About Us

Participate Film Academy is the only school in the world that teaches you how to make a movie, while you actually make a movie. Not the standard short film, but a full-length, professional-grade feature film.

Students write, produce, direct, shoot, edit, promote and release an original 90-minute feature during the 12-month, course. They learn every aspect of filmmaking along the way, from pitching the story idea to staging the red carpet premiere.

Participate is a leader in hands-on teaching and experiential learning with a strong commercial focus. Students take individual responsibility for different roles in the filmmaking process and learn to work as a tight team, guided by industry professionals from Australia and overseas in the art, craft and business of filmmaking.

International mentors who have coached students at Participate include David Gribble (DOP on The World's Fastest Indian), Dov Simens (voted America's best film instructor by the National Association of Film Schools), Eugene Lazarev (actor in The Saint and The Sum of All Fears), Jerry Jeffress (Oscar-winning special effects technician on Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars), Jim Muro (DOP on Crash, Swordfish and X-Men), Lewis Teague (director of Jewel of the Nile and Nash Bridges) and Russell Boyd (Oscar-winning DOP on Ghost Rider and Master and Commander).

We are an independent education provider based at Australian Technology Park, in Sydney, offering professional-level facilities and equipment. Since launching the school in October 2005, we have discovered and nurtured more than 160 talented individuals, who have created four feature films from scratch.

Our course is intensive and practical. It is designed to help students build their filmmaking knowledge, experience, creativity and business savvy. It suits people who are passionate about making movies, motivated to work hard toward a goal and excited about diving into new experiences.

The rewards are great. At Participate you gain real experience, specific skills and a world-recognised feature film credit that will open doors to a fantastic industry.

Go straight to the online application.
Find out what our past students have to say.
Read more about our filmmaking course.