Sell-out festival connects local indie filmmakers

Amid economic challenges in Melbourne’s independent film industry, Vantra Film Festival has launched as a beacon of hope in Australia’s cultural capital. 

The inaugural festival last month invited Melbourne’s filmmakers to FoMo Cinemas Brunswick to connect and appreciate quality work on the silver screen. Of 160 submissions, 12 selected works were screened at the sold-out 114-seat cinema. 

Festival founder Nathan Still said that audiences need more opportunities to see independent films. Experiencing this struggle inspired him to launch Vantra Pictures, he said. 

“Living in the problem helps. The film festival wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t a filmmaker,” Still said. 

Film director Mark Samual Bonanno, whose work won Best Australian Short Film at Vantra, agreed that filmmakers need to show their work to audiences. For him, public screenings offer the most valuable feedback.

“You don’t know what you have until you’ve seen how people receive it,” said the filmmaker, who is also a member of Aunty Donna comedy group. 

Bonanno said his comedy-horror, Kooky Crazy No Good Neighbour, was not accepted into any other festival, making Vantra his team’s only chance to witness their collective efforts come together before a receptive audience. 

Mark Petrasso, awarded Best International Short Film for his film Lo Sceneggiatore, highlighted the value of screening films at high-quality audiovisual standards in reputable cinemas. 

Respectful screenings “give importance to the work itself”, he said. 

Treating each film with dignity and respect was central to Still's vision as the festival organiser. He selected FoMo Cinemas as the event venue and refined every projection detail from sound balance to aspect ratio. 

Melbourne, long regarded as a vibrant hub for artists like Still, was the natural home for the event. Recognised by Timeout as the world’s best city of 2026, the Victorian capital is internationally renowned for its rich cultural landscape. 

After relocating from Tasmania, Still has immersed himself in the city’s collaborative creative community. Founding Vantra was his latest contribution to the artistic hub. 

Yet funding remains a critical obstacle for filmmakers, even in such a lively community.

Although the Screen Australia Drama Report 2024-25 recorded holistic industry growth in major Australian screen productions, Bonanno and Still reported a different reality at the grassroots level.

They described Melbourne’s indie film culture as one defined by constant financial strain, lengthy processes and limited access. 

“I’m exhausted trying to get permission and money,” Bonanno said. 

After dedicating years to a project that ultimately fell through due to unexpected funding pulls, Bonanno reflected on how he could have produced an independent project in that time. 

“I could have just made something,” he said. “I would have been better off.”

He urged independent filmmakers to pick up a camera and use the digital tools available to them to learn continuously. Making imperfect work is essential to improvement, he said.

“The only way you get good is by doing it.”  

In Florence, Italy, Petrasso also faces funding challenges and adopts a similar do-it-yourself approach. He self-funds his projects by saving and reinvesting his earnings into his films, prioritising the remuneration of everyone on his sets. 

The Italian artist encouraged filmmakers to make their ideas tangible, regardless of how rough the first piece of material may be. According to him, people often disregard the manual aspect of filmmaking. 

“You are an artisan. You have to mould what you’ve written,” Petrasso said.

Jeyda Kurt, the youngest member of Vantra’s judging panel, said that attitudes like Petrasso’s and Bonanno’s inspire new generations of filmmakers.

As an emerging artist, she understood the tension of wanting to make creative works but not knowing how to begin. 

She said Vantra celebrated the determination, community engagement and diverse representation that motivates her.

“It was inspiring to see people just get up and do it,” Kurt said. 

The festival is only the beginning of Still’s support for aspiring and established artists. He is paving new avenues for filmmakers to share their work, which he hopes will transform Melbourne’s independent film landscape.