A showcase of the best Australian films in the world today.

AUDIENCE AWARDS:

Best Short Film: UNDER THE WATER
Best Micro-Short Film: MY FINAL MESSAGE
Best Visual Design: THE RUNAWAY HORSES
Best Story: A QUEER MEN’S CHORUS
Best Comedy: FISHBOY
Best Hand Drawn Animation: PEOPLE PLEASER
Best Fantasy: MAGICAL UMM….
Best Musical: FOOL
Best Experimental: LIVER
Best Historical Film: TRANSENDENCIA
Best Horror: PATH TO DEATH
Best Thriller: TRAPPED AT 12 AM

UNDER THE WATER, 10min., Magic Realism
Directed by Isabella Andronos
An eleven-year-old girl, targeted by misogynistic taunts and violence, retreats into the pages of a picture book about the sirens of the sea. As strange events pull her toward the ocean, what begins as an escape into fantasy becomes a radical act of reclamation, as she emerges with a voice sharpened by rage and ancient power.

https://instagram.com/underthewatershortfilm

PATH TO DEATH, 3min., Horror
Directed by Alexander Whitlock
A serial killer is rampaging through a hotel. Will the protagonist escape or become another victim?

TRAPPED AT 12 AM, Thriller
Directed by Aryamaan Chabba
A boy spends hours playing a video game, completely ignoring his grandmother’s repeated warnings to stop at certain time. What begins as harmless screen time slowly turns unsettling when his Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 starts moving on its own , revealing eerie paranormal signs on 31 October 2025 at exactly 12:00 AM, a. As midnight passes, the phone becomes something far more sinister, blurring the line between obsession and control. Shot entirely on a smartphone, Trapped at 12 AM is a sub-two-minute horror short that explores fear, technology, and the hidden consequences of losing yourself to screens.

TRANSENDENCIA, 7min., History/Drama
Directed by Gia Alvarez
This short film explores the impact of the Spanish Civil War (1930’s) on a young girl and how those experiences followed her throughout her life. The story is narrated through the perspective of her older self as she reflects on everything she lived through.

https://www.instagram.com/gia.alvarezz

LIVER, 3min.
Directed by Chris Aubrey
After waking up in the middle of a river, Mildred journeys through a mystical new world.

FOOL, 6min.
Directed by Bronte Alexandra June Harrison
Court Jester Beatrix has fallen madly in love with her sweet Princess Aria. On the Queen’s Jubilee, she has to have her, but how far will she go for love?

Magical umm…, 3min.
Directed by Ariel Budiman
An alien is sent to Earth to train a highschool girl into a super hero magical girl, but at the last second is bonded to a socially anxious, video game loving teen boy. Now they must work together to protect the Earth

My Final Message, 2min.
Directed by Ariel Budiman
An escaped astronaut criminal’s final message before she dies in space

PEOPLE PLEASER, 3min.
Directed by Angelica Eugenia Wijaya
Unable to say no, a young girl is pulled into an unfamiliar world that tests her limits and leads her to discover her real identity.

https://instagram.com/nightfingers

THE RUNAWAY HORSES, 4min.
Directed by Daien Ngeiw
A stray dog with a fascination for taking the train, his journey unfolding a story surrounding life and fate.

FISHBOY, 4min.
Directed by Christa Pon
A boy feels the pressure of his overly-enthusiastic dad’s wish for him to continue his swimming legacy.

https://instagram.com/mendoutaya

A QUEER MEN’S CHORUS, 5min.
Directed by Digby Thompson
A Sydney queer men’s choir faces collapse after mass resignations, forcing their flamboyant director to recruit an awkwardly straight-seeming newcomer. Tensions erupt when he disrupts a performance, but assumptions unravel as members confess secret straight guilty pleasures, prompting a humorous reckoning about identity, prejudice, and acceptance.

https://www.instagram.com/queermenschorus/