From its humble beginnings in the dance hall and various other locations in the town, the festival has a permanent home at Laguna Hall which is transformed into a charming village cinema reminiscent of a bygone era.

The festival attracts entries from the Hunter region, the states and territories of Australia and every year a handful of international films land on the doorstep, but according to producer Janine Oliver the main aim is to get local filmmakers to send in their work.

“The Hunter Region has a rich pool of arts and culture, and with that, great storytellers. We want our people to tell the stories that are important to them, whether it’s about living in the most beautiful valley in the world, or about a funny thing that happened on the way to the office,” Ms. Oliver said.

The Wollombi Valley Short Film Festival is run by locals, and while some of them are film makers, all of them are involved in the arts in some manner. And because it’s small and local, the rules don’t need to be as strict as some other fests.

“Unlike Tropfest and some of the bigger competitions, entry is not limited by requirements like a first screening. Your film might have been entered into 10 festivals before and that doesn’t worry us a bit. So long as it’s under 10 minutes we’ll accept it,” Ms. Oliver said.

Entries are being accepted with the closing date September 14. Send with your entry form and entry fee of $15 C/- Laguna Wine Bar, Great North Road Laguna 2325. Download forms from www.valleyartists.org. or email filmfestival@valleyartists.org for further details. The screening of finalists will be held on Saturday, October 4.