THE LIGHTS of Gympie provided a very cinematic backdrop for the official launch of the 9th annual Heart of Gold International Film Festival on Thursday night.

The evening saw the upper floor of the Gympie Regional Galley transformed, with a huge table adorned with flowers and fruit as the centrepiece.

For the festival's new artistic director Emily Avila, the meticulously crafted scene ties into this years floral theme.

"The festival programs it's films according to a particularly unique mission," she says.

"They're heart-warming, uplifting, thoughtful and well-crafted."

This year's program will feature over 100 short films, displaying beautiful work by artists from Australia and beyond.

The films themselves will be shown from October 6-9.

"We've got workshops, master-classes and a great jury, headed up by Michael Caton - it's basically just going four amazing days in Gympie."

For young artists trying to break into the Australian film industry, a notoriously difficult task, the importance of a a festival appearance cannot be understated.

"Short films are the stepping stone to a career in the industry," Avila says, "A festival appearance is really the best CV for any up-and-coming film-maker."