The Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) is thrilled to announce the return of its Short Film Fund in 2019. Successfully launched in 2017, the Fund was established to provide funding to Australian filmmakers for the completion of a Jewish-themed short film (narrative, documentary or animation).
In 2018, the Fund was awarded to local filmmakers Michael Weisler and Richard Moore, whose films, The Birth of Hunter Finkelstein and Thank G-d, had their World Premiere screenings at JIFF 2018. 2017 winner, Still Alive (dir. Anita Lester), has gone on to great international success, with screenings at film festivals around the world, and a recent licensing by Yad Vashem to screen as a part of their digital exhibition.
"The JIFF Short Film grant gave me funding, a deadline and audiences in cinemas around the country. Chances like that don’t come along too often, so I’m deeply grateful to have had such a rewarding opportunity. It was a blast." — The Birth of Hunter Finkelstein director, Michael Weisler
In 2019, a total grant pool of $10,000 is available for the production of two short films (narrative, animation or documentary) incorporating a Jewish theme, character or story arc.
Applications for the 2019 Fund are now open here, and close on 29 March 2019. The allocation of funding will be announced in mid-May 2019, and will be determined by a panel of experienced industry judges. We expect the films to be ready for exhibition at JIFF 2019, with final delivery required by early October 2019.