Sydney Film School aims to develop well-rounded people, courageous in their endeavours, curious and open to life’s marvels and compassionate in their dealings with one another and the greater world.
Encouraging an Artist’s Creative Expression
Filmmaking is a unique art-form involving a number of discrete stages. Cinema gives an understanding and expression to what is precious and fragile in the world. The spark that leads from appreciation to creation involves the culmination of creative prowess and technical expertise.
Sydney Film School is a paragon on providing filmmaking courses of the highest calibre within a busy production-based studio environment. The School produces graduates who are industry ready, have real film credits and are able to access the network of teaching staff, alumni and industry partners to secure work in the film and screen industries.
The School authorities wish to build a spirit of encouragement and support through a network that extends to an international community of students, graduates, teachers, filmmakers, distributors, festivals, audiences and friends. They believe in encouraging the student’s creative expression and giving them real filmmaking experience.
SFS is located alongside International Screen Academy in Waterloo with a purpose built facility and world-class equipment available to students. The school is set up as a working film production house that makes more than 100 films every year. It is an intense learning experience but one that results in SFS graduates leaving with up to 20 film credits at the end of their time at film school.
Academic Programs
Sydney Film School offers two one-year courses: a Diploma of Screen and Media and an Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media. The Diploma provides a working knowledge of all the fundamental disciplines of filmmaking, including storytelling, content creation and teamwork. The Advanced Diploma takes that knowledge and allows the aspirant to apply to it to a chosen area of specialisation, producing films of greater depth and technique. Specialisation in the second year includes: Writing, Directing, Producing, Cinematography, Production Design, Editing and Sound.
The foundation of SFS is built on three core values: Courage, Curiosity and Compassion. The field-ready courses, the core values and a united passion for filmmaking at SFS establish a very unique foundation for a film career. The SFS community is bound together in their project, through shared love for stories, their desire to understand and celebrate their place in the human experiment and the planet they share.
Mentor of SFS
Ben Ferris, Artistic Director of the Sydney Film School, is one of Australia’s most respected experts in education for the screen and media sector. He founded the UBS Film School at the University of Sydney in 2001, and the world-renowned Sydney Film School in 2004. Being the Director of the institution for over fourteen years, Ben has produced 1000+ alumni who work in the film industry in more than 40 countries worldwide, and 1000+ student short films that have been screened in hundreds of film festivals worldwide. He has built study exchange programs into leading film institutes around the world including into Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow.
Ben is also a critically acclaimed international filmmaker. His films have been screened and won numerous awards in Paris, New York, Croatia, Italy, Tokyo, Singapore, Greece, Switzerland and Amsterdam, including the prestigious Akira Kurosawa Grand Prix in Japan. Ben’s first feature film “Penelope”, an Australia-Croatian co-production, had a worldwide release in 2011 to critical acclaim. In 2017 Ben was the Power Institute Fellow at the Cité internationale des Arts in Paris, where he produced the 6-screen video installation “In(di)visible”. His feature film “57 Lawson” is being released this year.
Words of Trust
“SFS has helped in moulding the story-teller in me and has given me the confidence to pursue this exciting medium of art as a profession.” Anagha Unni (Diploma)
“I have always wanted to bring about a revolution in the film industry so I pursued my career to become the change. SFS provided me with that platform and gave me that opportunity to develop the skills that I needed to be the change.” Afreenish Shahid (Advanced Diploma)
“I get to make some awesome films with a group of talented and energetic peers. I love it here!” Jamie Murray (Diploma)
Scholarship and Employment Assistance
Scholarships provide support to students who have the aspirations and talents to grow, and need assistance with financial resources. At SFS, International students are eligible for scholarships through the Endeavour Awards for participating countries. The Endeavour Awards is the Australian Government’s internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia.
SFS graduates have an 85% success rate for employment in the industry or in further related studies. As a result of the production house model, all SFS Graduates leave with their extensive show reel of films. These are their gateway into the industry. To boost the graduates’ profile in the industry, SFS awards distribution grants to the best of their films each semester to represent the School in a number of the key global film festivals.