SCINEMA International Science Film Festival

Overview

SCINEMA is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere. Now entering its 27th year, we are passionate about showcasing the best in science cinema from around the world. If you have produced a film, television series, documentary, short, vertical, educational video or animation that has a science theme, then we would love to hear from you. By science, we include: technology, engineering, mathematics, health and medicine, social and natural sciences and the nexus between the arts and technology. All shortlisted films will be available online for people to watch at home, in schools, libraries and community centres. Viewing the festival is free to all as we want to engage people with science, but we control access through registration to comply with Australian classification requirements for film festivals. We are also able to geo-block or restrict viewing on the advice of filmmakers who have licensing or distribution deals to comply with. SCINEMA 2026 attracted an audience of more than 40,000 in Australia and beyond. Following feedback from our Jury in 2026, 'Best Documentary' will be a new category this coming year. And we welcome some new friends to our organising committee in California and New Zealand and look forward to adding some US and NZ screenings to our 2027 program. SCINEMA is a celebration of the power of the moving image to tell stories about the world, how it works, and our place in it. Whether it’s the long slog and occasional thrill of discovery, the awesome scale of our universe, the beauty of nature, environmental challenges that we face on our planet, or how technology will shape our future, there are hundreds of science stories we want to see on screen. SCINEMA, established in 2000, attracts entries from across the world, including some of the world’s most respected science factual programs, producers and directors.

Last updated Sep 18, 2026

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FilmFreeway community

• Filmmaker

  Muito feliz em participar! É gratificante.

• Filmmaker

  Diogo Diniz Garcia Gomes

• Filmmaker

  I highly recommend the Raw Science Film Festival for science focused films and documentaries. Keri and her team delivered a fantastic, niche festival filled with fascinating people, scientists and storytellers. Communication was excellent throughout, and it’s clear Keri pours her heart into bringing this unique festival to the forefront of cinema. It was an honor to be a part of and I believe Raw Science will continue to flourish in the future.

• Filmmaker

  Although the festival is taking place online, and my film *Master of Illusions* (IMDb) remained merely in "Selected" status (in the narrative and sci-fi categories), I believe that such festivals deserve to exist and are essential for educating interested audiences.

• Filmmaker

  It was a great honor to have my film selected for SCINEMA International Science Film Festival. I truly appreciate the opportunity to share my work with audiences through such a meaningful international science film program. Thank you to the SCINEMA team for including my film in the 2026 program.

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