About

Home > About

About BUFTA

Bond University Film and Television Awards (BUFTA) is THE short film competition for aspiring filmmakers from Year 11 and 12 secondary schools across Australia.

Originally started in 1996 and offering a grand prize of a full fee paid scholarship to study a Bachelor of Film and Television at Bond University, BUFTA has grown to become one of the most well-respected competitions in the Southern Hemisphere!

There are no themes to adhere to, no objects you must use, no-one else’s message to relay, simply let your imagination and ambition be your guide.

There are seven categories that can be entered into, so check them out below, grab your camera and go!

BUFTA Categories

Students can enter a film, made as a part of a school assessment or as an independent project, into one of the following categories:

ANIMATION

Fictional film which wholly uses drawn or created 2D or 3D artwork or static physical models filmed in such a manner as to create the illusion of physical movement.

COMEDY

Fictional film in which dramatic storytelling uses humour as a central device.

DOCUMENTARY

Nonfictional film which is a creative treatment of actuality involving investigation and research presented in a logically unfolding sequence.

DRAMA

Fictional film in which dramatic storytelling develops realistic, identifiable characters dealing with a range of contemporary social and human issues.

EXPERIMENTAL FILM

Experimental films are often characterised by the absence of linear narrative, the use of abstracting techniques such as out-of-focus, painting or scratching on film, rapid editing and repetition. The goal is often to place the viewer in a more active and thoughtful relationship to the film. Often student experimental films are too long which lessens their impact

MUSIC VIDEO

The creative exploration of the unity between song, performance, representation and imagery.

ART FILM

Neither a documentary, drama, nor, experimental film, the Art Film is none of these, yet, somehow, all of them. In this unique category, filmmakers explore media aesthetics, structures, concepts, and themes in a creative way. Through the representation of conventions, manipulation of codes, and application of technology, they investigate emotional and intellectual responses, communicate tone, mood, and meaning in a very personal form of cinematic artistic expression.