Melbourne Women in Film Festival

Name

Melbourne Women in Film Festival

Legal name

Melbourne Women in Film Festival

Website

https://mwff.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADAKAD

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Exhibition (Cinemas, Film Festivals, Screenings)

SECONDARYMPADAKAH

Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Exhibition (Cinemas, Film Festivals, Screenings)

SECONDARYMPADADAC

Short-Form Documentaries

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Documentary & Nonfiction Production

Keywords

• Women film festival
• Film festival events
• Film criticism mentorship
• Short film screenings
• Screen industry workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from festival passes (Full Festival Pass, 3 Film Pass) and individual screening tickets sold through ACMI and other venue ticketing platforms.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted as one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual recurring contributions. MWFF is a registered DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient) entity.
3. Film Submission Fees: Filmmakers submit short films for consideration through FilmFreeway platform with various deadline tiers (early bird, regular, extended).
4. Workshop and Panel Fees: Some workshops and panels charge admission fees (e.g., The Lifecycle of Film workshop: $40/$30/$25, Sustainable Methods workshop: $25/$20/$15).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MWFF operates an annual short film festival (MWFF 2025 'Outré' and ongoing editions) showcasing narrative and documentary short films by women and gender diverse artists from Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the wider Moana region. The festival is held at partner venues (primarily ACMI) and includes ticketed screenings, panel discussions, workshops, awards, and the Critics Lab mentorship program for emerging film critics. Film submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway under early bird, regular, and extended deadlines.

Product overview

Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) is a volunteer-run not-for-profit organization that operates as a single-product festival platform rather than a multi-module SaaS. Its core offering is the annual MWFF film festival featuring screenings, panels, masterclasses, and the Critics Lab mentorship program. The portfolio includes the annual festival (with film submissions via FilmFreeway), the Critics Lab mentorship program, festival archives spanning 2017-2025, a schools educational program, volunteer opportunities, and a donation system. The organization does not offer a technology product with integrations, APIs, or AI capabilities; its digital presence is a Squarespace-hosted content and ticketing website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MWFF Annual Film Festival Flagstaff annual short film festival of MWFF showcasing narrative and documentary short films by women and gender diverse artists from Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the wider Moana region, featuring screenings, panel discussions, workshops, and awards. Ticketed through partner venues such as ACMI.
• MWFF Critics Lab Annual mentorship program for emerging women-identified and gender diverse screen critics, embedded in the MWFF festival setting and providing mentoring sessions, special screenings, reviews, interviews, and networking with industry professionals. Mentee work is published in partnership with media outlet Kill Your Darlings.
• Short Film Submissions Annual open call for short narrative and documentary submissions across all styles and genres, processed through FilmFreeway with early bird, regular, and extended deadline tiers. Submission fees are charged per deadline tier.
• Schools Program Educational programming for secondary school students (including VCE Media Studies cohorts) featuring curated film screenings and workshops delivered in partnership with education organisations such as ATOM Victoria.
• MWFF Workshops and Panels Ticketed educational workshops and panel discussions run alongside the festival, covering topics such as the lifecycle of film production, sustainable filmmaking methods, equitable working conditions, and the future of the screen industry. Co-presented with partners including VicScreen, WIFT Victoria, Sustainable Screens Australia, Screen Australia, and Monash University Film and Screen Studies.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of MelbournecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment Partner providing funding support to MWFF through arts grants programs.
• ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting Partner and primary venue host for MWFF festivals. Screens films in Cinema 1 and Cinema 2.
• Deakin UniversitycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEducation Partner, particularly through the Faculty of Arts and Education, School of Communication and Creative Arts. Venue partner for MWFF 2025.
• Fed SquarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue Partner hosting MWFF screenings and events at Federation Square Melbourne.
• RMIT SIGNminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry and Prize Partner - research network at RMIT University.
• WIFT VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry and Prize Partner - Women in Film and Television Victoria. Co-presents workshops like 'The Life Cycle of Film' and mentors mentees.
• JORRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry and Prize Partner supporting MWFF.
• CrayonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry and Prize Partner - creative agency.
• WIFT AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry and Prize Partner - national Women in Film and Television organization.
• Konpiramaru Wine CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage Partner providing wine for MWFF events.
• Westside AleworksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage Partner providing craft beer for MWFF events.
• VicScreencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment Partner and presenter of panels/workshops including 'The Lifecycle of Film' and 'Sustainable Methods' workshop. Also presented Carbon: the Unauthorised Biography screening.
• Blackmagic DesignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry & Prize Partner for MWFF 2025, providing equipment/prizes.
• One House ProductionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry & Prize Partner for MWFF 2025.
• CollartsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry & Prize Partner for MWFF 2025 - Australian film and media school.
• ATOM VictoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry Partner co-presenting online panel on sustainable filmmaking with Australian Teachers of Media, Victoria.
• Tilde MelbourneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry & Prize Partner for MWFF 2025.
• Hepburn DistilleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage Partner for MWFF 2025.
• Stomping Ground Brewing CominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage Partner for MWFF 2025.
• Screen AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body co-presenting 'The Labour of Film: Creating Equitable Working Conditions' panel with Film and Screen Studies, Monash University.
• Monash University - Film and Screen StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner co-presenting panels on sustainable futures in screen and equitable working conditions.
• Sustainable Screens AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry organization co-presenting the Sustainable Methods workshop with VicScreen.
• Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) VictoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner co-presenting online panel on sustainable filmmaking with MWFF.
• National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented opening night film WINHANGANHA as part of their RE/Vision project.
• Kill Your DarlingsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for MWFF Critics Lab, publishing mentee work after the festival.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• St Kilda Film Festival: Melbourne-based short film festival run by the City of Port Phillip. Strong regional comparability with MWFF: same Melbourne location, short-film focus, local government funding, and emerging-filmmaker audience.
• CinefestOZ: Regional Australian film festival held in Busselton, Western Australia, with industry programs and government funding support. Comparability: Australian regional festival, Screen Australia-supported, mixed shorts and features, similar funding structure to MWFF.

Direct peers

• Women in Film Festival (Los Angeles): Long-running women-focused film festival in Los Angeles showcasing shorts and features by women filmmakers. Direct comparability with MWFF: same gender-equity mission, short film programming model, mentorship offerings, and reliance on community/industry sponsorship.
• Flickerfest: Australia's premier short film festival, held annually in Bondi Beach with national touring dates. Direct peer: both festivals program short films, accept submissions via FilmFreeway, run industry programs, and serve emerging Australian filmmakers.
• Athena Film Festival: NYC-based festival at Barnard College focused on women filmmakers, with screenings, panels, and a mentorship strand. Direct comparability with MWFF: women-only programming mission, short-form and feature curation, and education-driven programming.
• Bentonville Film Festival: Diversity-focused US festival co-founded by Geena Davis, prioritising women and underrepresented filmmakers across shorts and features. Direct peer: gender/diversity-focused curation, industry mentorship programs, and corporate sponsorship model.
• Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival: Australian short film festival held in Gympie, Queensland. Direct peer: short-film programming model, national Australian submissions, industry workshops, and similar scale to MWFF.

Broad incumbents

• Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF): Australia's largest film festival, also based in Melbourne, hosting screenings, industry programs, and public events. Comparability is geographic and operational: same city, similar venue partners (ACMI, Fed Square), but MIFF is a general-audience incumbent with much larger budget, headcount, and audience scale.
• Sydney Film Festival: Major Australian film festival operating in Sydney with public screenings, industry programs, and federal funding support. Broad incumbent peer: same national funding pool (Screen Australia), same submission ecosystems, and audience overlap with MWFF's filmmaker base.

Others

• WIFT Australia (Women in Film and Television): National industry body supporting women in screen, listed as a core Industry and Prize Partner of MWFF. Related ecosystem participant: shares the same mission of advancing women in film and overlaps in membership and programming collaborations, but operates as an industry advocacy body rather than a festival.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MWFF_AU
• Instagraminstagram.com/mwff_au
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/melbourne-women-in-film-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Melbourne Women in Film Festival