Submissions Open For New Cultural Festival

The town of Dungog in the Hunter Valley is set to (somewhat belatedly) build off the success of Mumford & Sons' 2012 Gentlemen Of The Road festival with a cultural event of its very own.

This morning, Member for Upper Hunter George Souris announced that submissions had been opened for the first annual Dungog Festival.

Due to run from August 28-31, the festival will shine a spotlight on local and international films, food, music, and community groups and activities, giving the event a broader scope than most of its ilk.

Following last year's dissolution of the Dungog Film Festival, an annual fixture since 2007, the new Dungog Festival is set to step in to fill the hole left by its collapse, and - with its expanded focus - then some.

“I'm delighted to be here on behalf of the NSW Government for the launch of the new Dungog Festival,” Mr Souris said. “The Government is committed to supporting the creative industries and the Australian film industry, as well as fostering great regional events that bring so much to the local community.

“With this in mind, we have entered into a partnership with the Dungog Arts Foundation to support the Dungog Festival for the next three years, through our tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

“The Dungog Festival is expected to attract about 3,000 visitors and deliver around $3.6 million in visitor expenditure over the next three years, so it will play a key role in growing the local economy.”

With submissions open for the cinematic component of the festival, organisers have put out a call for both short (less than 30-minute) and feature-length films. Check the festival website if you're interested in submitting for the program.

Earlybird tickets for the event will go on sale at 9am on Tuesday, June 10. See the Dungog Festival site for more details.