SCREENWAVE International Film Festival (SWIFF) will benefit from $149,250 in NSW Government funding under Round Five of the Stronger Country Communities Fund.

SWIFF is the largest regional film festival in NSW, with over 10,000 attendees annually, running over sixteen-day days on the Coffs Coast.

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Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh congratulated Blacklight Collective Inc’s SWIFF festival director Dave Horsley and artistic director Kate Howat on their successful funding application.

“We are delighted to receive funding through the Stronger Country Communities Fund,” Dave Horsley told News Of The Area.

“This new grant will help us bring new innovative and creative programming for festival goers to enjoy.

“It will help us make SWIFF a more accessible and inclusive experience for film lovers with disabilities and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and will help put the Coffs Coast more on the map for film and screen culture with an extra boost to our marketing power.

“It’s a game-changer for fans of SWIFF,” said Dave.

SWIFF’23 dates are April 20 – May 5 with the Coffs Harbour Education Campus (CHEC) theatre the heartbeat of the festival.

“There will be sixteen days and nights of programming – a touch over 150 sessions, which is a new record for SWIFF – and most likely the largest film festival program in the history of regional Australia,” he said.

Mr Singh said the funding will further SWIFF along its journey to become “the next signature festival in regional NSW”.

“With this funding, the talented team will advance the festival’s vibrancy, develop signature events, destination reach, accessibility, community cohesion and wellbeing,” said Mr Singh.

The 2023 program will be launched on 11 March.

By Andrea FERRARI