Surfers Paradise Festival is proud to announce the addition of the Shorts in Paradise Film Festival (SIPfest) to the 2012 festival program.

Set in the heart of Queensland’s Surfers Paradise, SIPFEST encourages filmmakers from around Australia to submit their short films to the festival judges, who are looking for cinematic masterpieces under 10 minutes in length.

SIPfest is open to all genres – everything from documentary to animation – and will play to a broad audience so we want films that would earn nothing higher than an M rating.Live judging will take place at the outdoor screening in Surfers Paradise on Saturday July 7, SIPFest will be the closing event of a day long street party in Surfers Paradise, with the night to feature live music, food stalls and market shops in addition to the program of shorts films.

Finalist filmmakers have the chance to not only have their film play to a large outdoor audience, but will also be in the running for prizes awarded in the categories of Best Film, Runner-Up, Directing, Cinematography, Editing and Audience Choice. The SIPfest prize pool comprises cash and industry prizes, including a Best Film package of $2,500 and industry sponsorship awards.

Entry is free and the final date for submissions is Friday June 1, 2012. For more information and to download an entry form, go to http://www.surfersparadisefestival.com/eoi/sipfest