A western suburbs filmmaking family has returned from the Sydney Opera House with a major film festival milestone, after taking home a top award at the SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3) held from 23-25 January.
Filmmaker Tez Vi Truong (Tez Frost) won Best AI Film for his short film The 5-Minute Empire at the SF3 Gala Finals, marking the first time the award has been presented in the festival’s history.
The win followed a landmark weekend for the Truong family, with Tez and his two children, Alexis, 7, and Charlie, 5, all having films screened at the Opera House.
The family previously made history as the first family of three to be selected as finalists at the festival in the same year.
The 5-Minute Empire was shot on an iPhone 12 Pro and was recognised for its use of artificial intelligence as a creative support tool, while keeping the focus firmly on storytelling.
Mr Truong said the award was less about technology and more about how it could be used responsibly.
“The story still comes first,” he said.
“AI helped with ideas and visualisation, but the choices were still human.”
Alexis and Charlie both screened films in the SF3 Kids program over the weekend. Alexis returned to the festival after becoming the youngest director in SF3 history in 2024, while Charlie became the festival’s youngest-ever filmmaker, with his stop-motion short Looking for Parking, completed when he was just four.
Mr Truong said the weekend was one he and his family would never forget.
