‘Everyone’s Invited!’ to the 34th Flickerfest International Film Festival, Australia’s only short film festival that qualifies for the Academy Awards® and BAFTA, showcasing Australian talent on the world stage from 17 to 26 January at iconic Bondi.
With emerging filmmakers joining the celebration buzz, it is time to look ahead and collect thoughts on stepping from short to features. Continuing its partnership with Flickerfest, AFTRS presents FlickerLab 2025, a one-day event on Friday, 24 January, designed to guide emerging filmmakers on their journey from shorts to features.
This year’s event features a stellar panel of industry experts, including director Nick Waterman (How to Make Gravy), Oscar winning producer Emile Sherman (Slow Horses, The Kings Speech), writer Hannah Reilly (The Deb), producer Sheila Jayadev (Critical Incident), writer-director Dane McCusker (The Big Dog), producer Kristina Ceyton (The Moogai), Jane Nice (Icon Film), journalist Garry Maddox, Andrea Ulbrick (Screen Australia), Imogen Gardam (Screen Australia), and AFTRS Head of Industry Engagement Robbie Miles.
The day’s sessions include:
- From Idea to Page
- The Director’s Journey
- Making It Happen
- Market to Market: Conquer the World on All Platforms
Building on the success of last year’s FlickerLab, which featured Jodi Matterson (The Dry), Darlene Johnson (Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence), and David Michôd (Animal Kingdom), FlickerLab 2025 promises to be an unmissable opportunity to network, learn, and be inspired.
Emerging filmmakers will leave equipped with essential tips and knowledge to transform creative ideas into market-ready productions and gain insights into feature production, from concept development and scriptwriting to production, marketing, and distribution. Find out more about the sessions and register to attend the event here.
The AFTRS community is celebrating the achievements of recent graduates whose films are premiering at the festival. The festival features a remarkable lineup of nine productions from the Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production and Master of Arts Screen programs, including seven World Premieres and six contenders for the Official Competition’s Academy®-qualifying Best Australian Short Film award. One AFTRS film competes for the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary, also an Academy®-qualifying honor.
These productions demonstrate AFTRS’ commitment to hands-on industry-partnered training and fostering compelling and unique Australian storytelling. The films span a range of diverse themes, including a documentary piecing together the tragic life story of Anthony Martin Fernando, who protested Indigenous rights over a century ago in Europe, a gripping drama set in a futuristic world of synthetic food, and tales of reconnecting with estranged friends after years of absence.
Don’t miss this year’s Flickerfest festival trailer, paying tribute to the iconic Australian film, Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom. The trailer was produced and directed by Sophie Saville and Rowan Devereux. Rowan, a 2013 graduate of AFTRS’ Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, joins fellow alum cinematographer Benjamin Powell and editor Andrew Shanks. This follows last year’s successful trailer, created by AFTRS alum producer Catherine van der Rijt, writer and director Ruby Challenger, writer Gerard Dewhurst, and composer Sophia Christopher.
Join us in celebrating shorts on the big screen. These are the AFTRS films premiering at Flickerfest:
Eat Up! | Saturday 18 Jan, 9 pm
In a future of synthetic food, a prodigious flavour designer whose new portable food printer promises to launch her career discovers the lost art of cooking and a human connection science cannot simulate.
Not Yet | Saturday 18 Jan, 9 pm
Sisters Emily and Nina grit their teeth through their mother Josephine’s extravagant engagement party. When Josephine’s new partner Gill lets slip that they’re selling the family home, the two young women rebel, jeopardising Josephine’s standing in Gill’s family. Tensions come to a head, and Emily is forced to confront the truth about what is happening at this party.
Paralysis | Saturday 18 Jan, 9 pm
When Tom returns to his hometown after a five-year absence, he is forced to see his estranged best friend, Garry, and deal with their wounds of the past.
Echoes of Dissent | Sunday 19 Jan, 6:30 pm and Saturday 25 Jan, 6:30 pm
Echoes of Dissent attempts to piece together the tragic life story of Anthony Martin Fernando, an Aboriginal man who protested Indigenous rights over a century ago in Europe. By enlisting his father to re-enact Fernando’s famous protests, the film’s director uncovers just how prophetic Fernando’s protests would become.
Dirty Laundry | Sunday 19 Jan, 9 pm
Australian Prime Minister Peter Carrington is having his worst day in office since being elected after his attempt to kill Centrelink was shot down by the Senate. He turns to his chief of staff and his new assistant for answers.
Rehabilitating | Monday 20 Jan, 9 pm
A woman with chronic pain is stuck in a rehab hospital, unable to leave until she can find a way out of her fears and pain with the help of a new friend.
The Sax | Tuesday 21 Jan, 9 pm
A prodigious young saxophonist discovers a horrifying truth about his teacher, shattering his ideas of his mentor, his music and himself.
Domme | Friday 24 Jan, 9pm
Monique sets out for a romantic night of kink as she navigates the murky depths of her newfound partner’s peculiar sexual predilections.
Hydraulic | Saturday 25 Jan, 6:30 pm
Harry is torn from tending to his bedridden mother by his erratic and sticky-fingered father, Bill, who takes him on a wild goose chase to kill a cow for Christmas supper – but they better not get caught.
For those outside Sydney, the Flickerfest Travelling Festival takes the best short films to over 50 venues across Australia. Join us to immerse yourself in the inspiring world of short films.
For more details and to register for FlickerLab, visit the event page.
Stay tuned for more updates on AFTRS productions and the emerging talent behind the films!
CREW
Domme (Master of Arts Screen 2022)
Writer – Natasha Henry
Director – Lindsay McDonald
Producer – Neisha Dallamora
Cinematographer – Sam Bader
Production and Costume Designer – Abbey Ling Thorley
Editor – Elita Guo
Music – Naomi Geste
Sound Supervisor- Sean Walker
Dirty Laundry (Master of Arts Screen 2023)
Writer – Daniel Forbes
Director – Andy Diep
Producer – Sophia Carolyn Wallace
Cinematographer – T Oxford
Production Designer – Erin Slyney
Editor – Jack Needle
Music – Genevieve Patrick
Sound Supervisor- Kevin Chan
Eat Up! (Master of Arts Screen 2023)
Writer – Roslyn Zhang
Director – Yuxin Cao
Producer – Emily Bull, Neisha Dallamora and Denis Curnow
Cinematographer – Jesse Phillips
Production Designer – Abbey Thorley
Editor – Elita Guo
Music – Ray Lin
Sound Supervisor- Andrew Dean
Echoes Of Dissent (Master of Arts Screen 2023)
Director – Dylan Nicholls
Producers – Luke Hodge and Dylan Nicholls
Cinematographer – T. Oxford
Production Designer – Jordan Taylor
Editor – Jack Charter
Music – Robert Hislop
Sound Supervisor- Liam Dennis
Hydraulic (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production 2023)
Writer/Director – Nicole Hutton-Lewis
Producer – Rhory Mackellar
Cinematographer – Jacqui Sharah
Production Designer – Zoë Fraser
Editor – Max King
Music – Micaela Osfield
Sound Supervisor – Max King
Not Yet (Master of Arts Screen 2022)
Writer – Sami Swilks
Director – Holly Fraser
Producer – Caleb Irwin
Cinematographer – Pete Moses
Production and Costume Designer – Reilly O’Loughlin
Editor – Samuel Inglis
Music – Nodira Islam
Sound Supervisor – Jayden Whitbread
Paralysis (Master of Arts Screen 2023)
Writer – Jon Rex Williams, Lianne Mackessy and Greg Moran
Director – Lianne Mackessy
Producer – Greg Moran and Susan O’Rourke
Cinematographer – Ali Rezvani
Production and Costume Designer – Elise Zeman
Editor – Rhi Miles
Music – Gareth Hudson and Kenneth King
Sound Supervisor- Liam Dennis
Rehabilitating (Master of Arts Screen 2023)
Writer/Director – Inez Playford
Producer – Freya Brunning
Cinematographer – Anna McGirr
Production Designer – Sheree Tam
Editor – Chimene Khoo
Music – Naomi Geste
Sound Supervisor- Sharay Armfield
The Sax (Master of Arts Screen 2023)
Writer – Melissa Jacob
Director – Naomi Fryer
Producer – Denis Curnow
Cinematographer – Anna McGirr
Production Designer – Craig Bornstein
Editor – Britt Constable
Music – Carla Dobbie
Sound Supervisor- Luke O’Loughlin
