THERE'LL be plenty of activities, entertainment and workshops for the young (and young at heart) at next month's Heart of Gold International Film Festival.

Sunday, October 9 marks the end of the festival and to celebrate, families can head to the Prospector's Hall for a hands-on animation session from the team at ABC ME's 'Doodles' workshop running from 10am-3pm.

The session will be run by animator Benjamin Zaugg, backed up with tunes by composer Joff Bush.

It's a great opportunity for budding young animators, film-makers or anybody interested in how your favourite movies get made.

For those who are looking for something a little more relaxed, the festival will be running four sessions of fantastic short films throughout the day.

The films featured will focus on a variety of themes guaranteed to excite young audiences, including films by young film-makers, the world of animal stories and works featuring younger heroes trying to discover where they fit in the world.

The idea to have separate sessions specifically catered to genre and audience was an important step for the festival's new creative director Emily Avila.

"The festival programmes its films according to a particularly unique mission,” she says.

"This will, hopefully, make it easier for audiences to choose which sessions they want to head to.”

For the parents and those who are looking for entertainment on their own, don't fret.

Sunday will also feature a screening of the 2016 award winners from 1pm till 2.30pm as well as the return of festival favourite Coffee and Comedy from 3.30 in the afternoon.

The grand finale of the festival will be the screeners' selection, with a standout mix of hand-picked shorts from Australia and around the globe.

The Heart of Gold festival runs from October 6 to 9, and features a variety of films, masterclasses and workshops.

For the next generation of film-makers it's a great education.

"Festivals are the best way to get yourself into the industry,” Avila says.