People's Choice voting has closed. Winner announced soon.
​Check out the 2021 Festival!

INFORMATION FOR FILMMAKERS

Important dates 2021
ITEMS ANNOUNCEMENT
Friday 19th Feb, 6pm, via Facebook Live 
​www.facebook.com/LightsCanberraAction
The list of 10 items to be included in your film for points will be announced. 

FILMMAKING
Friday 19th Feb to Monday 1st March, All over Canberra
Teams make their films.

FILM DEADLINE
Monday 1st March, 6pm, Online Submission Only
Films must be completed and submitted via the website before 6pm.

TOP TWELVE ANNOUNCEMENT
Wednesday 3rd March, by 5pm
We announce the films screening in competition via email

GALA SCREENING & AWARDS
Friday 5th March, 7pm for 8pm, Stage 88 Commonwealth Park
Entry is free, Ages 15+ (under 15s with an adult), Bring your own chair. You must book a ticket to ensure entry so we can control numbers and obtain contact tracing information.
PRIZES
Sponsor
Award
Prize
Screen Canberra
Screen Canberra Award for Best Film (most points overall)
$600 cash 
ACT Government
ACT GovernmentAward for Best Use of Theme
$300 cash
Visabel
Visabel Award for Best Student Film
$300 cash
Sanguineti Media
Sanguineti Media Award for Best under 18s Film
$300 cash
National Capital Authority
NCA Award for Best Use of an  Item
​$300 cash
Crux Media
Crux Media Award for Best Director
$300 cash
Full Point Films
Full Point Films Award for Best Sound Design
$300 cash
Canberra FM
CanberraFM Award for Best Original Music
​$300 cash
Marisa Martin
Female Filmmaker Award
$300 cash
Perform Australia
Perform Australia Award for Best Performance
$300 cash
Stage Centa
Stage Centa Award for Most Memorable Performance
$300 cash
By George Studios
By George Studios Award for Best Cinematography
$300 cash
Hot Dogma Script Consultancy
Hot Dogma Award for Best Screenplay
$300 cash
BentSpoke​
BentSpoke Award for Best Editing
​$300 cash
Enemies of Reality Films
Enemies of Reality Films Award for Best Art Direction
$300 cash
Academy of interactive Entertainment
The AIE Award for Best  Animation or Visual Effects
$300 cash
EventsACT
ACT Government/EventsACT Award for People's Choice
​Prize Pack.
Prizes are awarded by the judging panel and will be announced after the screening of the Top Twelve films. Each prize is noted below and includes a Clapper Board Trophy.

The People's Choice Award is voted by the audience online in the week following the festival and announced after the festival.
ITEMS
The 2021 Items are:

  1. A Dove
    The sy    mbol of hope
  2. King O’Malley Plaque on the Commencement Column, Federation Mall
    King O’Malley chose this place as Canberra because: “I want to have a cold climate chosen for the capital of this Commonwealth...I want to have a climate where men can hope”. SEE SPECIAL RULES BELOW.
  3. A Place of Worship
    Means hope to many people.
  4. The street sign of Hope St, Dickson
    The only Hope St in Canberra
  5. A Unicorn
    ​Is there anything more hopeful than a unicorn?
  6. Marion Mahony Griffin View
    It’s the 150 year anniversary of her birth this year and she painted the beautiful watercolour drawings of what would become the view from Mt Ainslie that were included in the winning plan for Canberra. The view is from the top of Mt Ainslie towards Parliament House.
  7. Iris flower
    The traditional meaning of this flower is hope
  8. A.D. Hope Bronze Bust
    (Poet’s Corner, Garema Place). A.D Hope was a Satirical poet and essayist. You can read one of his poems on the bust podium.
  9. Fire
    In 1921 Walter Burley Griffin was fired from his job as Director of Construction for Canberra.
  10. The Hope Tree 
    A beautiful Eucalyptus melliadora planted by June Hope in memory of her husband Justice Robert Hope in 2005 in Justice Robert Hope Park in Watson. There’s a plaque on a large rock in front of it.  Justice Hope was a distinguished, humorous man with a fondness for the performing arts. 

​SPECIAL RULES FOR THE COMMENCEMENT COLUMN
As this item is close to Parliament House, there are special considerations. We need you to get no closer to Parliament House than Federation Mall, don't set up a tripod or other 'fixed' equipment and don't climb the monument. If you want to set up a tripod etc, you would have to apply for permission from the AFP.

ITEM SPECIFIC RULES
  • ​Unless specified otherwise, the items MUST BE SEEN for the points to be awarded.
  • Only FIVE can appear in photos, the rest must be included in the film as actual items/props/locations.
  • A character MUST interact with at least ONE item.
  • Don't forget safety comes first, don't disrupt the public *too* much and don't do anything illegal!​
RULES, judging and requirements

RULES

COVID INFO & CONTACT TRACING TEMPLATE. MUST BE FILLED IN AND SUBMITTED WITH YOUR FILM.
File Size: 43 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
  • COVID RULES: Filmmakers must have a COVID Safe plan for their team and collect contact tracing information for all people who come into physical contact with their team. A template and recommendations for your own plan are available via the button above. YOU MUST SUBMIT A FILLED IN CONTACT TRACING FORM FOR EACH DAY OF YOUR SHOOT OR YOUR FILM WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
  • Films must be shot within the 10 'filmmaking' days (archival footage excepted). Preparation for shooting may be done outside of those days.​​
  • A character MUST interact with at least ONE ITEM in the film
  • A maximum of five items can be included via still-image/photographs. The rest must be actual items/props in the scene or locations for scenes. The only exclusion is animation - if a film is entirely animated, they can include all items as visual representation
  • Films must be a maximum of 7 minutes long, including credits
  • Unless an item is specifically noted as being an audio item, the item must be seen or visually represented. Drawings, photos and other visual representations are acceptable (up to the maximum of five representations)
  • To be eligible for the student entry price and prize ALL Producers AND Directors must be full time students - either primary, secondary or tertiary and currently undertaking a full time study load. Photocopies/sighting of students cards will be required
  • To be eligible for the Under 18s Prize, ALL Producers AND Directors must be under 18. ID will need to be sighted by the LCA team
  • You must have copyright clearance for the music, script and any other element in your film
  • The Festival will clear locations that are specifically listed as actual 'items'. Producers won't have to get location clearances for those places. All other locations are up to the Producers to seek clearance and permission to use
  • You must obtain all appropriate approvals, permissions and insurances for your film. Screen Canberra has low cost insurance options.
  • The Producer of the film is responsible for the safety of their team. LCA does not cover the filmmaking component, so consider insurance options before you begin: See Screen Canberra for low cost insurance options.
  • In regard to animation - you may prepare before the filmmaking days ie. do preparatory drawings, write scripts, draw/paint/prepare backgrounds etc before the filmmaking days - but all 'animation' (the actual putting together of the movement in a computer program or any shooting of stop-motion) must be done in the filmmaking days
  • Please keep in mind the open nature of the award screening when making your films and keep violence, language and drug use etc to below an (M) level. See www.classification.gov.au for details on the (M) classification
  • Mistreatment of animals will not be tolerated and will result in disqualification and reporting to authorities.​

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

You need to submit:​
  • The online submission form
  • A HD version of your film which will be your judging AND screening copy
  • Payment of Entry Fee
  • ​Your COVID Contact Tracing Form
The upload should be a high quality, H.264 .mp4 or ProRes .mov,  1920x1080 pixel file. You can use services like vimeo, one-drive, dropbox, we-transfer etc. We don't mind how you get your file to us, but we need to be able to download it. We will not share your files with anyone outside of the LCA team.

If you do not have access to internet enough to upload your video and/or you cannot make an online payment, you can bring your film and payment to the Festival Office and we will assist you.

The office has NBN and is located in Queanbeyan. Contact us to make arrangements BEFORE the due date. 
​
No matter how you submit, you must allow enough time to upload and fill in the form - all of which can take 30 minutes even if you have good internet. 

ONLINE JUDGING AND SCREENING SUBMISSION

You must submit online. You can use services like vimeo, one-drive, youtube unlisted, dropbox, we-transfer etc. We don't mind how you get your film file to us, but we need to be able to download it. You will include the link in your submission form, to be filled out online. The link must be available for viewing from 6pm on the submission Monday - so make sure you allow enough time to upload your video. Technical difficulties will not be taken into account when noting your submission time. 

Please don't distribute your link until after our Gala Screening - we want everyone to come to the festival and see the film on the big screen!
​

SCORING

Points will be awarded for including the specified items in the films, and you will have to seek them out – Scavenger Hunt style. You can include the items anyway you like, your character can walk past one, or you can set a scene at a location, whatever fits your story best.  Be playful and creative! We want to see Canberra in new and interesting ways.  You receive 10 points for each item visible in your film.  You also receive the following points for the technical elements of your film. These are awarded by a Judging Panel:
Filmmaking Element
​Description
Points
Screenplay/Writing
Original and creative story and plot, good dialogue and believable characters.
Up to 20
Acting/Performance
Believable and memorable acting/interviewees in documentaries
Up to 20
Directing
How the whole piece fits together - all the elements working cohesively to realise the script to its full potential visually, aurally & emotionally.
Up to 20
Editing
Editing that supports the style of the film and enhances the story and emotion.
​Up to 20
Cinematography
The quality of the camera work, lighting and shot design.
Up to 20
Sound Design
The recording and mixing of location recordings, music and sound effects and creative use of sound.
​Up to 20
Music
How well the music is used to fit the tone & emotion of the film. If there is no music, points will be given if that choice works in favour of the film.
​Up to 20
Art Direction
Creative use or creation of props, locations, set dressing and costuming.
Up to 20
Enjoyment
How enjoyable the film is, regardless of genre. Enjoyable means good to watch, not boring, the right length for the story - the x-factor. Do they like it.
​Up to 20
Use of Theme
How the film relates to and creatively utilises the theme
​Up to 20
  • The Top Twelve films by the points are then screened to an audience and prizes in each of the technical categories are awarded as well as Best Film, Best Student Film and Best Use of an Item.​
  • The People's Favourite Film is voted online the week after the festival and announced at the encore screening.
  • Female Filmmaker Award is given to an outstanding female in a behind the camera role and is decided by the Judging Panel.

JUDGES

We select a diverse panel of filmmakers, critics and people who have general film interests. The panel changes each year. The 2021 Judging panel are:

Chris Holly

Chris has been a practicing visual artist and professional photographer for over 25 years. In addition to working in photomedia and video, he also played, recorded and performed music for over 30 years. He made his first documentary on remote mountaineering in Antarctica in 1999 and has continued to assist and collaborate on video projects since then. He's currently working in the ACT Government, and continues to exhibit and perform as often as he can.
"I love supporting LCA as it is a first hand opportunity to delve into all aspects of the craft and art of short film. Knowing the passion, perseverance and purpose that people commit to the event is inspiring, invigorating and always an honour to judge."

Belinda Barancewicz

Belinda is a Director and Script-Writer most notably known for Play School. She is also a multi award winning Producer. She was a Senior Producer at Channel Nine and Southern Cross Ten for over a decade. Belinda has a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and has guest lectured at several tertiary institutions. She has also sat on numerous arts panels as a festival judge and funding assessor. A passionate and hardworking creative, Belinda establishes emotional connections with audiences through compelling storytelling.

Belinda is a former winner of Lights! Canberra! Action! and has judged the festival many times since then. She is thrilled to be a part of the judging panel and is an advocate for film making in regional Australia.

Luke McWilliams

Luke is the Executive Producer and co-host of The Movie Club, a weekly movie reviews, news and interviews program broadcast every week on ArtSound FM 92.7, iTunes, Spotify and www.themovieclub.net since 2010. In addition to reviewing movies, The Movie Club serves to share local film-related events of local arts organisations and arts agencies, promoting and encouraging grassroots filmmakers, artists and their projects. Luke has been the primary movie reviewer for the Canberra Weekly magazine (print& online) since 2013 and has lead presentations and discussion panels at Canberra's games and animation convention Gamma.Con since 2016. 
I'm a big supporter of the ACT Government's Lights! Canberra! Action! short-film festival and I'm honoured to continue to serve as both judge and Master of Ceremonies of the event.
Festival history
watch previous finalists
Many of the previous Top Twelve films are online, and you can watch those we've found in playlists by year on our YouTube Channel. 

Screening

Top Twelve Gala Screening and Awards
FRIDAY 5TH MARCH 2021, 7PM FOR 8PM START
Stage 88, Commonwealth Park

Bring your chair or picnic blanket and watch the Top Twelve films under the stars at Stage 88 in Commonwealth Park. There will be food vendors on site and it's close to the city with lots of parking.
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Contact Us

General Enquiries: 13 22 81
Festival Director: Marisa Martin
Filmmaker Enquiries: 0422 524 351
Email: lca@enemiesofreality.com

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To keep up to date with all the festival news for filmmakers, subscribe to the Festival Newsletter that comes out during the festival.

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