We’re just FOUR DAYS away from festival weekend and we’re guessing you’ve got a few questions about what to expect!
Made in the West Film Festival is on THIS SATURDAY 4 December at Event Cinemas Liverpool.
This year’s festival line-up features 21 locally made short films on a HUGE VMax cinema screen in our awesome private cinema. We can’t wait to show you what Western Sydney filmmakers have been working on. You’re in for a real treat!
Here’s what you need need to know :
CONFIRM YOUR GUESTS
All tickets should be reserved under correct attendee names. If you have reserved tickets for your friends or crew, please ensure each attendee name is on their ticket so that they can enter the festival site and we can find their name on our guest lists at check-in.
Double-check your guests are coming. Eventbrite allows you to easily change, cancel and update your orders, so please don't let a ticket go to waste if you decide not to come. Contact us if you need help cancelling or changing your tickets.
GETTING THERE IS EASY
Parking is free after 6pm in the Westfield rooftop car park. Event Cinemas is located on the top floor of Westfield Shopping Centre, on Elizabeth Drive in Liverpool. Arrive after 6pm to access the free rooftop parking for the cinema, which means you can avoid public transport without worrying about the parking costs.
We recommend car pooling with your friends, cast or crew! Assign a designated driver to get you all home safely, or make use of our 10% discount offer to stay at Quest Apartments and make a night of it! Use the code WFF at the online reservations screen to access your discount - thanks Quest Apartments! See our FAQ page (#15) for instructions.
If you are taking public transport, be mindful of scheduled track work. Trains will not be in operation between Lidcombe and Strathfield, with some minor flow-on effects to other lines. Visit Transport NSW to plan your trip and travel safely.
Event Cinemas Liverpool is wheelchair accessible. If you require use of the wheelchair holds or easy-access seats inside the cinema, just let us know when you arrive.
PURCHASE A MAGAZINE FOR PICK UP AT THE FESTIVAL
To celebrate our tenth anniversary, we’ve made a commemorative magazine! If you've been a supporter or contributor to Made in the West over the years, chances are you're in it!
Take a deep dive into the festival history, from our beginnings at The Roxy to the wonder years at The Paddo and our new home at Event Cinemas. Featuring interviews with filmmakers, a winners’ almanac, ten-year poster archive and a moving picture gallery full of our favourite red-carpet memories, this magazine is a spectacular way to commemorate a decade of festivals and films in Western Sydney. Did we mention the augmented reality?
Purchase your copy at the Made in the West online shop for collection at the festival this Saturday. We will also have an exclusive, limited range of merchandise at the festival - all proceeds go towards event costs. Keep an eye out for our merch table in the foyer!
WALK THE RED CARPET
Dress to impress because you’re sure to get snapped by our festival photographers! Invite your cast and crew to take pics on the red carpet before the show and during the intermissions then we'll share the photos with you next week in our festival photo gallery.
Keep an eye out for our red carpet TV crew! We’re capturing the highlights of the night and interviews with filmmakers on the red carpet. You can check out the highlights in our Online Film Festival program one week later, along with all 21 finalist films!
YOUR SAFETY IS PRIORITY
We are being mindful of safety as we proceed with our 2021 festival plans and aim to bring you a live event this Saturday. We will be listening carefully to the advice of the NSW Government in regards to cinema attendance and may have updated information to share with the community throughout the week. We will send updates via email to ticket holders and finalist filmmakers, if required.
This year, there are a few things you can do to help us run a Covid-safe event. Please have your vaccination certificate ready to show the cinema staff at the front entrance and check in via QR code when you arrive.
Ensure you have a mask to wear when you're not eating or drinking.
Wash your hands and/or use the sani stations regularly - it's a really easy way to keep others safe!
Cinemas are currently operating at 100% capacity. Although social distancing is easy inside our large cinema, we still need to be mindful of overcrowding the foyer and bar area.
This year, we’re encouraging you to enjoy intermission drinks either in your seats or at the front of the cinema in our new champagne lounge! Help us minimise risk by sending one person to the bar on behalf of your group!
We’ve been preparing to host a Covid Safe festival for a while now, so we’re pretty confident we can throw a great bash while also keeping everyone safe. Feel free to Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
SETTLE IN FOR A FUN NIGHT AT THE CINEMA
We’re so excited to be hosting the festival at Event Cinemas again! Thanks to our venue sponsors and the awesome team at Liverpool, we’re going to be watching Western Sydney films in style -- on a huge V-max screen with theatre-style seating, comfy leather armchairs, full DCP and surround sound!
Did we mention the bar? The foyer bar will be open and we’ve got a nice selection of beers & wine plus a couple of cocktails too -- passionfruit mojitos and our favourite, espresso martinis.
The cinema is fully licensed so you can bring your drinks to your seat with you. Visit Scoop Alley for all your sweets/ snacks/ choc-top needs!
Order hot food when you arrive, then collect during intermission. We encourage you to pre-order hot food at the bar when you arrive, then schedule your hot snacks for collection at Scoop Alley during the first or second intermissions at 8pm or 9:30pm.
We’re kicking off the festival screening at 7pm. The show includes 21 short films in three 1-hour segments, with a half-hour intermission between each. After all the films have screened we will call on the audience to vote for the Audience Choice Award. The final trophy presentations will commence at about 11pm.
Networking during the intermission is a thing! It’s no secret that local filmmakers LOVE Made in the West and the number one feedback we get is how great the networking is. We promise you’ll make a new friend, meet someone interesting, or find your next collaborator. So grab a drink, find a fellow filmmaker and introduce yourself!
Can’t make it to the festival? Join us from Friday 10 December for Made in the West Online Film Festival! Get the popcorn ready and settle in on the couch at home for a full night of festival films plus highlights from the red carpet and interviews with Western Sydney filmmakers… because if there’s anything 2020 taught us all, it’s that we LOVE having access to the world’s best cultural events from home! Follow the Official Selection finalists online and let them know how much you love their work!
AWARDS AND PRIZES
All 2021 Official Selection finalist films are in the running to win! The judges’ scores determine the winner of our Best in the West trophy, a prestigious award recognising the top indie talent from Western Sydney each year. Student filmmakers will compete for the Best Student Film Award and total bragging rights among your mates because let’s face it, your bright future in film will be practically assured.
Music artists will compete for the inaugural Best Music Video trophy, a brand new trophy we’ve introduced this year for Western Sydney recording artists that are working with local filmmakers to create magic.
Nine individual category winners will be awarded for Best Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Screenplay, Sound Design, Production Design, Original Score, Lead Actor and Supporting Actor. Check out the nominees here!
You decide the final award winners of the festival! After the last film screens, we will hold a live audience vote so YOU can nominate your favourite for the Audience Choice Award (announced at the cinema) and our second annual People’s Choice Award (announced at the end of the Online Festival). We can’t wait to see who wins the final prize!
This year we have some amazing awards & prizes to give away thanks to our wonderful sponsors! We’ve secured over $8,000 in studio hire, workshops, mentorships with industry experts, actors’ headshots, foley work, and best of all, an invitation to join us on Made in the West TV and The Pagey Train podcast next year. So many great things to get you started on a productive year of filmmaking in 2022!
Good luck to all of the nominees.
WE CAN’T WAIT!!
We hope this information has been helpful! Check out our FAQ page if you have any questions that went unanswered, or contact us if you need further help.
We’re looking forward to hosting you on Saturday at the cinema and one week later online. We can’t wait to showcase this fantastic 2021 selection of Western Sydney films!
See you on the red carpet.
SSP