SYDNEY: Australian filmmakers have taken out more than half of the awards at the 2011 SCINEMA Festival of Science Film Competition ahead of more than 30 countries.

Australian documentary series, Voyage of the Planets, which set out to offer the viewer a ringside seat to the splendors of the Solar System and the dangers of visiting alien planets, won Best Television series, while Australian students excelled at films, picking up awards in both student categories.

"We waded through hundreds of international entries for the festival this year, and while The Light Bulb Conspiracy by Spanish Director, Cosima Dannoritzer, won Best Film, Australians took out more than half of the awards," said festival director, Cris Kennedy.

Cattle dogs and Solar System safaris

Winner, Voyage to the Planets, was directed by Australian company, Essential Media, who won Best Film last year for How Kevin Bacon Cured Cancer, which tested out the urban myths driven by Hollywood heavyweight Kevin Bacon.

The SCINEMA Jury described Voyage to the Planets as, "a visionary production exploring our closest neighbours," from a world leader in innovative and engaging factual filmmaking.

Best Short Film went to the Victorian Department of Primary Industries with their film, The Climatedogs, which uses animated cattle dogs to explore how different climate processes work to attract or repel rain in Victoria.

"With a delightful touch of the comic and quirky, The Climatedogs is a masterful little series of cartoons that fantastically illustrates how even the most complex science can be enjoyed by everyone," the judges said.

Messy pies a winner

To celebrate 2011 being the International Year of Chemistry, students were challenged to make a five-minute short film with a chemistry theme. The Best Student Film went to Year 4 Brisbane student, Victoria Burnet, with Pool Power and the Highly Commended Student Film went to Year 8 and 9 students at Ramingining School with The Messy Meat Pie Muncher, which uses animation and comedy to look at chemistry.

"The Ramingining Indigenous community is more than 550 km east of Darwin, which again just shows that Scinema continues to attract amazing entries from all corners of the globe," said Kennedy.

This year's festival attracted well-known entrants from more than 30 countries including UK Producer and Director, Paul Olding, from the BBC - who won the Award for Scientific Merit with his film Wonders of the Solar System.

Planned obsolesce revealed

Spanish film, The Light Bulb Conspiracy, took out the big prize, winning 2011's Best Film Award for its investigation into planned obsolescence, revealing the companies who willfully engineer their products to fail.

"We're inviting people to come and see the winning films for free at more than 400 venues right across Australia during the 2011 National Science Week which runs from August 13 to 21," said Kennedy.

Produced by the CSIRO with support from partners COSMOS Magazine and The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus), and funding from The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, today's SCINEMA Awards ceremony brought together some of the world's best science film-makers.

Full list of 2011 SCINEMA winners:

* Best Film - The Light Bulb Conspiracy (Spain) Producers: Alexandre Piel and Joan Ubeda, Director: Cosima Dannoritzer.

* Best Short Film - The Climatedogs (Australia) Producer: Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Animator: Clem Stamation.

* Best Television Series - Voyage to the Planets (Australia) Executive Producer: Chris Hilton for Essential Media, Series Producer, Director and Writer: Richard Smith, Producer, Director and Writer: Chris Thorburn, Line Producer: Andrea Gorddard.

* Best Director and Award for Technical Merit - The City Dark (USA) Director: Ian Cheney.

* Award for Scientific Merit - Wonders of the Solar System (United Kingdom) Producer: Paul Olding.

* Best Animated/ Experimental Film - Teclopolis (Argentina) Director: Javier Mrad.

* Best Student Film - Pool Power (Australia) Victoria Burnet.

* Highly Commended Student Film - The Messy Meat Pie Muncher (Australia) Ramingining School, Years 8 and 9.

* Special Jury Prize - Worm Hunters (Australia) Director: Randall Wood, Producer: Chris Carroll.

* Jury Award for Cinematography - Where the Wild Things Were (United Kingdom) Director: Amber Cherry Eames.