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

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