Awards
MQFF is proud to support local emerging filmmaking talent through innovative workshops, exclusive industry labs for selected filmmakers and festival prizes. The support for local and international filmmaking talent is made possible by our award sponsors and donors.
34th MQFF Awards – November 2024
City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short Film ($5,000)
WINNER: Hold Still – Emily Dynes
VicScreen Award for Best Director: Australian Short Film ($2,500)
WINNER: Outpicker – Le Luo
Shaun Miller Award for Best Australian Documentary Short ($1,000)
WINNER: Dance with Pride – A Journey of Identity Through Movement – Javier Cataño-Gonzalez
MQFF Award for Best First Feature Narrative ($2,500)
WINNER: National Anthem – Luke Gilford
MQFF Award for Best First Feature Documentary ($2,500)
WINNER: This Is Ballrom – Juru & Vitã
MQFF Award for Best International Short ($1,000)
WINNER: A Bird Called Memory – Leonardo Martinelli
MQFF Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film ($1,000)
WINNER: Die Bully Die – Nathan Lacey & Nick Lacey
33rd MQFF Awards – November 2023
City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short Film ($5,000)
WINNER: Jia – Vee Shi
VicScreen Award for Best Director: Australian Short Film ($2,500)
WINNER: The Pansy of Pickadee – Gus George and Paddy Morahan
Shaun Miller Award for Best Australian Documentary Short ($1,000)
WINNER: The Love of My Life – Francesca Rizzoli and Trevor John Graham
MQFF Award for Best First Feature Narrative ($2,500)
WINNER: Birder – Nate Dushku
MQFF Award for Best First Feature Documentary ($2,500)
WINNER: Equal the Contest – Mitch Nivalis
MQFF Award for Best International Short ($1,000)
WINNER: We Are Animals – Thijs Bouman
MQFF Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film ($1,000)
WINNER: Good Times and That’s Okay – Amanda Kaye
32nd MQFF Awards – November 2022
City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short Film ($5,000)
WINNER: Beautiful They – Cloudy Rhodes
VicScreen Award for Best Director: Australian Short Film ($2,500)
WINNER: Sparkles – Jacqueline Pelczar
Shaun Miller Award for Best Australian Documentary Short ($1,000)
WINNER: The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone – Maya Newell
Blackmagic Design Award for Technical Excellence (DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard)
WINNER: Pause – Jacquelynn Auger
Blackmagic Design Award for Cinematography (DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel)
WINNER: Beautiful They – Jordan Maddocks
MQFF Award for Best First Feature Narrative ($2,500)
WINNER: Joyland – Saim Sadiq
MQFF Award for Best First Feature Documentary ($2,500)
WINNER: Uýra: The Rising Forest – Juliana Curi
MQFF Award for Best International Short ($1,000)
WINNER: Warsha – Dania Bdeir
Step Right Up Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film ($1,000)
WINNER: Dragged Up – Laura Jayne Tunbridge
31st MQFF Awards – November 2021
MQFF Award for Best First Feature Narrative ($2,500)
WINNER: Anaïs In Love – Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short Film ($5,000)
WINNER: Forgiveness Day – Derek Ho
Film Vic Award Best Director ($2,500)
WINNER: Olivia Aleksoski – Her Own Music
Shaun Miller Lawyers Award Best Australian Documentary Short ($1000)
WINNER: Forgiveness Day – Derek Ho
Blackmagic Design Award for Technical Excellence (BMD Speed Editor Keyboard & DaVinci Resolve Studio)
WINNER: The Samaya Wives
MQFF Award for Best Feature Doc ($2,500)
WINNER: Flee
MQFF Award for Best International Short ($1,000)
WINNER: Darling
Step Right Up Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film ($1,000)
WINNER: We’re Doing Well – Andrew Mills
MQFF Together Awards – March 2021
MQFF Award for Best Australian Short ($1500) Proudly Supported by Film Victoria
WINNER: Why Did She Have to Tell the World
MQFF Award for Best Australian Feature or Documentary ($3500) – Proudly Supported by Film Victoria
WINNER: The Greenhouse
MQFF Award for Best International Short ($1500)
WINNER: Thrive
MQFF Award for Best International Feature or Documentary ($3500)
WINNER: Rūrangi
MQFF 2020 Awards – March 2020
City of Melbourne Award for the Best Australian Short Film ($5000)
(Recipients of the City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian Short Film are automatically qualified to be nominated for The Iris Prize – the largest prize for a gay or lesbian short film in the world.)
WINNER: Black Lips (Director: Adrian Chiarella)
Film Victoria Award for Best Director, Australian Short Film ($2500)
WINNER: Hook Up (Director: Laura Nagy)
ME Bank Award – Emerging Filmmaker ($2500)
WINNER: Kids on Fire (Director: Tommy Hart)
The Pride Foundation Australia Award for Best Australian Feature Film ($1000)
WINNER: Unsound (Director: Ian Watson)
Shaun Miller Lawyers Award for Best Australian Documentary – Feature or Short ($1000)
WINNER: Belonging (Director: Matt Scholten)
Pitch, Pleez!
2019
MQFF was delighted to debut the world premiere of Pitch, Pleez winner
Hook Up – Laura Nagy
The film went on to win the Film Victoria award for Best Director in 2020.
2020
This year we were thrilled to award two projects the Pitch, Pleez! $10,000 film funding prize. The winners were:
A Big Life – Ana Brownfield
$10,000 plus Legal fees from Shaun Miller Lawyers valued at $2000
How to be Queer – Clare Cavanagh & Alexandra Morgan
$10,000 plus a Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K with DaVinci resolve studio software valued at $2600
2021
We’re Doing Well – Andrew Mills
$10,000 plus a Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro + All-In-Pass to main Festival
The film went on to win the Step Right Up Audience Choice Award for Best Short of MQFF31.
2022
Graveyard Shift – Morgan Flint & Jamie Tram
$10,000 plus a Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro + All-In-Pass to main Festival
2023
Pineapple – Sophie Saville
$10,000 + All-In-Pass to main Festival
2024
While We Still Have Time – Ava Grimshaw-Hall & Jasper Caverly
$10,000 + All-In-Pass to main Festival
