Twenty buck Film Festival
Got a story to tell? A weird idea living in your head? A camera - maybe on your phone? And twenty bucks to spare?
Welcome to the Twenty Buck Film Festival, a film challenge for young creatives aged 12 to 25 living in the Warrnambool and Moyne municipalities. The idea is simple: make a short film with a maximum budget of just $20. And the film must contain 20 bucks somewhere somehow!
Your film can be any genre, any style, and as creative as you want it to be. Comedy, documentary, stop motion, drama, experimental, animation, mockumentary, music video. If you can imagine it, you can make it.
Films must be created during September and October 2026 and submitted by 1 November 2026. They need to be between 60 seconds and 5 minutes long, and all work must be your own. No AI tools can be used at any stage of the process, including brainstorming, storyboarding, script development, image creation, editing, or production.
The $20 budget is there to encourage creativity, not spending. Use what you already have, borrow props, recruit your friends, get inventive, and see what you can make with limited resources.
All films must be suitable for a PG audience. That means no nudity, violence, excessive swearing, smoking, vaping, drug use, or alcohol content.
Every film that meets the festival criteria will be screened as part of the Twenty Buck Film Festival. Plus, there are cash prizes of $500 for the winner in each age category:
- 12 to 15 years
- 16 to 19 years
- 20 to 25 years
Winning films will also be showcased in the Moyne Virtual Gallery.
Whether you've made dozens of films or you're giving it a go for the first time, this festival is about creativity, storytelling, and proving that great ideas don't need a big budget.
So grab your camera, round up your crew, and start making something unforgettable for twenty bucks.
This is a partnership between Moyne Shire Council and Warrnambool City Council. Supported through the Victorian government Amplify and Engage funds.
Learn more and apply
Want to upskill first we also have free film making workshops available these school holidays delivered by One Day Studios.
Book here