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

AUDIENCE AWARDS:
Best Short Film: Irreplaceable
Best 3D Animation: The Herald of the Forge
Best Hand Drawn Animation: LIKE CLOCKWORK
Best Stop Motion Animation: Do Clay Fish Dream of Wool Cats?
Best High School Animation: empty nester.
Best New Media Animation: Eons Alone
Best Story: Pauwi
Best Visual Design: Tomorrow
Best Adventure Animation: Rollercoaster: The Hesitation
Best Comedy Animation: How We Hamsters
Best Documentary Animation: Talks Over Tea
Best Drama Animation: American Dream
Best Experimental Animation: Birds of a Feather
Best Fantasy Animation: most normal day at the store
Best Mixed Media Animation: Nice Space!
Best Satire Animation: ConTempt Warning
Best Sci-Fi Animation: Everyone Else Disappeared
Best Society Animation: A.D.D. and Subtract

FROM GROUND TO SKY, 2min.
Directed by Kevin McLean
A tiny grass man, Jingle, and his ladybug steed, Peeb, have their friendship tested when Peeb is called to the stars by a mysterious comet.

https://www.instagram.com/kevinmcleanart

LIKE CLOCKWORK, 2min.
Directed by Luke Landrem
As humans, life can be uninteresting and simple. We wake up, get ready for work, come home, and go to sleep. The same can even be said for Automatons. And if things go the same for them, it also means everything can go just as wrong. Follow the daily routine of Toki, an office-working Automaton as her morning collapses around her. But just because the world doesn’t want you to have a good morning doesn’t mean giving up is the only way out.

empty nester., 1min.,
Directed by Alexandra Bennett
empty nester: a term used to describe a parent whose children have grown up and left home.

A.D.D. and Subtract, 3min.
Directed by John Gilbertson
A college freshman goes into a test taking center to take an extremely simple algebra test, but he still struggles because he gets obsessively distracted.

How We Hamsters Die, 6min.
Directed by Phoebe Burdick, Mio Gribskov
A comedic 2D animated short film that tells the absurdly tragic stories of hamsters from the after-life. Built upon interviews & true stories, the film aims to entertain while promoting responsible pet ownership and proper treatment of hamsters. Prepare to laugh, cry, and gasp in shock as this mixed-media, documentary-style film takes a look into how and why this colorful cast of pet hamsters died.

TALKS OVER TEA, 2min.
Directed by Katherine Y Sinchi
My immigrant mom tells me a humorous story from her childhood in Ecuador.

https://www.instagram.com/vibrant.obscurity/?hl=en

BIRDS OF A FEATHER, 2min.
Directed by Amanda Rose Seda
One was born from the trauma of Princess Odette’s past. The other was born of the dark wizard’s failure to curse both his and Odette’s families. Both descendants of opposite ends of the Swan Lake story, Oliver and Reigan, will discover that they can work together to bring peace to their bloodlines and heal from their generational trauma.

https://www.instagram.com/takeyourmedicineandsmile

Everyone Else Disappeared, 5min.
Directed by Sull Devries
A man wanders an empty earth after all other humans suddenly vanish

ConTempt Warning, 2min.
Directed by Ian Anastas
Alone in a desolate wasteland, our hero attempts a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKpi9SlGGgsmusical performance for a smart phone that appears to have a mind of its own.

https://www.instagram.com/it_anastas

Nice Spare!, 7min.
Directed by Katie Steuernagel
Bowling rejects Owen and Ethan enter the alley’s dark abyss of dying pins who want the boys to “spare” their lives.

AMERICAN DREAM, 3min.
Directed by Renee Shi
This is a story of a young girl’s day at school, bright and cheerful until the sound of gunshots rings in her ears. Her best friend dies in the shooting, and she must walk through the tainted hallways of her school once again. This animation is dedicated to the victims of school shooting tragedies.

ROLLERCOASTER: the Hesitation, 2min.,
Directed by Daecon Ugokwe
A wait for a rollercoaster sends our two characters through the amusement park to land on a decision.

Do Clay Fish Dream of Wool Cats?, 2min.
Directed by Xinyi Nie
A clumsy cat dreams of being a great chef, causing hilarious cooking disasters—until it wakes up and realizes it was all just a dream.

https://www.instagram.com/xinyinieok

EONS ALONE, 2min,
Directed by Kai Lee Conrath
An astronaut lives on an unspecified planet. She lives her same, repetitive life before seeing a flashing red light in the distance. She looks at this light for many days, before realizing that someone or something is out there. Desiring to not be alone anymore, she finds a way to leave her planet, and explore. She jumps and gets blown into the air by a geyser. While she floats, she watches as her planet slowly fades further and further away from her line of sight. Suddenly, she sees a strange red being reaching its arm out for her. She hesitates, but slowly reaches up to grab the extended arm. She is reaching towards the unknown, and who she could become. The things that keep us safe are often the things that keep us alone.

most normal day at the store, 3min.
Directed by Tommy Aviso
A guy with a pompadour and a robot wearing pants have a civil disagreement.

https://www.instagram.com/wayneeeward

The Herald of The Forge, 1min.
Directed by Chad Todd
A young blacksmith confronts his darker side in the hope of finding redemption. Only by creating a powerful relic can he overcome the curse that plagues him. Each strike of the hammer draws him closer to salvation, as diligent craftsmanship and unwavering resolve become his only path toward freedom.

PAUWI, 1min.
Directed by Angel Casuga
Based on the experiences of the animator, this short film explores the difficulties as a First-Generation American defining what home is to them

TOMORROW, 3min.
Directed by Mckenzie Fulton
Tomorrow is a stop motion animation short film about what a day in the future might look like.

Irreplaceable, 4min.
Directed by Samantha Lauren Reyna
The spirit of a recently deceased pet must get his owner’s attention before she throws away all the memories of the life they had together.