The WA Made Film Festival has officially announced the return of its Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best
smartphone filmmaking competition, along with the official theme for 2026.

Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best invites established filmmakers, independent filmmakers, students, and the general public to submit a mini-masterpiece to be considered for a special event screening during the next WA Made Film Festival which will run February 20 – March 1, 2026.

The 2026 theme is WAVE, giving filmmakers the option to explore a range of genres. The theme WAVE can be as subtle as the filmmaker wants it to be,
with an ocean wave, a sound wave, or a hand wave some samples to help filmmakers get started.

The Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best event screening will be held at Palace Cinemas Raine Square, and will include a before and after party, drinks and food, networking opportunities and an awards ceremony which will include a major cash prize of $1000 for Best Film decided by a jury of industry professionals.

Filmmakers from all over the state, including those in rural and regional areas, are encouraged to submit.

WA filmmakers will have until the end of the year to complete their films with submissions for Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best opening along with regular feature film, short film and documentary submissions on Monday, 3 August 2025 and closing Tuesday, 1 December 2025.

2026 GET SMART! Presented by BUY WEST EAT BEST rules:

1. The 2026 Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best theme is WAVE.
Your film must contain the Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best theme WAVE to show that your film was specifically made for the WA Made Film Festival.
The theme WAVE can be as subtle or as direct as you'd like it to be.

2. To be eligible for the $1000 Best Film cash prize your film MUST be made exclusively for Get Smart! Presented by Buy West Eat Best and cannot screen anywhere prior to the festival in February 2026. Student Showcase Screenings are permitted, but the festival must be made aware of any previous screenings during the submission process.

3. Your film must not be made public on any online platforms including YouTube before the 2026 festival.

4. Open to Western Australian residents only.

5. Submissions must be set and filmed in Western Australia.

6. Submissions must be shot entirely on a smartphone.

7. Submissions must be no longer than 10 minutes including titles and credits. There is no minimum time limit.

8. You must have the rights to all music and sound contained within the film for usage in cinema and online.

9. All genres accepted.

10. There is no age limit or qualification required.

11. External microphones, smartphone lenses, lighting, tripods etc. are permitted and encouraged.

12. Post-production (editing, colour grading, sound mix, VFX, credits and titles etc.) does not have to be done on a smartphone or tablet and can be done via any editing software or app.

13. Final film must be delivered in minimum HD quality - 1920x1080. Preference: MP4/MOV at 24 or 25 fps. However other frame rates are accepted.

Filmmakers will always retain the copyright on their films!