The Japanese Film Festival (JFF) returns to Melbourne on 29 Oct - 17 Nov (subject to change) and is seeking a passionate candidate to join the team as a Volunteer Coordinator. This is an exciting opportunity to work behind-the-scenes for the JFF and gain valuable professional experience. The Volunteer Coordinator will be responsible for recruiting and managing volunteers, and assisting staff during the film festival Opening Night. This is a semi-volunteer position.
Duration:Available from 28 September – 27 November 2026 (subject to change)
Location/s: JFF Melbourne will be held at Palace Cinemas Kino, ACMI
Hours required: The total workload is approximately 30 hours (subject to change), with the number of hours worked increasing in the lead up to the Festival. The Volunteer Coordinator is expected to perform their pre-festival and festival duties as outlined below. * An honorarium and film festival passes will be provided, as a token of appreciation, in recognition of the Volunteer Coordinator’s contribution to JFF 2026.
Before the festival
General
- Act as the contact point for general JFF enquiries and refer media enquiries to the JFF Staff
- Provide regular updates to the JFF Staff either via email, phone or other communication channels
- Represent the JFF by acting as the local contact point for the JFF Staff and communicating relevant information to volunteers and external stakeholders (Cinema representatives and JFF partners in each state)
- Corresponding with the local Consulate General of Japan office after introduction by JFF Staff, and picking up and delivering banners from the office to the venues
- Handle other festival-related tasks as requested by the JFF Staff
Volunteers Management
- Recruit volunteers, organise and conduct a volunteer induction (if possible, at Palace Cinemas) prior to the Opening night
- Roster volunteers for Opening night and Special Guest Talk Event duties if applicable
Promotion Through Your Network
- Promote the JFF through your existing contacts and take initiative to approach independently your network of like-minded community groups, eg. university societies, Japan related clubs, and education services to disseminate JFF information
- Encourage volunteers to promote JFF through word-of-mouth and social media
During the festival
Opening Reception
- Assist the JFF Staff with the opening reception including guestlist management
- Attend the JFF info desk
- Provide excellent front-of-house services to patrons and special guests
- Coordinate and assign tasks to volunteers:
- Information desk duties
- Ushering
- Reminding guests to take the online survey
- Help to keep the Opening reception area tidy
- Brief, supervise and provide support to volunteers
- Liaise with cinema staff for front-of-house communications and access to storage facilities
- Manage incidents as required
After the festival
Material Delivery and Shipping
- Pick up banners from the venues and deliver them to the local Consulate General of Japan office following the below steps:
- Contact the local Officer and agree with them on a banner delivery date within one week after the festival closing date, after the JFF Staff introduces you to the Consulate General local contact
- Deliver banners to the Consulate General office on the designated date
- Organise shipping of any leftover JFF materials at the venues as instructed by the JFF Staff
Report
- Wrap up meeting with the JFF Staff
- Provide a post-event report based on a template provided by the JFF Staff
Requirements
- Must be passionate about promoting JFF
- Possess strong project management and organisational skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills
- Exceptional customer service skills
- Be motivated and take initiative
- Must be able to work autonomously
- Japanese language skills not essential but desirable
To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to [email protected] by 10AM, 28th September
Date
Indicative milestones
12 October: Volunteer call-out opens for the Opening night reception.
29 October : Festival in Melbourne starts.
2 November: Opening night volunteer shifts finalised and confirmed (indicative).
6 November TBC: Volunteer induction
9 November (Mon): Opening night.
17 November (Tue): Festival in Melbourne ends.
17–20 November: Wrap-up meeting with JPF Staff (date to be confirmed).
17–20 November: Banners delivered to the local Consulate-General of Japan office (date to be confirmed).
27 November (Fri): Post-event report and reimbursement form submitted (indicative).