SCINEMA Science Film Festival

Across Australia National Science Week 2026

  • SCINEMA logo

    2026 Call for Entries - we want your science film

    Filmmakers - submit your science doco, short, narrative or TV show for our 2026 film competition and screening program.

  • SCINEMA logo

    National Student Film Competition

    Australian Primary & Secondary School Student Film Competition. Read More.

  • SCINEMA logo

    Want to be a 2026 SCINEMA venue?

    Registrations are now open for schools, libraries and community groups to join our free 2026 screening program.

  • A man wears a sombrero and a gas mask, while rowing a canoe in a volcanic landscape

    Key image for 2026

    SCINEMA’s key image for 2026 comes from ‘El Chichon is Still Alive’ by Ali Zare (Mexico, 40 mins), an entry in our 2026 International Student competition.

Bringing Science Film to Australia Since 2000

SCINEMA, pronounced with a long ‘i’ to emphasise the science behind the cinema, is an international science film festival based in Australia, providing a platform on which filmmakers -professional, amateur and student - can showcase their science films, from dramas to documentaries, animations or epic natural history. The festival was founded with the aim of forging links between the sciences and the arts. SCINEMA accepts entries from all over the world.

  • Meet Our Team

  • CRIS KENNEDY

    Festival Director

  • DAMIAN HARRIS

    Festival Director

  • KYLIE AHERN

    STEM MATTERS CEO

  • Ian Colon

    Film Jury

  • Jedd Bishop

    Film Jury

  • Willem Jacquier

    Film Jury

  • Georgia Chalmers

    Film Jury

  • Liz Lea

    Film Jury

  • Troy Holstein

    Film Jury

  • Stephanie McCarthy-Reece

    Film Jury

  • Russell Nankervis

    Film Jury

  • Emi Kolawole

    Film Jury

  • Harvey Moon

    Film Jury

  • Caddie Brain

    Film Jury

What Our Filmmakers Say

  • "A wonderful festival, with a rich, interesting and eclectic programme"

    Cyrille Cornu

  • "I value having been a part of this festival. I appreciate the ease of participating, the thorough communication, the easy access to the online content and being shown alongside many wonderful films."

    Dan Kelin

  • "Scinema International Science Film Festival is a wonderful festival with science at its core. Great communication and very supportive. We were very happy to be part of it."

    Oktay Ortabasi

  • "SCINEMA’s approach to programming is truly unique — blending scientific themes with artistic freedom. It was a pleasure to discover the other films in the lineup. I’m proud that my experimental short Transcience 2.0 made it to the finals and was in such great company. I really appreciated the festival’s openness to abstract and conceptual forms of filmmaking."

    Sylwia Zolkiewska (2025)