By the numbers
Eight years of AFIN
2019–2026
Every figure on this page is drawn straight from the results archive - a portrait of what the festival has recognised, and how far it reaches, told in numbers rather than words.
A festival, measured
Those 660 are the winners and nominees with a permanent page. Beyond them, AFIN has recognised 1,050+ more works as finalists, semi-finalists and honorable mentions across the years.
A winner's slate, every year
AFIN has crowned a steady slate of around 23 winners a year, 2019 to 2026. We chart winners rather than the full selection on purpose: winners are recorded the same way every year, so they compare honestly - the wider nominee and finalist records were kept differently in the early years.
Milestones
- Biggest year 2023
109 works recognised, 24 awards and 81 nominations - the fullest selection of the eight.
- Most-awarded category Best Cinematography
Won 8 times across the archive - the recognition AFIN has handed out most.
- Most-recognised country Australia
275 recognised works and 278 total recognitions - the festival's deepest well of talent.
- Furthest reach USA
The most-recognised country beyond Australia, with 151 works - proof the festival travels.
The AFIN Record Book
Every record here is counted from the published archive when this page is built, and each one states what it counted. Where a record is shared, every holder is named – a tie is the more interesting answer, not something to round away. Seasons whose results are still sealed contribute nothing.
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Most-awarded film
8 wins
- The Mirror (2020) Best Australian Actor · Best Australian Film · Best Cinematography · Best Film Editing · Best Short Film · Best Sound · Best Visual Effects · Best Young Artist
Counted from wins per film across 8 completed seasons.
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Most-honoured person
4 awards
- Neil Marshall Best Director (2020) · Best Feature Film (2020) · Best Feature Film (2023) · Best Film Editing (2024)
Counted from awards naming a person as recipient, across the completed archive.
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Biggest season
24 awards presented shared by 5
Counted from awards presented per season, completed seasons only.
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Most-represented country
157 selected films
Counted from distinct selected films per country of origin, completed seasons.
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Longest selected film
2h 32m
Counted from 307 selected films that publish a normalised runtime.
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Shortest selected film
3m
Counted from 307 selected films that publish a normalised runtime.
First win from each country
The moment each country first won at AFIN, earliest first. 27 countries have won something; where several films from one country won in that same debut year, all are named.
- 2019
Australia A Woman's Calling Best Documentary Short Subject ·All Hours - "Saving Grace" Best Music Video ·Greenfield Best Australian Actor, Best Australian Actress, Best Australian Film, Best Ensemble Cast ·The Last Of The Pretty Boys Best Original Screenplay - 2019
Canada O.I. Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Short Film ·Puppet Killer Best Cinematography - 2019
China Doppelganger Best Student Film ·Underdog Best Sound - 2019
Germany The Last Berliner Best Actor - 2019
UK A Boy a Man and a Kite Best Young Artist - 2019
USA Gold From the Sky Best Visual Effects, Best Web Series ·Mosul Best Documentary Feature ·The Tattooed Heart Best Actress ·The Thin Line Audience Choice, Best Feature Film ·Will "The Machine" Best Director, Best Film Editing - 2020
Austria Wienerland Best First-Time Filmmaker - 2020
Israel Residual Noise Best Emerging Female Director, Best Student Film - 2020
Poland For Our Children Best Feature Documentary - 2021
Bulgaria In The Heart Of The Machine Best Editing, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Sound - 2021
New Zealand Blind Bitter Happiness Best Web Series ·Garage Romantic Best Short Documentary - 2022
Hong Kong Anima Possession Best Costume Design, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Student Film, Best Supporting Actress - 2022
Indonesia Golden Frames In The Closet Best Diversity In Film - 2022
Iran The Sprayer Best Animated Film - 2022
South Korea Across The Ocean Best Music Video - 2022
Ukraine Mother of Apostles Best Picture, Best Production Design - 2023
South Africa RED GAIA Best Animated Film, Best Sound - 2023
Thailand LOOK FOR ME AT DUSK Best Visual Effects - 2024 Australia, UK BIRD DRONE Best Animated Film
- 2024 Hong Kong, Japan, USA SATOMI Best Live Action Short Film
- 2024
UAE MOUNTAIN BOY Best Cinematography - 2025 Canada, Eswatini, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine BEFORE THE DAWN Best Music Video
- 2025
Italy THE REACH Best Lead Performance - 2025
Sweden PIERRE WEST Best International Short Film - 2026 Australia, India How To Talk Australians Best Art Direction, Best Feature Film
- 2026
Belgium Sound of the Somme Best Sound & Music - 2026
Russia Scary lullaby Best Director
Every figure on this page began as a filmmaker on this stage.
Every kind of storytelling
AFIN judges narrative films, documentaries, screenplays, music videos, animation and web series side by side - 57 distinct award categories across the eight years.
How the slate has shifted
The share of each storytelling form among the works we hold for each year. We show proportions rather than raw counts on purpose: the earlier years capture a smaller, winners-led set, so the totals are not comparable - but the mix is. Every bar carries its own denominator.
- 2019 n=63
- 2020 n=78
- 2021 n=81
- 2022 n=106
- 2023 n=109
- 2024 n=84
- 2025 n=71
- 2026 n=68
Recognised work from 51 countries, screened and celebrated in Brisbane.
The most-awarded categories
Recognised work from 51 countries
Australia is AFIN's home, but the archive travels: 371 of the recognised works come from beyond it. These are the countries AFIN has recognised most.
AFIN 2027
Entries for 2027 are open
On FilmFreeway since Sunday 1 November 2026. 22 awards, and every film can be up for several.