The Festival is a celebration of local film talent, with a program of Australia’s top 100 short films as well as music videos, films by filmmakers under 21 and a professional development program for emerging filmmakers.
Victorians were well represented in the 2015 Festival with 49 Victorian films making up the Festival’s top 100. Zombie thriller Waterborne was selected to screen on opening night alongside Five Minutes More, which had its Victorian premiere.
The Festival’s free filmmaker development program included a week of talks and forums, covering everything filmmakers need to know about bringing a script to the screen, including screenwriting tips, financing and legal information and distribution strategies.
New initiatives for 2015 included a family program – with free screenings for audiences under 15 years – and special screenings for VCE students. There was also an encore screening of the opening night program, which was captioned to ensure a wide range of people could take part.
The Palais Theatre has hosted the Festival’s opening night Gala since 1999. In the 2015-16 Victorian Budget, the Andrews Labor Government provided $13.4 million to restore the heritage-listed icon and ensure it continues as one of the state’s premier destinations for events and entertainment.
Over 12,000 people took part in the 10-day program and once the festival wrapped up in St Kilda, it went on tour throughout June and July, travelling to towns across regional Victoria from Camperdown to Cohuna.
The 2015 St Kilda Film Festival ran from 21-30 May 2015 and was supported by the Labor Government through Film Victoria.
