Acknowledgement of Country

Dharug

Bayadyinyang budyari Dharug yiyura Dharug Ngurra.
Bayady’u budyari Dharug Warunggadgu baranyiin barribugu.
Bayady’u budyari wagulgu yiyuragu Ngurra bimalgu Blacktown City. Flannel flowers dyurali bulbuwul.
Yanmannyang mudayi Dharug Ngurrawa. Walama ngyini budbud dali Dharug Ngurra Dharug yiyura baranyiin barribugu.

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English

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Land, the Dharug people, and their continued connection to Country.
We pay our respects to Elders from yesterday to tomorrow.
We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Blacktown City where the flannel flowers still grow proud and strong.
We will walk softly on this land and open our hearts to Country as the Dharug people have for tens of thousands of years.

Credit to: Dharug woman Rhiannon Wright, daughter of Leanne ‘Mulgo’ Watson Redpath and granddaughter of Aunty Edna Watson

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Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is back for 2025!

The fbi.radio award winning program is seeking short film proposals from western Sydney filmmakers. For the second year in a row, we have partnered with Sydney Opera House to premiere 3 new short film commissions in October 2025.

The selected films will have a clear connection to Blacktown’s culture and community. We encourage shooting on a location in Blacktown or casting local talent – anything that helps promote local storytelling and sustainable creative practice in Blacktown. At its core, Blacktown Shorts Film Festival celebrates our diverse and vibrant community.

We welcome creatives of all levels and films of all genres to apply, whether that be narrative, documentary, animation, etc.

Successful applicants will receive:

  • Up to $7,000 of funding to develop their short film proposal;
  • Industry mentorship from Festival Curator, Vonne Patiag and an Associate Curator;
  • The opportunity to premiere their work at the iconic Sydney Opera House;
  • Ongoing screening opportunities;
  • Potential media exposure.

Read through 2025 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival, Expressions of Interest Guidelines for further detail.

Key Dates

Applications open: Monday 9 June 2025

Applications close: Monday 30 June 2025

Need some assistance?

If you have further questions or require assistance with your application, you can contact us at blacktownarts@blacktown.nsw.gov.au or call (02) 9839 6558 Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Bios

Vonne Patiag is an AACTA, AWGIE, Logie and SPA Award-nominated Filmmaker and Actor based in Western Sydney. His credits include Significant Others (ABC), The Unusual Suspects (SBS), Here Out West (ABC), Too Many Ethnics, Tomgirl (SBS), and Halal Gurls (ABC).

He was a participant in the prestigious TIFF Filmmaker Lab 2021 in support of the feature adaptation of Tomgirl and was part of the Talent USA Delegate 2022 sponsored by Screen Australia.

In 2020 he produced and co-wrote The Unusual Suspects with Aquarius Films, and feature film anthology Here Out West with Co-Curious and Emerald Productions. His latest short ‘Too Many Ethnics’ premiered at Flickerfest in 2023.

You can find Vonne on Instagram here

This project is presented by Blacktown Arts in partnership with the Sydney Opera House and supported by Blacktown City Council.

Image Credits:

Behind the scenes of film ‘This Town Talks’, 2024, photography by Nicole Cadelina
Vonne Patiag, 2023, courtesy of artist

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I’m an Artist

Blacktown Arts supports artists through annual opportunities across prizes, exhibitions, funding opportunities, and studio spaces for local creatives.

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Blacktown City Art Prize

Blacktown City Art Prize

Blacktown City’s annual acquisitive art prize open to artists across Australia, with a prize pool of over $23,500.

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