Home Brewed Origins

Home Brewed first screened as the Home Brewed International Short FIlm Festival in November 2003 at the Dapto Leagues Club, just south of Wollongong, NSW Australia. Attracting a record 111 entries in its first year from around Australia and the World, a field of 20 finalists took to the screen before an appreciative audience of nearly 300 people.

Past Home Brewed Screenings

The inaugural Home Brewed Best Short Film prize of $5,000 cash went to the aptly named "Cash Out", a clever comedy from Trent Roberts and Brooke Hely, based around a bungled late night hold up of a petrol station. Gary Doust & Brooke Wilson's documentary "Murbah Swamp Beer", following the after effects of a famous beer truck accident near Murwillumbah NSW, took out the prestigious "Granny's Choice" Award.

In 2004 the Festival expanded to include features and filmmaking seminars, taking its screenings to Greater Union Cinemas in Wollongong. Prize money increased to more than $8,000 including a $6,000 Best Short Film Prize and $1,000 Best Illawarra Short Filmmaker.

In 2005 the festival spread beyond Wollongong to Canberra, Bowral and Sydney, increased its cash prizes to over $10,000 with both 0-10 minute and 10-30 minute categories plus an ongoing feature program, and attracted almost 200 entries from around the globe. The Illawarra region shone with locally made short "Ward 13" taking out the regional prize and runner-up in the 10-30 minute open category. Ward 13 also scored a shortlisting for Academy Award nomination in 2005.

Both a 2004 previous festival prize-winner "Splintered" and 2005 winner "Saviour" have gone on to win major prizes at the US Slamdance festival in subsequent years, winning themselves eligibility for Academy Award nomination.

Visit our 2003, 2004 and 2005 pages for more details.

The Future

Home Brewed is now heading into its 4th year and has expanded into a 3 week-long format screening across 5 towns and cities with industry leaders presenting workshops in Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong during the festival. There continue to be two categories of competition for short films (10 minutes and under, and 10 to 30 minutes) as well as the feature film (60 minutes and over) category. Home Brewed will continue to consolidate its existing base and expand in coming years and seeks to:

  • provide a forum for filmmakers to screen their works, together with material rewards for those whose talents demonstrate outstanding ability or potential that significant monetary support can help to develop;
  • take the art of film to as broad an audience as possible, including audiences that have previously had little or no exposure to this form of entertainment;
  • improve tourism to the Illawarra Region on the South Coast of NSW Australia by promoting the region to Australia and the rest of the world, as a premier location and as host to one of Australia's premier film festivals.

Why "Home Brewed"?

The name of the Festival refers among other things to the spirit of short film and first-time or limited release feature film making - that typically they are 'home brewed' affairs, wherever that home may be. And, with the core of the Home Brewed organisation being professionals with homes in the Wollongong region, the Festival itself is born and raised at home, in the Illawarra.