ABOUT HEART OF GOLD

HEART OF GOLD INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL IS AN ANNUAL LOVE AFFAIR OF BRILLIANT SHORT FILMS,
ACCLAIMED FEATURES, EPIC PARTIES, LIVE MUSIC, FILMMAKER Q+A’S,
AND HEARTY DISCUSSIONS WITH DELICIOUS FOOD AND BEER.

BRILLIANT SHORT FILMS, FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD

Every year Gympie comes alive with film lovers from far and wide to celebrate short films that are uplifting, heartwarming and inspirational during Queensland’s biggest short film festival, Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival.

Heart of Gold programs carefully-crafted short films from around the world that deeply resonate with all types of audiences. The two-day program includes up to 20 sessions of shorts from all genres that best capture Heart of Gold’s vision to screen films that are heart-warming, thought-provoking and entertaining. Our films can be edgy, they can be groundbreaking, and they can be downright hilarious – as long as they beat with a good, strong heart.

Selected shorts compete for a range of jury awards, which this year include but are not limited to: Best Short Film, Best Australian Short Film, Best Student Short Film, alongside many craft awards.

Over eighteen years, Heart of Gold has become renowned for its high-quality international program, which is largely thanks to a very unique, two-part screening system. The films are first viewed by the festival’s artistic director and passed onto small screener groups, who gather in lounge-rooms across Gympie to review and score the countless, cherished submissions. This makes Heart of Gold films not only treasured by the community around them but also sure to stand the test of time nationally and abroad.

With films from renowned international festivals such as Cannes, Sundance, Berlinale and Venice, past winners of the Heart of Gold Best Short Film award include James Lucas and Mat Kirkby for The Phone Call (2014) and Lucy Gaffy for Dream Baby (2016), who went on to win an Academy Award and an AACTA respectively.

2025 Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival

Choose your tickets

Schools day - student - 10 Oct 2025 ticket

Schools day - teacher - 10 Oct 2025 ticket