WELCOME TO SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL &

COLLARTS – THE AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF THE ARTS

Sydney Film School, now part of Collarts’ expanding creative arts footprint in Sydney, has a clear vision: to provide the most personalised, hands-on, practical training in the world. We are a creative hub for filmmakers, bringing together expert teaching, state-of-the-art production facilities, and a philosophy that prioritises individual growth.

Through the acquisition by Collarts, one of Australia’s leading creative higher education institutions, Sydney Film School retains its distinctive identity, teaching approach, and industry credibility while benefiting from Collarts’ national presence and extensive creative networks. Collarts empowers a new generation of creatives to build meaningful, sustainable careers across music, performing arts, film and screen, design, fashion, and entertainment management. Our courses, delivered on campus and online, connect a vibrant community of more than 2,000 students from over 30 countries and 50 high schools.

At Sydney Film School, we have assembled the best teachers – industry professionals who have launched careers in Australia, Hollywood, and beyond – to guide our students. We combine this expertise with purpose-built film, sound, and production studios equipped with cutting-edge technology, providing authentic environments to learn filmmaking. Here, students are not just numbers; they are individual screen practitioners.

We encourage students to push boundaries and take creative risks, fostering courage, commitment, and the pursuit of excellence. This selective approach ensures an engaging, high-standard learning experience where students become expert storytellers, masters of their craft, and future leaders in the industry.

Collarts’ broader industry-led approach complements this vision, connecting students with active practitioners, real-world experience, and professional pathways. Nationally recognised for teaching quality and graduate satisfaction, Collarts places students at the centre, offering mentors, collaborators, and industry connections to support creativity and ambition.

At Sydney Film School and Collarts, follow your passion. Tell your story. You are welcome here.

SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL AND VARIETY MAGAZINE

HOLLYWOOD BASED VARIETY MAGAZINE HAS AWARDED SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL ITS TOP FILM SCHOOLS FOR 2020 ACCOLADE.  CHOSEN FROM FILM TRAINING INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE, SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL WAS HONOURED TO RECEIVE THIS NEWS.

THE ONLY AUSTRALIAN FILM SCHOOL TO BE AWARDED.

HISTORY

Sydney Film School was founded to teach the essential filmmaking ‘tools’ necessary for a successful career in the global film industry. It is an intense training experience where our students learn the skills required to become filmmakers. By producing and crewing a significant number of films, students acquire the skills needed to be employed by the industry and create their own productions. Since Sydney Film School’s inception, alumni have gone on to successful careers worldwide and have developed a network for new students to build relationships with.

PRODUCTION STUDIOS BUILT FOR THE FILM & TV INDUSTRY

Sydney Film School is located at the Collarts – Waterloo Campus, also known as Waterloo Studios. Waterloo Studios houses state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, including a sound stage, cinema, movement studio, training rooms, production offices, and editing suites. Our facility is installed with the latest fibre optic cable for high-speed internet and narrowcasting.

Waterloo Studios is an award-winning Production Studio, winner of the Tertiary Category, 2014 Master Builders Association Excellence in Construction Award.

WATERLOO STUDIOS VIRTUAL TOUR

TEACHERS

Our teachers are experts at delivering instruction and are working professionals. They understand what it’s like to start out and know how to guide you towards a career in the film and television industry. At the heart of our teaching philosophy is our desire for students to find their unique vision. We want you to show an audience how you see the world. At the same time, we prepare you with the craft skills essential to engage in opportunities in film and television production.

A REAL STUDIO ENVIRONMENT

Filmmaking is a symbiotic relationship between the visionary and the team, creating a shared vision. In many institutions, access to actors is limited or unavailable. Sydney Film School shares the Waterloo Studios facility with Sydney Actors School, one of the country’s leading acting programs. Sydney Film School students build working relationships with acting students, with the intention of creating exceptional film and television programs. This collaborative environment enables all students to understand the critical relationship between filmmakers and actors, creating an excellent environment for building lasting friendships and future professional collaborations.

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We are seeking students with unbridled passion who want to make a profound impact in the international film & TV industry. We can teach the art and craft of filmmaking, but we can’t teach passion. That’s what we’re looking for. An applicant with a big dream, full of enthusiasm, who wants to make their mark as a professional in the international film and TV industry, and who is not afraid to strive for excellence.

We are very selective across all disciplines. Entry into our accredited programs is through a rigorous Pitch Presentation process. Our goal is not to fill seats with students and promise the world – we are serious about assisting students to launch their filmmaking careers. This is why we have very limited enrolments and a thorough interview process to gain enrolment into our courses.

For students who are successful in gaining enrolment into Sydney Film School, this means the opportunity to work with fellow students who are just as committed to reaching their dreams.

FUTURE

We are always looking for better ways to deliver programs, exploring how the industry is changing, and how we can equip our students to meet those changes. Most of all, we encourage you to create a future in the film and television industry that is exciting and thriving. We seek a special kind of student who dreams big and wants to learn how to achieve their filmmaking dream. Because we are a boutique institution with limited enrollment, we can be flexible in meeting the rapidly changing industry. Our goal is to produce high-calibre filmmakers who have a vision of their future. We believe in dreaming big and know that dedication, encouragement and industry-relevant training are the key. We want to work with students who wish to discover their vision and project it to the world with courage.

FIND YOUR VISION

If you would like to visit the Sydney Film School at Waterloo Studios, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a personal tour. We can sit down and explore your study options. You can even sit in on a filmmaking class. We want to answer all your questions so that you can make an informed decision about whether our school is right for you.

WHY CHOOSE SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL?

  • Sydney Film School employs industry professionals with real credits to their name. Many institutions will offer “industry professionals” as lecturers; however, they have not worked at significant levels in the international film and TV industry. Our lecturers have had a major impact in their chosen fields. This is why many lecturers are also the chairs or presidents of their industry guilds.
  • Our curriculum enables you to practice filmmaking under real-world conditions. You will learn the theory for excellent practice and then make movies. Lots of them. We believe this is the best way to learn.
  • You study with filmmakers and actors all under the one roof. We hope that you will build professional working relationships that will last a lifetime.
  • Our facilities are built for filmmakers, not educators. When you study filmmaking at Sydney Film School, you study in a purpose-built facility that is industry standard. We work with many professional production companies who rate our facilities as best in class.
  • You are not just a number. At Sydney Film School you experience a personal training culture. Our classes are small, our selection process rigorous and our lecturers inspiring. We want you to succeed and most of all, find your own voice.
  • Culture is just as important as outcome. We want our students to enjoy the process of learning. Challenges are part of this process, and we’ve found the best way for any student to grow as artists is to support them. At Sydney Film School you’ll find a culture of support and inspiration, where all artists are encouraged to find their unique vision.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

We pay our respects to the custodians and knowledge keepers of the lands we live, learn and work on. In Sydney, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, and in Naarm, Melbourne, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation.

We honour this continent’s first creatives, musicians, artists and designers – 75,000 years of unbroken storytelling – and the continuity of Indigenous cultural brilliance in which our work finds an anchor.

We stand as active allies in support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart: voice, treaty and truth. This land was never ceded. It always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

May our footsteps be gentle.