Join the Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival

Film Premiere Night

Tuesday, 31 October 2023   4:00pm - 7:00pm AEDT   Face-to-Face at MHFA Education Centre, G1, 10 Yarra St, South Yarra VIC 3141 and Virtual on Zoom

The Mental Health Foundation Australia is delighted to invite you to the grand premiere of the Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival. This extraordinary event is dedicated to illuminating the connection between mental health and Australia's diverse and vibrant multicultural communities.

About the Festival:

From August 9th to October 1st, we have received an array of captivating film submissions that delve into the various facets of mental health in diverse communities. This festival is a celebration of powerful storytelling and a platform to address the impact of mental illness within multicultural groups.

What to Expect:

- A showcase of films exploring the complexities of mental health within multicultural communities.

- Films ranging from science fiction, to thriller, drama, comedy, and more.

- Recognition and acknowledgment of lived experiences and stories that matter.

- A platform to raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

- The announcement of winners in categories such as Best Live-Action Short Film, Best Animation Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, and Best Cinematography.

Popcorn and soft drinks included!

Don't miss this extraordinary event - in person or online - and be a part of our mission to reduce stigma and foster mental health awareness.

Join us as we come together to promote unity, empathy and support for better mental health for all. Don't miss the opportunity to be a part of this enlightening cinematic experience.

DISCLAIMER:
Owing to copyright requirements, and under our obligations to comply with these requirements, we are unable to record the Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival Premiere. We kindly request that you refrain from recording any of the films being shown at the Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival Premiere.

About the Film Festival

The Mental Health Foundation Australia’s Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival invites film submissions from the 9th of August to October 1st, with the awarding and closing ceremony scheduled for October 31st. 

This festival hopes to be a force that recognises, acknowledges, and showcases the way that mental illness can affect and appear in multicultural communities. We hope to use film to detail, educate and promote awareness of multicultural mental health issues within Australian communities.

We hope that through this showcase of multicultural mental health stories, we can assist in removing mental health stigma, as we bring communities together to support each other; and support better mental health for all. Mental illness can come in many forms: addictions, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, insomnias, OCD, PTSD, personality disorders, phobias, and schizophrenic disorders.

This festival seeks submissions from filmmakers who have lived experiences or wish to present fictitious or real stories about those suffering from mental illness in multicultural communities.

The festival seeks submissions from diverse language groups, ethnic groups, and diverse cultural communities. The Mental Health Foundation Australia is seeking films that range from horror, comedy, science-fiction, romance, surrealism, and all other genres and sub-genres.

We seek films from Australia's largest ethnic and cultural groups, the Chinese, Filipino, German, Greek, Indigenous-Australian, Italian, Jewish, Lebanese, Punjab, Spanish, and Vietnamese to name a few communities.

Categories for the films will be as follows:

• Best Live-Action Short Film (Narrative and Non-Narrative)
• Best Animation Short Film
• Best Documentary Short Film (Non-Fiction)
• Best Cinematography
  

Key Dates

Submissions will be accepted from the 9th of August until the festival's closing date on the 1st of October. An awarding/closing ceremony will be held on October 31st. The ceremony will be held in the office of the Mental Health Foundation Australia located at G1, 10 Yarra St, South Yarra, VIC 3141. 

Film Criteria 

Entrants must provide details about their age, cultural/language background, and the mental health theme explored in their film, along with a brief maximum 150-word summary and filmmaker biography. 

The festival welcomes entries in all languages but we do require that your screener be subtitled in English. To ensure that these emerging filmmakers get a chance at showcasing their work, we have capped the age limit of the filmmakers to 35 years old, with each participant limited to one film not exceeding 10 minutes. 

As stated above the submissions will be open from the 9th of August to October 1st, with the awarding and closing ceremony scheduled for October 31st. Submission can be completed through Film Freeway. Digital format submissions are required, allowing for consideration of iPhone and VHS-shot films meeting specified format requirements (analog film, DVD, or Disc formats will not be accepted). All films must have a resolution of 1920x1080.

The rules in short:

• Entrants must provide details about their age, cultural/language background, and the mental health theme explored in their film, as well as a brief filmmaker biography.
• Filmmakers must be 35 years old or younger.
• Films must be submitted by 1 October 2023 at 11:59 pm. Late submissions are not accepted.
• The film must not exceed 10 minutes.
• Only 1 film per entrant.
• English subtitles are required if the language of the film is not English.
• Submissions must be digital and be capable of 1920x1080 resolution.
• Films made by filmmakers under the age of 18 must be submitted by a parent or a guardian.
• Entrants hereby acknowledge that their biography will be used to support their entry.
• Entrants must be from Australia, currently reside or have resided in Australia, or are Australians living overseas. 
• Films are recommended to comply with a G to MA15 rating
• Unless you tell us otherwise via the e-mail presented, photographs, videos, or recordings of you and/or your child may be used by the MHFA in formats that are accessible to the public, including social media channels (Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram) websites and any other publications promoting the MMHFF. Children under the age of 18 will be identified by first name only (or not named at all).

By submitting a film to the Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival, you accept these Terms.

What can you win?

The judging process will focus on the film's relevance to the festival's criteria, and only a handful of films per category will be chosen for screening during the awarding ceremony.

Successful films will receive laurels to promote their official selection across social media and websites and the winners of each category will receive an engraved trophy and the winner of Best Live-Action Short Film will receive a $500 cash prize. Also, the winner of Best Cinematography will receive a free one-year membership to the Australian Cinematography Society (ACS), and have their film co-judged by a member of the Society.

Matthew Keisoglu

Festival Director/Judge

Matthew Keisoglu is an award-winning filmmaker who specialises in avant-garde, experimental, and horror cinema.

He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree, having previously earned a bachelor’s and Honours Degree in Film and Television from Deakin University. As an artist, Matthew incorporates his Armenian heritage into his work, blending unique socio-cultural concepts with supernatural themes to create truly original pieces.

Matthew's films have been screened in numerous cities around the world, including Istanbul, Florida, New York, and London, as well as being featured in countless online film festivals.

He has been interviewed by various media outlets, including SBS Armenian, the Student World Impact Film Festival's Film Sessions podcast, 3CR Community Radio, and AGBU Melbourne.

Matthew serves as the Festival Director of the Mental Health Foundation Australia’s Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival, as well as the director of the Foundation’s monthly talk show, the Goody Show.

Kazue Hirota

Judge

Kazue Hirota is a Digital Media graduate from RMIT.

She currently serves as a Multimedia Designer at the Mental Health Foundation Australia, where she channels her skills and enthusiasm into creating short-form videos and designing materials centered around the topic of mental health.

Oscar Ragg

Judge

Oscar Ragg is an emerging writer living on Boonwurrung land in Melbourne.

Having studied cinema and screen culture in his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne, he believes in great storytelling, and its power to move people. His work can be found in The Big Issue, In Review, Forkful, and Farrago Magazine – and on most days you can find him in a cinema somewhere in Melbourne. 

Oscar is honoured to be a judge at the festival this year and can’t wait to dive into the films. 

Ramin Iranfar

Judge

Ramin Iranfar is an editor, producer, and screenwriter.

Originally from Iran, he moved to the UK when he was 13 years old. Growing up in a diverse and multicultural environment enabled him to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of different cultures.

Throughout his life, Ramin has continued to broaden his horizons by living in the UAE and the US, where he has had the opportunity to connect with people from all walks of life. His passion for understanding people and their experiences led him to pursue a degree in Psychology, which has enhanced his ability to empathize and connect with others.

Ramin achieved a Bachelor of Arts in Film from Deakin University and is now dedicated to creating platforms that allow authentic voices to share their stories with the world without limitations. He has been an active member of the Australian film and TV industry for over 6 years.