CinefestOZ in Busselton, Western Australia, has done something that most regional festivals only dream about. It’s made itself essential. With its $100,000 film prize, one of the richest in the country, and a program that attracts genuine A-list Australian talent, CinefestOZ has proven that a regional festival can compete with the capital city events on quality and industry significance.

But CinefestOZ isn’t an isolated case. Across Australia, regional film festivals are growing in importance, attracting bigger audiences, and playing a more significant role in the lifecycle of Australian films. Here’s what’s driving that trend.

The CinefestOZ Model

CinefestOZ works because it understood early on that a regional festival needs a distinct identity and a genuine drawcard. The film prize, funded by a mix of government and private sources, immediately gave the festival credibility. When you’re awarding $100,000 to an Australian film, serious filmmakers pay attention.

The location helps too. Busselton and the Margaret River region are beautiful, and the festival leverages that. It’s part film festival, part cultural tourism event, and that combination has proven attractive to audiences, filmmakers, and sponsors alike.

The programming team has also been smart about balance. CinefestOZ programs crowd-pleasers alongside more challenging work, which means its audience base includes both dedicated cinephiles and general moviegoers. That’s harder to achieve than it sounds.

Other Regionals Worth Watching

CinefestOZ gets the most attention, but there are other regional festivals doing interesting work.

Flickerfest in Bondi isn’t exactly regional, but its touring program takes short films to regional communities across Australia, which is an important distribution function. Many Australians outside major cities only see Australian short films through Flickerfest tours.

Revelations Film Festival in Perth has carved out a niche in experimental and independent cinema that distinguishes it from the mainstream festival circuit.

Tropfest, while not a traditional festival, continues to provide a platform for short films in regional and suburban venues alongside its main event.

Heart of Gold in Gympie, Queensland, focuses on documentary and has built a loyal audience for non-fiction storytelling in regional Queensland.

Breath of Fresh Air in Mudgee, NSW, combines food, wine, and film in a way that draws audiences who might not attend a pure film festival.

Why Regional Festivals Matter

Regional festivals serve functions that the big capital city events can’t. They bring cinema to communities that don’t have arthouse cinemas. They create cultural events that boost local economies. They give filmmakers access to audiences outside the Sydney-Melbourne bubble.

From a filmmaker’s perspective, regional festivals also offer something the big events often can’t: intimacy. At CinefestOZ or Heart of Gold, you can have genuine conversations with audience members after screenings. The feedback is direct and unfiltered, and it’s often different from what you’d hear in an inner-city cinema.

For distributors, a strong regional festival run can demonstrate that a film has broad appeal beyond metropolitan audiences. That’s useful information when planning a wider release.

The Economic Argument

Regional festivals generate real economic impact for their communities. CinefestOZ estimates that it contributes millions to the Busselton-Margaret River economy through accommodation, dining, and tourism. Other regional festivals, even smaller ones, bring visitors who spend money in communities that benefit from cultural tourism.

This economic argument has been crucial in securing government funding for regional festivals. State and local governments increasingly recognise that film festivals are tourism infrastructure, not just cultural luxury.

Challenges for Regional Festivals

The challenges are real. Attracting audiences to regional locations requires significant marketing effort. Transport and accommodation logistics are more complex than for city events. Securing quality films requires programming teams with strong industry relationships, which smaller festivals may lack.

Volunteer burnout is another issue. Many regional festivals depend heavily on volunteer labour, and maintaining that volunteer base year after year is an ongoing challenge.

Funding remains precarious for most regional festivals. Government grants are competitive, corporate sponsorship is harder to attract outside major cities, and ticket revenue alone rarely covers costs.

The Future of Regional Film

I think we’ll see continued growth in regional film festivals over the next few years, driven by cultural tourism demand, improved digital projection technology that reduces screening costs, and a growing recognition that Australian cinema needs to be accessible beyond the capital cities.

The festivals that will thrive are the ones that find their niche, build genuine community connections, and offer something you can’t get at MIFF or SFF. Scale isn’t the goal. Distinctiveness is.