Waverley Council approves $135k for Flickerfest 2023 at Bondi Pavilion
Costs to put on Bondi film festival Flickerfest have skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. Now, Waverley Council has signed off on $135k in last-minute taxpayer funds for the 2023 summer event.
Wentworth Courier
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Waverley Council has been pummelled with a cost blowout in the funding of popular community film festival Flickerfest since the start of the Covid pandemic three years ago.
There’s been a $200,000 jump in costs to hold the Bondi festival.
In 2019, the council reported it matched the film festival’s $7850 in venue hire fees, but costs for the event hit more than $200k in 2022.
Figures shared with the Wentworth Courier by Waverley Council show in 2019 and 2020, the council paid $7850 and $8500 in venue hire fees to match Flickerfest’s contribution.
During the Covid pandemic, while the old pavilion was closed for construction, the council contributed $208,375 this year to construct a temporary Covid-safe site and the Spiegeltent.
A similar event site was set up in 2021, costing $175,754.
The council last week defended approval of $135,825 in 11th-hour financial assistance, arguing the 20-year-old event was an important community activity and one of Australia’s leading competitive international short film festivals.
Because Flickerfest is a registered private company entity, the council cannot waive fees for the cultural event, but must publicly exhibit its proposal to grant financial assistance for 28 days and allow time for community feedback.
According to the council papers community consultation will be severely curtailed due to the late funding approval.
The film festival is one of the longest running events held at the Bondi Pavilion, supporting Australian short filmmakers and international short films for over 20 years at the eastern suburbs venue.
The council’s documents state the “significant financial support” was allocated in the 2022–23 budget.
A Waverley Council spokeswoman told the Wentworth Courier funding provided to Flickerfest was higher than in past years.
However, the council did not respond to questions about whether the more expensive festival was a result of higher costs from upgraded Bondi Pavilion facilities.
The Pavilion has been undergoing an upgrade for the past four years and reopened in September.
The council’s spokeswoman said there was limited time to assess Flickerfest’s proposal for the January 2023 season due to the reopening of the Bondi Pavilion facilities late in the year.
The spokeswoman said the council’s report noted the last-minute funding proposal was “not our usual approach to consultation.”
“However given the time of year and proximity to the event, this is the course of action available to Council to ensure the event can continue as planned and ensure the community has an opportunity to participate in consultation,” she said.
“The proposed funding (compared to events held prior to the renovation) has increased in line with the configuration of this year’s festival and general increases in event delivery being experienced industry-wide,” the spokeswoman said.
“The vast majority of the financial support is in-kind.”
Flickerfest director Bronwyn Kidd did not wish to comment, but confirmed the last-minute funding agreement was a result of a late timetable for festival planning resulting from the opening of the Bondi Pavilion in September.
The screenings support “a diverse range of voices across the Australian program including films from creators of non-binary, LGBTQI, First Nations and culturally diverse filmmaking backgrounds,” the council papers state.
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