The National Film and Sound Archive's chief executive, Michael Loebenstein, presented the aspiring filmmaker with the grant at the annual Australian Cinematographers Society awards, which Mr Ennett will use to fund an internship on the feature film The Railway Man.

Mr Loebenstein said Mr Ennett was a promising filmmaker who would use the award to further develop his skills and knowledge in the field.

''When I watched [Mr Ennett's short film] Invasion, I was struck by someone who was technically and aesthetically very competent, but who has his own voice,'' he said. ''He looks at cinematography from a holistic point of view, he's a storyteller.''

Mr Ennett said he was thrilled about having the opportunity to use a 35mm camera and learning from respected cinematographer Gary Phillips.

''I'm really excited about it, it doesn't get much more professional than that,'' he said.

The University of Canberra student is in his fourth and final year of a bachelor of media arts and production/arts degree.

''I'm looking forward to picking the brains of the writers on set and getting inspired by the whole experience,'' he said.