[1] The nine day Festival is held in Central West Queensland, which has provided the setting of film and television productions such as The Proposition, Gone, Mystery Road, Goldstone, Texas Rising and Total Control.
[5] The idea received support from Winton Shire mayor Butch Lenton, Screen Australia's Gina Black and Mystery Road producer David Jowsey.
[9][10][11][12][13] In 2015, daytime screenings of films were relocated to the Winton Shire Hall following a fire just days before the festival which destroyed the Waltzing Matilda Centre where movies were scheduled to be shown in the Sarah Riley Theatre.
[20][21] Each year, the festival honours a person involved with the Australian film industry by revealing their name on a star on Winton's Walk of Fame located in Elderslie Street.
As of 2024, nine people have been inducted onto the Walk of Fame - Roy Billing, Ivan Sen, Margaret Pomeranz, Butch Lenton, Steve Le Marquand, David Gulpilil and Leah Purcell, Clive Kitchen and Simon Baker.