to the support of our Major Partners Screen Queensland, Invest Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland along with venue partner HOTA, Home of the Arts. Screen Queensland Experience Gold Coast Ozpix Entertainment

06/05/2026

✨ Women in Film Lunch, what a day!

Thank you to every single woman who joined us last Friday for our annual WIF lunch, it was a delightful afternoon of connection, conversation and genuine inspiration.

A huge heartfelt thank you to our incredible guest speakers Sophia Zachariou and Kylie Washington from BBC Studios Australia Productions. They truly are two of the most influential women and listening to them was fantastic, and gave us all both some great laughs, and great insights. Your honesty, your experiences and your generosity with this room was everything. 🙏

Thank you to Screen Queensland Queensland for presenting this event and for their ongoing commitment to championing women in the screen industry. We are so proud to walk alongside you. 💛

This event exists because the industry is better when women are at the table. In the room. In the conversation. And on the screen.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all next year!

The Gold Coast Film Festival 2026 is possible thanks to the support of our Major Partners Screen Queensland, Invest Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland along with venue partner HOTA, Home of the Arts. Experience Gold Coast

06/05/2026

🎭✨ Script to Screen. Raw, real and absolutely remarkable.

It’s one of our favourite events - where the winning script of the Queensland Screenwriting Award is handed over to a group of incredibly talented QUT Acting Students. This year that script was A BOY AND HIS PUB by Connor Smith, and these students proceeded to breathe life into every single character on that page in the most electric live reading we've ever witnessed. 🙌

Watching a script come alive right before your eyes - that's the magic of storytelling at its most pure. And these students delivered it with heart, humour and extraordinary skill.

A massive thank you to QUT for your ongoing support of this event and for nurturing the next generation of performers, the industry is in very good hands. And congratulations again to Connor Smith on a truly wonderful piece of writing. 🏆

This is what Script to Screen is all about. 🎬

The Gold Coast Film Festival 2026 is possible thanks to the support of our Major Partners Screen Queensland, Invest Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland along with venue partner HOTA, Home of the Arts. Experience Gold Coast Screen Queensland QUT (Queensland University of Technology)

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

🎬 AND THE SIPFEST 2026 WINNERS ARE…

SIPFest is one of the most electric nights of the entire festival. And this year's lineup of filmmakers from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and around the world massively delivered. Congratulations to every single filmmaker who screened on the night, and to our incredible 2026 winners. 🙌

🏆 Best Gold Coast Short Film I'LL CHANGE Directors: Sean Lynch & Sean Genders
🏆 Best Queensland Short Film SHE F**KED A COMEDIAN Director: Ella Stone
🏆 Best Australian Short Film EXTRAORDINARY ROB Director: Adam Szudrich
🏆 Best International Short Film TRADING CARDS Director: Radheya Jang
🏆 Best Screenplay DOGBERRIED Director/Writer: MJ Charleston
🎉 People's Choice Award SHROOMS Director: Carmen Holland

Great stories come in all sizes. And this year's SIPFest proved that in the most spectacular way 🌴🎬

The Gold Coast Film Festival 2026 is possible thanks to the support of our Major Partners Screen Queensland, Invest Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland along with venue partner HOTA, Home of the Arts. Experience Gold Coast Screen Queensland

03/05/2026

Tonight at our Closing Night Gala, we made an announcement we have been so excited to share.

PROOF. A joint initiative between AACTA and the Gold Coast Film Festival that has been designed to take bold, original ideas from their earliest conception stage all the way to real theatrical potential. Because great stories deserve the chance to be told. And Queensland is full of them.

We received over 130 applications. One hundred and thirty. The talent out there is extraordinary, and we feel so lucky to be in a position to support it.

Tonight, we announced our three finalists:

🎬 DEADLINE 🎬 THE WATER TANK 🎬 TICK, TICK, TICK

Each of these three incredible teams receives a $65,000 development, production and support package to bring their proof-of-concept short film to life. This is just the beginning for these projects and we cant wait to see where they go.

Watch this space. Queensland cinema just got even more exciting. 🌴

The Gold Coast Film Festival 2026 is possible thanks to the support of our Major Partners Screen Queensland, Invest Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland along with venue partner HOTA, Home of the Arts.
Screen Queensland Experience Gold Coast The Post Lounge