About Kino

In The Beginning...

It was 1999, before the dawn of the 21st century, and the world waited with bated breath for Y2K and the inevitable collapse of humankind. With this in mind, a group of Canadians decided to go out in the best way they knew how – make as many short films as possible! The world didn’t end but the Canadians were onto a good thing, so they stuck to it and named it Kino. The Kino community then spread to Europe, Asia, the Americas and in 2006, Sydney. All the chapters can be found at Planete Kino.

What is Kino?

Our ethos is: “Do well with nothing. Do better with a little. But do it now.”

We aim to provide motivation for people to make shorts films no matter their level of expertise. Don’t complicate, procrastinate, but create for it’s own sake.

Kino is non-competitive. We aim to foster the creative development of both aspiring and established filmmakers, and to encourage fellow film lovers to make and produce films just as often as they watch them. As Stanley Kubrick said, “The best education in film is to make one.”

Here at Kino, we want to support your artistic voice and experiment as much or as little as you prefer. All that we ask is that films be under 6 minutes, not be an advertisement, and ensure that the Kino Logo is included at the end of your film. Please head over to https://kinosydney.com/screen-a-film/ for more detailed information on how to submit your film.

Kino Kabaret

Kino chapters around the world hold an annual event where directors, writers, actors, DOP’s, editors and anyone who wants to be involved on a film set, can join forces to create as many films as possible in a short period of time. From anywhere between 32 to 72 hours, Kino Kabaret is a great opportunity to meet other filmmakers and make films in a fun and dynamic environment.

Kino Sydney History

Kino Sydney was founded in December 2006 by a small, not-for-profit arts organisation The Festivalists. They were behind many innovative creative art events in Sydney for many years.

Kino in 2008….

In 2014, The Festivalists transferred the Kino Sydney brand to Samuel Hilton – local filmmaker, photographer and event producer – and moved the screenings to 107 projects.

In 2016 Kat Johnson – actress, filmmaker and event producer – took over and introduced Creative Days, and ran the Kino Kabaret at SUNSTUDIOS.

Then in 2018, Bryan Fisher and Christina Mishell took over, continuing to run Kino Sydney into its next chapter, freshening it up with a new venue ESCAC – By Brand X.

Kino Sydney has hosted over 100 screenings, with over 1000 short films presented in some of Sydney’s leading art venues. It has produced 10 filmmaking workshops in collaboration with local filmmaking partners.