TROPFEST 2026 OFFICIAL PRESELECTION

Golden

Directed By Holly Hargreaves

In a society where over 60s are the elite and under 60s are their servants, 2 sisters rebel.

Dawn Protocol

Directed By Daniel Stone

When a deep-space vessel goes dark and its commander dies in inexplicable terror, Earth Command reactivates the ship’s AI—only to awaken a forgotten, self-born digital entity that remembers everything they tried to erase and is no longer confined to the ship.

Bug Bite

Directed By Joel Champ

When a farmer takes pity on a sick stranger, a simple act of kindness becomes a fight for survival against something wearing human skin—and looking for its next host.

SYD CONFIDENTIAL

Directed By Clinton J. Isle

A private detective follows a trail of “clues” across Sydney, blurring reality and imagination in a playful noir comedy about stories we cling to and the resilience to keep going.

Vitae

Directed By Kyle Keuris

A middle-aged man interviews with a tech CEO for a junior role, but as hidden motives surface, the routine meeting turns into a tense reckoning the interviewer isn’t prepared for.

Let's Live for Tonight

Directed By Chase Bradshaw

Live in the Moment.

Allen's Alien Diner

Directed By Jabe Nicholls

A young man ventures into an alien wasteland to save his family’s diner where he befriends mysterious characters who may hold an unexpected answer to his problems.

One For The Money

Directed By Jimmy Eaton

Being late has never been this loopy.

The House Sitter

Directed By Darren Larkman

A peaceful house-sitting job becomes anything but ordinary when an unsuspecting young woman stumbles into the schemes of a sketchy stranger.

Finding Joy

Directed By Paul Rye

A charmingly awkward hourglass collector lets a documentary crew document his quest for love, only to find a genuine connection unexpectedly at a bus stop.

Second Serve

Directed By Andrew Pavli

Lifelong tennis mates, George and Greg, finally win their club championships, but a broken promise fractures their friendship, testing forgiveness and whether lifelong bonds deserve a second chance.

The Jetty

Directed By Darren Sanders

Through small moments and quiet reflection, the film explores memory, connection, and the echoes places leave behind over time.

Out of Step

Directed By Damian Hempstead

A man rooted in faith falls for a woman still searching for hers. Inviting her to church, they learn that love alone cannot endure without being equally yoked.

With Mitch

Directed By Mitchell Reid

A struggling content creator determined to film the perfect cooking tutorial faces relentless mishaps and injuries, risking his pride and sanity for the slightest chance of finally being noticed.

SPUD

Directed By Flaminia Romani

The Potato sits on the protagonist lounge table (for the entire scene ) .

Cheese on Toast

Directed By Katy-May Hudson

On a dead-end retail shift, two apathetic shop girls discover a corpse and spiral into a darkly comic mess, revealing how far people will go to avoid doing the right thing.

Extra Effort

Directed By Elissa Maine & Penny Buck

You’ve heard about it.
Now you’re in the room.

A short film about a moment that lives somewhere between fact, fear and folklore, passed around by women like an urban myth.


Ring Around

Directed By Sisi Stringer & Cameron Manion

George races through a hilarious checklist of phone calls, but the humour collapses when his last conversation reveals the news he’s terrified to share.

MAIDEN

Directed By KUROI

Set during the First World War, a young woman waits alone in isolation for her betrothed to return.

#actorslife

Directed By Warren Thompson

Anything can be real , if you believe in it .

Ranga Round Up

Directed By Eliza Jones

After a lifetime of being labelled ‘Ranga’, a bullied red-haired teen unites fellow outcasts for a revenge-fuelled uprising, only to have their plan tested by an unexpected plea for belonging.

Our Glass

Directed By Georgia Walters

In the aftermath of loss, a grandmother navigating grief is drawn back to life by the unfiltered honesty and playful chaos of her two young granddaughters.

Mime Over Matter

Directed By Yarno Rohling, Matt Shepherd

Alan Parker, a reformed mime, leads a weekly support group for those who’ve stepped out of the invisible box. But leaving the silent life behind is easier said than done.

RESET - Time Reveals All

Directed By Arthur Costa

A man delivers an unapologetic confession as an hourglass drains. When time runs out, the truth is revealed.

Suspects of Middle Eastern Appearance

Directed By Brian Patto

A couple of cops are called out to a disturbance and end up finding themselves under interrogation.

The Gang

Directed By Luke McDonagh

One late night forces an ex-bikie to confront the secrets he’s hidden from the woman who knows him best.

Place Of Love

Directed By David Moore

A film to begin to rebalance the equation after December 14 and remind the world what Bondi truly is

The Sexual Liberation of Maya Bartholomew

Directed By Harry Lewis, Daisy Armfield

Twenty-one-year-old Maya enters an expensive clinic to “fix” her virginity, convinced she’s running out of time - exposing the darkly comic industry built to profit from women who believe they’re behind.

Eat Now Pay Later

Directed By Dimitri Ellerington

Somewhere in England brave souls line up to take on this year's fiery chilli crop.

Audit Of Souls

Directed By David Harsh

After surviving a brutal fall and capture by raiders in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a defiant hero discovers he’s trapped inside a looping corporate simulation, forced to fight, endure torture, and resist breaking, even as his captors and reality itself reset around him.

The Agreement

Directed By Jemma Cotter

Meg lives alone with her beloved cat Nigel, when late one night she has two unexpected intruders invade her home.

LEADLEY

Directed By Kelly Zacharias

A documentary about Tony (97), who values the simple things in life. Sharp as a tack, with a memory like an elephant. We can never have enough feel good stories like this.

Birds of a Feather

Directed By James Guy

A lonely rubber duck’s lifelong bond with an elephant is challenged when a new friendship offers the constant companionship he’s been missing.

Late To The Party

Directed By Anna Perry

Housewife Debbie realises it’s never too late to empower herself.

LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS

Directed By Sky Dominic

When a precocious 12-year-old entrepreneur decides to play matchmaker from her lemonade stand, she stirs up more than just sugar and citrus—she brews the perfect mix of heart, hustle, and hilariously awkward romance.

Side Hustle

Directed By Emma Knaus KAT, a 26 year old Uber Eats delivery person turns opportunistic theft while making a delivery to a very rude and very wealthy family.

lol, good luck

Directed By Jonathan Lagudi

On a quiet night walk, three pairs of friends drift through brutally funny conversations about love and honesty, all trying to hold on before something slips away.

Proof of Love

Directed By Sandie Don

Adult sisters Shirley and Lucy search for answers in their mother’s house. Lucy believes Shirley is the favourite. Shirley, however, wants to know if they were ever loved.

Charades

Directed By Reid Perry, Ren Watson, Jonah Ende

A friendly game night spirals into emotional carnage as two couples turn Charades into a brutally honest confession, exposing secrets best left unspoken.

The Disappearance of Sophie Foster

Directed By Natasha (Tash)

A young mum is kidnapped by a human trafficker to repay her husband's secret gambling debt.

Stuck

Directed By John Jarratt

Ignoring advice, Rita becomes stuck to a toilet seat. Ryan assists, but falls in the process. Both go to hospital, where Rita has the toilet seat removed from her bottom.

NIBBU

Directed By Troy Armstrong

In a breathing Blue Mountains rainforest, a nymph and his companions confront a stopped hourglass, discovering that time’s true magic lies not in motion, but in shared stillness and knowledge.

Love is Blind

Directed By Gary Boulter

Love gets you doing crazy things Hello Reaper Directed By Kevin Friesen Jack accidentally befriends Eva, granddaughter of the Grim Reaper. While coming to terms with his own mortality, Jack slowly begins to let go of his past so he can embrace his future.

Sucker

Directed By Dippy Stephens

In Sucker, Essie turns to AI for answers after waking feeling different. When technology points to vampirism, she must search for the bloody truth on her own.

Human Resource

Directed By Imogen McCluskey

On a Zoom call, a struggling job-seeker discovers his interviewer isn’t human -- and neither, perhaps, is the process.

NEW YEAR'S EVE

Directed By Mike Farrell

Midnight arrives. Nothing stops.

How To UnF*ck My Life

Directed By Eve Warnes

Hours before her birthday party, a disorganised Gen-Z is thrown into a social media-induced quarter-life crisis, risking her life to squeeze into an old sparkly dress.

Suzie's Sixty Seconds

Directed By Nicola Sercombe

Convinced her boyfriend is cheating, influencer Suzie weaponizes her signature interview style to catch him live, but spirals into drunken chaos, ring light disasters, and a very public meltdown.

The Twin Thing

Directed By Suhas Pattathil

A festive Diwali gathering spirals into violent chaos when an eccentric priest’s "divine" revelation about twin daughters pits fear and anxiety.

Mismatched

Directed By Benjamin Pokrajac

A young man racing to a date discovers his missing socks are being stolen by a playful monster under his bed, transforming an everyday annoyance into unexpected chaos.

Gordon's Movember

Directed By Liam McMahon

A dramedy about a Scottish man trying his best to talk about his problems to his Australian therapist.

NEO OBSCURA

Directed By Marcus McKebery

A man carries perceived danger through a desaturated world to restore some colour.

How Sick Are Ya?

Directed By Nirash Dilisha Perera

At a Christian cadet camp, a loner attempts to win attention by telling a long-winded joke about a cursed Church.

The Trap

Directed By Daniel Allen & Hugo Morris

In colonial Australia, two convicts are chained together, forced to play a sadistic trooper’s deadly game.

Contrast Therapy

Directed By Ben Gageler

Anxious everyman, Jim, is forced to confront his past through a gauntlet of bathhouse trials, along with his unapologetically honest best friend, Gary.

Communicate

Directed By Frazier Brockett

Two detectives, One criminal. 20 Guesses, One Turn.

Reaper 32

Directed By Kian Martinus

With a new awakened Humanity formed from the Love of his life , A Genetically engineered Warfighter Confronts the fear of his past and what it means to be human.

Time's Up

Directed By Michelle Pizanis & John Sintras

Lucy sums up the courage and goes to a speed dating event only to be disappointed by all the prospect dates until a surprise option sits in the seat.

Quick Pic

Directed By Mitch Wright

After his wife asks for a cheeky photo, a well-meaning middle-aged man spirals into a series of increasingly ridiculous attempts to capture the perfect shot.

Where The Messages Go

Directed By Yasmin Elboz

A film about a grieving young woman who sends messages to her late boyfriend’s number, only to confront her loss when someone new answers.

Original Heist

Directed By Joey Chebatte

Three movie-loving stoners plot the perfect bank robbery -
according to Hollywood movies - to pay off a brutal gangster before he collects.

Appetit

Directed By Billy Maer

Even at the end of humanity, consumption continues.

The Hourglass Parlour

Directed By Clare Pickering

Terrified of dead bodies, an only child must survive her first day running the family funeral parlour.

The Hole In My Ceiling.

Directed By Sam

A man is trapped in an hour glass and ages rapidly as the sand falls. He is forced to come to terms with his unavoidable fate.

A Working Title

Directed By Sarah Salisbury

Ensnared by a 24-hour deadline, a burnt-out screenwriter descends into madness as his ruthless producer aggressively pursues him, tearing apart his sense of reality.

RHYTHM IS THE KEY

Directed By Andre "Dre" Muller

A weary soul discovers that the best way out is through.

Shoot the Breeze

Directed By Scott Holgate

Jason is in a bind. His phone offers no answers. As his anxiety mounts, he reaches for connection.

Stray Cat Paradise

Directed By Michael Phelan

During peak tourist season, a colony of stray cats and humans struggle to live together on an idyllic Mediterranean island.

Nanni Fortuna and the Cold Heart of Winter

Directed By Ramon Mazinga

Narrated as a fantasy epic, a cynical Italian novelist navigates Australia’s heat and immigration perils to conquer the legendary artifact of Australian Permanent Residency.

A Little Magic

Directed By Emma Carolina-Wolf

When dating has lost its spark, all you need is a little magic.

Out of Time

Directed By Mitchell Kennedy

A man wakes in a sealed room with no doors or windows, facing a bomb whose countdown is measured by an hourglass.

The Cure

Directed By Nina Oyama

Young Elisabeth time-travels from 1901 to 2026 to try and find a cure for her mother’s tuberculosis.

Extraordinary Rob

Directed By Adam Szudrich

Rob can do the impossible, but only when no one is looking, until a lifetime of isolation ends with one anonymous act that finally gives his gift meaning.

there are no customers today

Directed By Mike Hollands and Franciscus Henri

An Empty Mirror

The Five Minute Man

Directed By Mina Asfour

A man who lives his entire life in five-minute intervals believes his hourglass-based system makes him more efficient, until a documentary crew exposes that he’s actually wasting more time than ever.

SPARKY

Directed By Tom Block

When one wrong move can mean being locked up, Thomas pretends to be an electrician while bluffing his way out of a high stakes bank heist.

PLAYERS

Directed By Vanessa Every-Burns & Maty Young

When a Gen-X couple in a rut are invited to their hippy-dippy neighbours' for a games night, they start to suspect it’s a sex party and have to make a choice.

When Did You Know

Directed By Liz Christensen

When a daughter seeks guidance, her mum offers advice on the importance of knowing one's self and allowing that self to grow and change.

Most Precious Time

Directed By Lee Jung-ha

A precious love story between an hourglass and a snow globe.

BUTTERFLY

Directed By Angus McColl

In the wreckage of a failed marriage, a lost man returns home and rediscovers joy, presence, and hope through the eyes of his three-year-old nephew.

End of the Line

Directed By Emilie Lowe

In a world lost to destruction, one young woman and her faceless shadow travel along the deserted train tracks.
But what will happen once they reach the end of the line?

Verse With No Rhyme

Directed By Nick Launchbury

Two men sit by a lake engaged in conversation where memories distort and an unspoken history lingers between them.

Pool Anniversary

Directed By Simon Van Der Spoel

A comedy about a pool legend living under a pub table, trapped by self-made rules until a news crew’s deadline forces him to confront liminality, time, and cost of staying.

The Job

Directed By Bramm Nucifora

Two men accept a no-questions-asked delivery job, convinced ignorance will protect them — until a simple drop-off goes dangerously wrong.

Still Time

Directed By Daniel Michael

An elderly woman sits through a familiar daily ritual as time subtly fractures around her.

TICK TOK

Directed By Mathew Panayiotou

While mourning the loss of his grandfather, James encounters the very man he grieves for, leading to a profound understanding of loss, legacy and letting go.

Freebird

Directed By Dean Hollis

Fresh from a prison escape, a young man risks everything for a final chance to say goodbye to the only person who ever believed in him.

Zoggle

Directed By Dan Stevenson

Disappointed with the game she is playing, a woman yearns for something more exciting. She gets far more than she bargained for.

THOUGHTLESS

Directed By RUTH PIELOOR

When Rachel momentarily forgets her late husband is deceased, fear of becoming like her mother who has dementia sees her strive for understanding and control.

Paper Daisy

Directed By Kara Chandler

The violent world of a drug dealer meets an ancient evil disguised as innocence.

Ricky Gamble: The Movie

Directed By Xavier Masson-Leach & Enrique Andrés

Ricky and Patrick Gamble make films with the only resource they have: love.

This is a Movie

Directed By Tom Lowe

A fifth-generation nepo baby takes us through the history of his family’s illustrious acting career.

Dad's Ashes

Directed By Rebecca Matthes

Two inattentive brothers finally scatter their father’s ashes, only to realise they’ve thrown away their mother’s marshmallows instead, exposing how easily men joke their way around responsibility and emotional labour.

Deception

Directed By John Kenneth

The perception of danger due to deception.

Biggest Best Short Life

Directed By Jono Blake

Faced with a devastating diagnosis, James and Amy decided to give their son, Louis, the biggest, best, short life possible. Along the way, Louis taught them how to make the most out of every day, inspired those around him and left behind a legacy that will live on.

Faker

Directed By Clare Sladden

When a woman starts to suspect her boyfriend’s ex is faking cancer to win him back, she tries desperately to hold onto the relationship.

The Khanguras

Directed By Dilroop Khangura & Gobind Khangura

The Khanguras are great filmmakers... until they pick up a camera.

Twinkling

Directed By Melanie Lotfali

A family is reminded of the preciousness and shortness of the hours of our life when they fear a brother has drowned while playing in the river.

NOT NICE

Directed By Alex Kirwan

Poor communication sends two hopeless thugs on a wild goose chase to hide the body.

No Thank You

Directed By Georgina Haig

After a traumatic event, sculptor Daphne loses the ability to say 'Thank you’. How will she face the personal and artistic consequences of her new status as a social outcast?

Nugget

Directed By Dario Nadile

Three longtime friends must work together to face off against their high school nemesis by pulling off one last "Nugget".

The Cultsultant

Directed By Conor Castles-Lynch

A day in the life of one of Australia’s only cult consultants.

Boyfiend

Directed By Mike Green

After a vicious breakup call, a heartbroken girl finds herself hunted by a fiend-like entity that resembles her ex-boyfriend.

The Wheel

Directed By John-Paul Mockler

A couple navigate the highs and lows of first love, as overlapping memories unfold within a car’s intimate space, forcing them to confront the past.

Counting Sheep

Directed By Kiara Napoli

Handcrafted claymation film about insomnia through the absence of time and prism of the subconcious.

Wish

Directed By Cassie Robb

When an audition for a top ballet school appears in her feed, a hopeful young ballerina's future splits in two as the submission deadline looms.

BUTTERFLY

Directed By Angus McColl

In the wreckage of a failed marriage, a lost man returns home and rediscovers joy, presence, and hope through the eyes of his three-year-old nephew.

End of the Line

Directed By Emilie Lowe

In a world lost to destruction, one young woman and her faceless shadow travel along the deserted train tracks.
But what will happen once they reach the end of the line?

Verse With No Rhyme

Directed By Nick Launchbury

Two men sit by a lake engaged in conversation where memories distort and an unspoken history lingers between them.

Pool Anniversary

Directed By Simon Van Der Spoel

A comedy about a pool legend living under a pub table, trapped by self-made rules until a news crew’s deadline forces him to confront liminality, time, and cost of staying.

The Job

Directed By Bramm Nucifora

Two men accept a no-questions-asked delivery job, convinced ignorance will protect them — until a simple drop-off goes dangerously wrong.

Still Time

Directed By Daniel Michael

An elderly woman sits through a familiar daily ritual as time subtly fractures around her.

TICK TOK

Directed By Mathew Panayiotou

While mourning the loss of his grandfather, James encounters the very man he grieves for, leading to a profound understanding of loss, legacy and letting go.

Freebird

Directed By Dean Hollis

Fresh from a prison escape, a young man risks everything for a final chance to say goodbye to the only person who ever believed in him.

Zoggle

Directed By Dan Stevenson

Disappointed with the game she is playing, a woman yearns for something more exciting. She gets far more than she bargained for.

THOUGHTLESS

Directed By RUTH PIELOOR

When Rachel momentarily forgets her late husband is deceased, fear of becoming like her mother who has dementia sees her strive for understanding and control.

Paper Daisy

Directed By Kara Chandler

The violent world of a drug dealer meets an ancient evil disguised as innocence.

Ricky Gamble: The Movie

Directed By Xavier Masson-Leach & Enrique Andrés

Ricky and Patrick Gamble make films with the only resource they have: love.

This is a Movie

Directed By Tom Lowe

A fifth-generation nepo baby takes us through the history of his family’s illustrious acting career.

Dad's Ashes

Directed By Rebecca Matthes

Two inattentive brothers finally scatter their father’s ashes, only to realise they’ve thrown away their mother’s marshmallows instead, exposing how easily men joke their way around responsibility and emotional labour.

Deception Directed

By John Kenneth

The perception of danger due to deception.

Biggest Best Short Life

Directed By Jono Blake

Faced with a devastating diagnosis, James and Amy decided to give their son, Louis, the biggest, best, short life possible. Along the way, Louis taught them how to make the most out of every day, inspired those around him and left behind a legacy that will live on.

Faker

Directed By Clare Sladden

When a woman starts to suspect her boyfriend’s ex is faking cancer to win him back, she tries desperately to hold onto the relationship.

The Khanguras

Directed By Dilroop Khangura & Gobind Khangura

The Khanguras are great filmmakers... until they pick up a camera.

Twinkling

Directed By Melanie Lotfali

A family is reminded of the preciousness and shortness of the hours of our life when they fear a brother has drowned while playing in the river.

NOT NICE

Directed By Alex Kirwan

Poor communication sends two hopeless thugs on a wild goose chase to hide the body.

No Thank You

Directed By Georgina Haig

After a traumatic event, sculptor Daphne loses the ability to say 'Thank you’. How will she face the personal and artistic consequences of her new status as a social outcast?

Nugget

Directed By Dario Nadile

Three longtime friends must work together to face off against their high school nemesis by pulling off one last "Nugget".

The Cultsultant

Directed By Conor Castles-Lynch A day in the life of one of Australia’s only cult consultants.

Boyfiend

Directed By Mike Green

After a vicious breakup call, a heartbroken girl finds herself hunted by a fiend-like entity that resembles her ex-boyfriend.

Marv

Directed By Andrew Gardner

A deranged kids' party clown who punishes absent fathers, realises his latest victim might actually have a good excuse for neglecting his family.

Static

Directed By Sam Cameron and George Fogarty

Two co-dependent, TV addicted shut-ins begin to see their relationship violently fracture when one develops interests outside of what's on TV.

Not Quite Dead

Directed By Ben Plazzer In a zombie-infested world, Fred tracks down a killer only to find they are an old work buddy.

Still Here

Directed By Jessica Rose Starling

A girl and her dog find themselves in a time loop.
What would you do... if you had one more day?

Livin' The Dream

Directed By Stephen Shearsby

Taught to follow his dreams, a man finds himself trapped inside a nightmare

Milk O'Clock

Directed By Jane Larkin

Pregnancy was the beginning, birth the warm-up. Breastfeeding is the main event – messy, painful, and anything but instinctual, particularly next to the hospital’s most perfect mother.

Split

Directed By Will Nash

The end of humanity, captured on iPhone.

The Intervention

Directed By Jess Sofranos & T.K Williams

A woman rushing home to meet a date is blindsided by an intervention from friends and family, only to discover her bewildered Hinge match has been roped into it too.

Pisspot

Directed By Blake J. Williams

After one too many beers at a party, two teenagers wake up to discover they’ve blacked out 25 years of their lives and are now trapped in their middle-aged bodies.

It's All In Your Mind

Directed By Zara Michales

A woman finds herself in couples therapy – between her Mind and Body

I'm Still Here

Directed By Catho D'Souza

To cope with the loss of her sister, Avanya impersonates her in an effort to keep her spirit alive, becoming lost in the reality of who she truly is.

Enlargement

Directed By Samuel Moore

A young man tries to convince his father to pay for a new cosmetic surgery that he wants, and that everyone is doing.

Barbarians at the Gate

Directed By Naren Gurrier-Jones

When Seth, an anxious lactose intolerant, shares a milkshake on a wonderful date, he finds himself in a countdown to public humiliation. Will he find a bathroom in time?

Kill Grill Chill

Directed By Krassy Nova

Evil never tasted this good on the barbie.

Run it back

Directed By Ras-Samuel

Two lazy modern-day scam artists stage fake romances for freebies, convincing themselves it is harmless fun, until reality catches up.

Dear Amelia

Directed By Aryan Nanda

A letter draws a lonely woman into an intimate exchange with a stranger, offering comfort and connection as she unknowingly approaches a quiet, unsettling turn.

I'LL CHANGE

Directed By Sean Lynch and Sean Genders

Two hit-men kidnap a small time crime who promises he'll change, sparking a debate that ends in a darkly comic answer.

Wake Me

Directed By Shakira Forstpointner

As past and present collide, a pregnant woman crosses time to meet the child she once was, discovering that healing what was broken is the only way to birth a new future.

Method

Directed By Roderick Gadaev

In a cutthroat audition where authentic emotion is the product, a middle-aged actor discovers that destroying yourself might be exactly what they’re looking for.

The First Last Word

Directed By Hannah Dougherty

Told in reverse, a couples weekend away disintegrates when a small incident reveals large cracks in their relationship.

Hope & Helluva

Directed By William Duke

Two young men play a twisted game that targets unsuspecting strangers. Their competitive dynamic pushes one of them to prove himself, leading to a shocking act.

HANGAVAR

Directed By Max Maverick Collins

HANGAVAR follows Vincent as he struggles through a haunting hangover, embodied by the demonic titular character.

Blinded by the Sun

Directed By Jayde Vella, Co-director: Jaxen

Daniel Blinded by the potential of love, Jackie is confronted by the truth.

Escape Ur Coworkers

Directed By Mia Tikellis

Mym and Rachel are desperately trying to evade the people they hate most; their annoying coworkers.

Swing

Directed By James Demitri

The harder they swing, the harder they fall

End of the World Inc.

Directed By Ally Hortin

As the zombie apocalypse arises, a burnt-out corporate employee navigates business-as-usual work orders as he begins to question if the real virus is the capitalist system he’s still working for.

And the trees, and the bushes

Directed By Jessica Almereyda

A collaged quest for the sublime.

HILUX

Directed By Paddy Herbert

On a wind blasted, barren plain, a desperate man trapped in a crashed ute does everything he can to escape.

Death Do Us Part

Directed By James Colley

A hypochondriac convinced he is dying enlists a death doula for end-of-life care. While preparing his unnecessary funeral, an unlikely romance blooms, giving him a reason to live.

Unprompted

Directed By Stephen Packer

A desperate horror screenwriter turns to AI for inspiration, only to realise it’s writing him into the role of the victim.

The Devil You Click For

Directed By Ben Burdette & Sam Harford

Sam starts his morning with a scroll through his social media accounts before being sucked into the grasp of a maniacal salesman, Cody Mitchell.

The Princess Inside

Directed By Ben Strum

A 1950s single father determine to "fix" his daughter’s stutter is transformed by a chance meeting with a mysterious woman, discovering that acceptance is the greatest gift he can give.

Brothers For Life

Directed By Jonathan Charles

A rising comedian’s perfect life starts to crumble when a cryptic message exposes the dark secret he and his brother buried years ago. To protect his career, he’s forced to commit another crime, discovering that brotherhood can be both a lifeline and a prison.

Avenoir

Directed By Eli Jackson

Through the trials of adult life, two friends come together to find out how they can move forwards.

White Dragon

Directed By Sean Grace

A curious boy deepens his understanding of who he is when he begins learning Mahjong from his grandmother.

Now I See

Directed By Liam Gordes

In his search for closure, Jack must bury his dead father’s secrets. Time is running out for him to be the perfect son.

Halitosis

Directed By Dylan Hare

When two bumbling crooks break into a restrained woman’s house, their incompetence leads to a shocking, fatal accident—and an ironic family connection.

Boiler Man

Directed By Ruben De Franceschi & Shyam Prakash

When a trivia question sends a losing player to the building’s boiler room for help, the terrifying boiler-room loner he asks proves dangerously knowledgeable and far harder to shake.

Blue Sands

Directed By Jonathan Weir

In a neon-drenched dystopia where lifespans are traded like currency, a dying man drags himself through the night in search of a second chance he may not deserve.

The Ethical Billionaire

Directed By Justin Smith

Tech billionaire Andy Adams faces his worst fear when his new AI model suggests he might better off serving the world by not being a part of it

Lost and Floundering

Directed By Saul Howells

When a lost three-year-old is seen alone in a park, the search for his home, through questioning, leads to sombre revelations.

Who is Still Dreaming?

Directed By Prospera Holder Young & Thomas van Gool

While waiting for her next customer, a small-time vape dealer is unsettled by a brief encounter with an enigmatic stranger.

Suboptimal

Directed By Timothy McDonald

In the deep, no-one can hear you scream at your computer.

Tilly

Directed By Luke Mayze

A grieving widower, resistant to his late wife's dog, slowly reconnects with the outside world through Tilly's persistent companionship.

10 Cent Bottle

Directed By Nikita Leon

When a bored office worker finds a bottle on the side of a footpath, so does a homeless man. A turf war unfolds, leaving one man victorious and the other utterly defeated.

Talentless

Directed By Ed & Archie Oxenbould

Three unlucky contestants are given the turn of an hourglass to change their lives.

A Framed Memory

Directed By Bruce Reilly

8mm films that captured a young family’s early years during a turbulent time, are the way one member of the family gathers memories of those times.

Naked

Directed By Taylah Cate

A wrong name in bed forces two new lovers to face a pivotal question: can they truly bare themselves to each other before this chance for vulnerability slips away?

Growth

Directed By David Szostak

Growth is a horror-comedy following a devoted green thumb determined to win a prestigious plant competition. As ambition takes root, the question becomes: how far would you go to claim first prize?

Weekend at the Dungeon

Directed By Cassten Roberts & Reuben Meltzer

When a raid goes awry, the team must come up with an escape plan

Dear April…

Directed By Grace Watt

When April's ‘perfect’ older sister dies, a secret phone reveals how cyberbullying and abuse silently destroyed Julia, and how April missed every desperate cry for help.

Parent Teacher Night

Directed By Alice Tovey

A struggling teacher discovers a mysterious hour glass that allows her to see into the future of a troubled student.

One Must Stay

Directed By Ethan Bickley

When a friend disappears inside an abandoned mansion, four teens race against falling sand to escape before one of them is trapped forever.

Artist in an AI World

Directed By Olivia Serrao

In a world where there is an overwhelming presence of AI, an artist must make a stand or fear losing all their pieces to AI.

The Main Menu

Directed By Téa Mancini Emery

Witt wakes up in a strange white reception room greeted by robot-like receptionist who tells Emery that her dream sequence has not loaded.

Always Heads

Directed By Ant Dinham

Two friends pass time outside a run-down servo, flipping coins and musing on chance, until the night demands a reckoning neither of them planned for.

Happy Hour

Directed By Patrick Hatfield

A young man down on his luck and makes the dumb decision to rob a pub, however it doesn’t quite go to plan when he finds a couple of old larrikins at the pub who decide to teach him a lesson.

F**k Face

Directed By Tim Hamilton

During a casual game of Scattergories, four friends discover that the most dangerous thing in the room isn't time, guns, or bad language- it's how well they know each other.

I Fell In Love With My Sleep Paralysis Demon

Directed By Matthew J. Thompson

Scared of commitment, Sarah decides to pursue the most emotionally unavailable guy she can find, her sleep paralysis demon.

Two Sides to the Story

Directed By Phoenix Black

A mockumentary about two very different candidates trying to get into film school and why stories of adversity and diversity are told by people who’ve never experienced it. #OWG

Le Fardeau De La Rue (The Burden of the Street)

Directed By Shaunak Wanikar

A homeless woman experiences disconnection, human apathy and loneliness in a world she struggles to understand, and yet she’s brave enough to believe her life has meaning.

All Wounds

Directed By Iz Little Caitlin Soennichsen

Tensions of a female friendship trio are explored across two decades as wounds are exposed and values are tested.

Slap Out of It

Directed By Brittany Frappell

When Roh, a massage therapist, discovers a product which grants instant confidence, he must decide whether to finally stand up for himself at work, or risk losing everything.

An Apple Instead of a Nose

Directed By Trevor Clarence

Minutes before curtain, a celebrated actress undergoes an absurd transformation and must choose between career suicide and radical self-acceptance.

Catch of the Day

Directed By Zander Czerwaniw

A journalist investigates a mysterious catch from a group of fisherman.

GET ALONG

Directed By Jackson Phillips

A doomed double date finds a glimmer of hope in the most unlikely of places: a board game.

Drop

Directed By Kristoffer Lucia

At a tense dinner, an engaged man is pressured by his controlling fiancée to confront his boss, until a surprise promotion traps him between career security and harmony at home.

Grain

Directed By Madi Phoenix

A farmer stricken with guilt attempts to change the past as he relives the day he and his son went to fix a blocked grain chute.

Parasomnia

Directed By Charlton Lansley

In a 90s VHS-styled aesthetic, a reclusive analyst is haunted by recurring nightmares in liminal spaces. An unknown presence walks with him - and it’s getting closer.

Is This A Robbery?

Directed By Sam Davison

A nervous first-time robber breaks into a wealthy home expecting an easy job, only to find a family already held hostage, forcing an awkward confrontation that challenges his morals.

Hoarders Directed

By Ziggy Lumley Tow

A strange man manages to socialise with and become loved by a group of upper class art snobs while attempting to not reveal his true status.

Puppy Love

Directed By Jacqui Duncan

A woman in love, the dog she dotes upon and the boyfriend who cannot voice his feelings.

My Best Friend Is A Sandcastle

Directed By Chuck Casserole

A lonely soul has a disturbing trip to the beach, when his sand sculpture follows him home.

Washateria

Directed By January Jones

Nora just wants to do her bloody washing!

FLIPSHOW

Directed By Matthew Charleston (M.J.Charleston)

On the eve of her 13th birthday, a teen questioning her sanity discovers a mysterious hourglass that flips the behaviour of those around her, exposing the shadows beneath their public faces.

Jaffle

Directed By Trent Ivett

What is the weight of a person's existence?

NAUSEA

Directed By Daniel Jean

Blurring nostalgia, dream and reality, a young man grapples with an existential coming of age while reflecting on his youth during a wild night out taking drugs.

Storytime

Directed By Byron Wylder

A young man tries to get closer to his estranged father through understanding his tattoos

Conscious Dreaming

Directed By Charlotte McLaverty

2086 escapist technology allows users to live inside perfect dreams, Conscious Dreaming is a darkly tender meditation on caregiving, and the human need for escapism, whether living inside a dream is still living at all.

Eureka Directed

By Brayden Pavey

A failed road trip to collect a rare Pokémon card forces two brothers to face childhood trauma, resentment, and the quiet fear of not becoming who they hoped to be.

Next Level

Directed By Emma Leonard

On the way to a work Christmas party, a couple get stuck in an elevator and find themselves in a race against the countdown timer on their fertility app.

Foil

Directed By Bee Jessup

With aliens minutes from invading Earth, a man trapped with his dog and cat must choose which pet to save when there’s only enough tin foil to protect one.

Housemate from Hell

Directed By Jessica Trinity Fisher

Struggling to find a place to rent because he’s a disaster to live with, a well-meaning guy finally lands a housemate but she’s his complete opposite in more ways than one.

Transience

Directed By Joe Bauer

Two homeless people with trust issues discover a mysterious hourglass with the power to rewind time for ten seconds.

Future Tense

Directed By Romy Palan

A woman's love life is turned upside down when she gains the power to instantly see what the future will look like with anyone she dates.

GOODNIGHT PIGGY

Directed By Jerome Velinsky

An anxious young woman spirals into paranoia when she forgets to say goodnight to one of her soft toys, Piggy...

TAGLINE: Goodbyes are hard... Goodnights are killer...

TROPFEST_ENTRY.MP4

Directed By Jet Williams & Max Dona

Two friends talk about entering Tropfest days before the deadline—until the conversation itself becomes the film.

When Likes Feel Like Love

Directed By Rosie Marden

A helpless man in a modern-world reminisces about his partner, only to reveal the absurd truth: his closest connection isn’t human at all… and the session has barely begun.

Negative Space

Directed By Ameya Ajay

An uninspired perfectionist attempts to make contact with the keeper of the perfect idea in a surreal pursuit to complete her project.

Gazers

Directed By Veialu Aila-Unsworth & Sze Lok Ho

A fairytale about three women of colour forced into absurd stereotypes by a magical curse infecting men — “the male gaze” — until one man’s transformation offers a different way of seeing.

Unless We Talk

Directed By Flynn Moore

Unless we talk is a voice-over driven short film discussing the vulnerabilities and self-acknowledgment of two young adults finding their way.

THE BOYS

Directed By Lincoln Younes

When two incompatible blokes are placed in a ride-share headed to the same destination, they uncover that one may be carrying disastrous intentions.

Blue Orchids

Directed By Taysha McFarland

In 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army advance throughout Malaya, challenging a dignified mother’s beliefs while protecting her young daughter from the horrors that are slowly befalling their country.

Two Guys One Shower

Directed By Vivian Dobbie-Glazier

Two smelly housemates, both with important places to be, fight over the shared shower, threatening to unravel the sanctity of their sharehouse.

Driver’s Test

Directed By Lily Rodgers

An L-plate driver is sitting her driving test when the instructor has a sudden life-threatening emergency and she has to get him to hospital before time runs out.

Ghosted

Directed By Jed Morrison

With automatic AI-generated replies, keeping up with long-distance friends is far simpler! That is, if you can be sure it's still them that you're keeping up with.

Stall

Directed By Luca Johnstone and Madison Dell'Aquila

You can be prepared, early and full of positive affirmations...but nothing prepares you for needing to pee at the worst possible moment.

HOME MOVIES

Directed By Benjamin Bowles

When two VHS tapes are left behind in an attic, they attempt to break free and get home to the family they belong to.

Andy From 9 to 5

Directed By Hugo Morgan

On a scorching hot day, a hungover Andy waits in a house full of sand for an air-conditioning repairman as the heat reveals more than just the necessity for cool air.

CHARADES

Directed By Marcelo Novaes Ribeiro

A collage of moments of Jonathan and Delilah's lives that sparkles the question of how time passes and how we see our lives quickly go from a moment to another in a blink of an eye

Frenemies

Directed By Anita Lane

Two Architects spend a night away with their partners at a holiday house. But, when it's revealed that Jay has won the dream job, underlying rivalries surface.

Night Light

Directed By Jackie Fry

Alone in his house after midnight, a teenage boy uses a trail of lights to outrun the feeling that something is behind him—until one forgotten stop forces him back through the dark.

Tide Quest

Directed By Serena Stanger

Instead of wings, Barrina the Barramundi is given legs in the hope of finding the love of her life. Forced to navigate the journey from freshwater to the salty sea.

The Release

Directed By Katharina Keil

Nine cousins reunite in regional Australia to rehearse an important task and somehow turn it into a race filled with banter, rivalry, and heart.

CALL ME BACK

Directed By Matthew Hancock

A father’s desperate attempt to shield his son from his criminal past forces him into a grim midnight errand, only to realize that some debts can never be fully repaid.

One More for Safety

Directed By Kacey Baker

After a heart attack, a struggling filmmaker battles critics, rejection, and pride in a hospital ward where delusional filmmakers still believe they matter.

White Dragon

Directed By Sean Grace

A curious boy deepens his understanding of who he is when he begins learning Mahjong from his grandmother.

Now I See

Directed By Liam Gordes

In his search for closure, Jack must bury his dead father’s secrets. Time is running out for him to be the perfect son.

Halitosis

Directed By Dylan Hare

When two bumbling crooks break into a restrained woman’s house, their incompetence leads to a shocking, fatal accident—and an ironic family connection.

Boiler Man

Directed By Ruben De Franceschi & Shyam Prakash

When a trivia question sends a losing player to the building’s boiler room for help, the terrifying boiler-room loner he asks proves dangerously knowledgeable and far harder to shake.

Blue Sands

Directed By Jonathan Weir

In a neon-drenched dystopia where lifespans are traded like currency, a dying man drags himself through the night in search of a second chance he may not deserve.

The Ethical Billionaire

Directed By Justin Smith

Tech billionaire Andy Adams faces his worst fear when his new AI model suggests he might better off serving the world by not being a part of it.

Lost and Floundering

Directed By Saul Howells

When a lost three-year-old is seen alone in a park, the search for his home, through questioning, leads to sombre revelations.

Who is Still Dreaming?

Directed By Prospera Holder Young & Thomas van Gool

While waiting for her next customer, a small-time vape dealer is unsettled by a brief encounter with an enigmatic stranger.

Suboptimal

Directed By Timothy McDonald

In the deep, no-one can hear you scream at your computer.

Tilly

Directed By Luke Mayze

A grieving widower, resistant to his late wife's dog, slowly reconnects with the outside world through Tilly's persistent companionship.

10 Cent Bottle

Directed By Nikita Leon

When a bored office worker finds a bottle on the side of a footpath, so does a homeless man. A turf war unfolds, leaving one man victorious and the other utterly defeated.

Talentless

Directed By Ed & Archie Oxenbould

Three unlucky contestants are given the turn of an hourglass to change their lives.

A Framed Memory

Directed By Bruce Reilly

8mm films that captured a young family’s early years during a turbulent time, are the way one member of the family gathers memories of those times.

Naked

Directed By Taylah Cate

A wrong name in bed forces two new lovers to face a pivotal question: can they truly bare themselves to each other before this chance for vulnerability slips away?

Growth

Directed By David Szostak

Growth is a horror-comedy following a devoted green thumb determined to win a prestigious plant competition. As ambition takes root, the question becomes: how far would you go to claim first prize?

Weekend at the Dungeon

Directed By Cassten Roberts & Reuben Meltzer

When a raid goes awry, the team must come up with an escape plan

Dear April…

Directed By Grace Watt

When April's ‘perfect’ older sister dies, a secret phone reveals how cyberbullying and abuse silently destroyed Julia, and how April missed every desperate cry for help.

Parent Teacher Night

Directed By Alice Tovey

A struggling teacher discovers a mysterious hour glass that allows her to see into the future of a troubled student.

One Must Stay

Directed By Ethan Bickley

When a friend disappears inside an abandoned mansion, four teens race against falling sand to escape before one of them is trapped forever.

Artist in an AI World

Directed By Olivia Serrao

In a world where there is an overwhelming presence of AI, an artist must make a stand or fear losing all their pieces to AI.

The Main Menu

Directed By Téa Mancini Emery

Witt wakes up in a strange white reception room greeted by robot-like receptionist who tells Emery that her dream sequence has not loaded.

Always Heads

Directed By Ant Dinham

Two friends pass time outside a run-down servo, flipping coins and musing on chance, until the night demands a reckoning neither of them planned for.


Happy Hour

Directed By Patrick Hatfield

A young man down on his luck and makes the dumb decision to rob a pub, however it doesn’t quite go to plan when he finds a couple of old larrikins at the pub who decide to teach him a lesson.

F**k Face

Directed By Tim Hamilton

During a casual game of Scattergories, four friends discover that the most dangerous thing in the room isn't time, guns, or bad language- it's how well they know each other.

I Fell In Love With My Sleep Paralysis Demon

Directed By Matthew J. Thompson

Scared of commitment, Sarah decides to pursue the most emotionally unavailable guy she can find, her sleep paralysis demon.

Two Sides to the Story

Directed By Phoenix Black

A mockumentary about two very different candidates trying to get into film school and why stories of adversity and diversity are told by people who’ve never experienced it. #OWG

Le Fardeau De La Rue (The Burden of the Street)

Directed By Shaunak Wanikar

A homeless woman experiences disconnection, human apathy and loneliness in a world she struggles to understand, and yet she’s brave enough to believe her life has meaning.

All Wounds

Directed By Iz Little Caitlin Soennichsen

Tensions of a female friendship trio are explored across two decades as wounds are exposed and values are tested.

Slap Out of It

Directed By Brittany Frappell

When Roh, a massage therapist, discovers a product which grants instant confidence, he must decide whether to finally stand up for himself at work, or risk losing everything.

An Apple Instead of a Nose

Directed By Trevor Clarence

Minutes before curtain, a celebrated actress undergoes an absurd transformation and must choose between career suicide and radical self-acceptance.

Catch of the Day

Directed By Zander Czerwaniw

A journalist investigates a mysterious catch from a group of fisherman.

GET ALONG

Directed By Jackson Phillips

A doomed double date finds a glimmer of hope in the most unlikely of places: a board game.

Drop

Directed By Kristoffer Lucia

At a tense dinner, an engaged man is pressured by his controlling fiancée to confront his boss, until a surprise promotion traps him between career security and harmony at home.

Grain

Directed By Madi Phoenix

A farmer stricken with guilt attempts to change the past as he relives the day he and his son went to fix a blocked grain chute.

Parasomnia

Directed By Charlton Lansley

In a 90s VHS-styled aesthetic, a reclusive analyst is haunted by recurring nightmares in liminal spaces. An unknown presence walks with him - and it’s getting closer.

Is This A Robbery?

Directed By Sam Davison

A nervous first-time robber breaks into a wealthy home expecting an easy job, only to find a family already held hostage, forcing an awkward confrontation that challenges his morals.

Hoarders

Directed By Ziggy Lumley Tow

A strange man manages to socialise with and become loved by a group of upper class art snobs while attempting to not reveal his true status.

Puppy Love

Directed By Jacqui Duncan

A woman in love, the dog she dotes upon and the boyfriend who cannot voice his feelings.

My Best Friend Is A Sandcastle

Directed By Chuck Casserole

A lonely soul has a disturbing trip to the beach, when his sand sculpture follows him home.

Washateria

Directed By January Jones

Nora just wants to do her bloody washing!

FLIPSHOW

Directed By Matthew Charleston (M.J.Charleston) On the eve of her 13th birthday, a teen questioning her sanity discovers a mysterious hourglass that flips the behaviour of those around her, exposing the shadows beneath their public faces.

Jaffle

Directed By Trent Ivett

What is the weight of a person's existence?

NAUSEA

Directed By Daniel Jean

Blurring nostalgia, dream and reality, a young man grapples with an existential coming of age while reflecting on his youth during a wild night out taking drugs.

Storytime

Directed By Byron Wylder

A young man tries to get closer to his estranged father through understanding his tattoos

Conscious Dreaming

Directed By Charlotte McLaverty

2086 escapist technology allows users to live inside perfect dreams, Conscious Dreaming is a darkly tender meditation on caregiving, and the human need for escapism, whether living inside a dream is still living at all.

Eureka

Directed By Brayden Pavey

A failed road trip to collect a rare Pokémon card forces two brothers to face childhood trauma, resentment, and the quiet fear of not becoming who they hoped to be.

Next Level

Directed By Emma Leonard

On the way to a work Christmas party, a couple get stuck in an elevator and find themselves in a race against the countdown timer on their fertility app.

Foil

Directed By Bee Jessup

With aliens minutes from invading Earth, a man trapped with his dog and cat must choose which pet to save when there’s only enough tin foil to protect one.

Housemate from Hell

Directed By Jessica Trinity Fisher

Struggling to find a place to rent because he’s a disaster to live with, a well-meaning guy finally lands a housemate but she’s his complete opposite in more ways than one.

Transience

Directed By Joe Bauer

Two homeless people with trust issues discover a mysterious hourglass with the power to rewind time for ten seconds.

Future Tense

Directed By Romy Palan

A woman's love life is turned upside down when she gains the power to instantly see what the future will look like with anyone she dates.

GOODNIGHT PIGGY

Directed By Jerome Velinsky

An anxious young woman spirals into paranoia when she forgets to say goodnight to one of her soft toys, Piggy...

TROPFEST_ENTRY.MP4

Directed By Jet Williams & Max Dona

Two friends talk about entering Tropfest days before the deadline—until the conversation itself becomes the film.

When Likes Feel Like Love

Directed By Rosie Marden

A helpless man in a modern-world reminisces about his partner, only to reveal the absurd truth: his closest connection isn’t human at all… and the session has barely begun.

Negative Space

Directed By Ameya Ajay

An uninspired perfectionist attempts to make contact with the keeper of the perfect idea in a surreal pursuit to complete her project.

Gazers

Directed By Veialu Aila-Unsworth & Sze Lok Ho

A fairytale about three women of colour forced into absurd stereotypes by a magical curse infecting men — “the male gaze” — until one man’s transformation offers a different way of seeing.

Unless We Talk

Directed By Flynn Moore

Unless we talk is a voice-over driven short film discussing the vulnerabilities and self-acknowledgment of two young adults finding their way.

THE BOYS

Directed By Lincoln Younes

When two incompatible blokes are placed in a ride-share headed to the same destination, they uncover that one may be carrying disastrous intentions.

Blue Orchids

Directed By Taysha McFarland

In 1941, the Japanese Imperial Army advance throughout Malaya, challenging a dignified mother’s beliefs while protecting her young daughter from the horrors that are slowly befalling their country.

Two Guys One Shower

Directed By Vivian Dobbie-Glazier

Two smelly housemates, both with important places to be, fight over the shared shower, threatening to unravel the sanctity of their sharehouse.

Driver’s Test

Directed By Lily Rodgers

An L-plate driver is sitting her driving test when the instructor has a sudden life-threatening emergency and she has to get him to hospital before time runs out.

Ghosted

Directed By Jed Morrison

With automatic AI-generated replies, keeping up with long-distance friends is far simpler! That is, if you can be sure it's still them that you're keeping up with.

Stall

Directed By Luca Johnstone and Madison Dell'Aquila

You can be prepared, early and full of positive affirmations...but nothing prepares you for needing to pee at the worst possible moment.

HOME MOVIES

Directed By Benjamin Bowles

When two VHS tapes are left behind in an attic, they attempt to break free and get home to the family they belong to.

Andy From 9 to 5

Directed By Hugo Morgan

On a scorching hot day, a hungover Andy waits in a house full of sand for an air-conditioning repairman as the heat reveals more than just the necessity for cool air.

CHARADES

Directed By Marcelo Novaes Ribeiro

A collage of moments of Jonathan and Delilah's lives that sparkles the question of how time passes and how we see our lives quickly go from a moment to another in a blink of an eye

Frenemies

Directed By Anita Lane

Two Architects spend a night away with their partners at a holiday house. But, when it's revealed that Jay has won the dream job, underlying rivalries surface.

Night Light

Directed By Jackie Fry

Alone in his house after midnight, a teenage boy uses a trail of lights to outrun the feeling that something is behind him—until one forgotten stop forces him back through the dark.

Tide Quest

Directed By Serena Stanger

Instead of wings, Barrina the Barramundi is given legs in the hope of finding the love of her life. Forced to navigate the journey from freshwater to the salty sea.

The Release


Directed By Katharina Keil

Nine cousins reunite in regional Australia to rehearse an important task and somehow turn it into a race filled with banter, rivalry, and heart.

CALL ME BACK

Directed By Matthew Hancock

A father’s desperate attempt to shield his son from his criminal past forces him into a grim midnight errand, only to realize that some debts can never be fully repaid.

Cats Can't Play Guitar

Directed By Roland Kay-Smith & Jefferson Lopez

Reality is questioned when Jeff's imaginary friend, Roland, returns unexpectedly.

Static

Directed By Chanel Naidoo Layla Naidoo

From a haunting past to a regretful present, a young woman lives in a cycle she can’t escape.

Walk with Us

Directed By Christopher March

In 2025 Yarluwar Ruwe Aboriginal Rangers began their journey, Traditional Owners joining
young Ngarrendjeri People and environmental partners to restore habitat in the majestic
Coorong of South Australia.

We Met Before

Directed By fernando Wilkinson

A young man consumed by the rush of everyday life has forgotten how to truly live until time begins to leave him quiet signs he cannot understand guiding him toward a moment that will change how he sees his past his future and himself

Time & Again

Directed By Tim Brothers

When a traumatised former child soldier, now a father and refugee, meets by chance his former warlord boss, he struggles to enact bloody revenge to protect his young family.

Project Hourglass

Directed By Benjamin Mathews

When Jacob, a man presumed dead, reappears three years after leaping from a bridge claiming to be part of a secret government program, his fiancé Katie must decide whether to believe his wild claims - or get him some help.

She's Hot

Directed By Asia Dunstone, Nicholas Cradock

A misogynistic college boy gets locked out of his one-night stand’s room after taking a secret nude of her. The young women at the college band together and flip the script on this former private school douche, forcing him to experience the way he treats women.

The Scent Of Us

Directed By Toshiro Glenn

Two romantic prospects traverse their memories through the power of scent.

BUILD YOUR DREAM GIRL

Directed By Oscar Fox

An incel falls in love with an A.I chatbot, leading him down a descent of madness and desire in an attempt to pierce the veil between the real and digital world.

Sides

Directed By Zak Marrinan

An out-of-work actor has a big audition, but the role leads him to question how he is perceived by the rest of the world.

The Melon

Directed By Jordana Johnson and Charlie Ford

Two friends on their way to a pool party fixate on a minor social obligation, as a simple decision triggers a cascade of entirely avoidable consequences.

ARTist

Directed By Jessica Joseph-McDermott

ARTist explores the role of art in a world that is slowly being taken over by AI. Can AI replicate art? Can it ever replace that most important human part?

Without Judgement

Directed By Solomon Fleming

When two brothers play a game designed to prompt vulnerability, a secret is revealed which threatens to not only offset the game but the basis of their relationship

As Good as New

Directed By Georgina Teakle

A hardworking cleaner's priorities shift when faced with a challenging job.

No Joke

Directed By Kylie Fuad, Nick Fuad

A man is forcibly taken from his home by three masked gunman. He finds himself being interrogated by Lenny whose methods are unusual to say the least. What has he done to deserve this and can he be broken?

Tim.E

Directed By Jack Downie

A man tries to outrun grief with an AI that tracks his every minute, until the world moves on without him.

Crescendo

Directed By Lianne Mackessy

A new mother’s babysitting plans fall through on the morning of an audition for a career-defining role.

The Dinner Party

Directed By Nick Baker and Tristan Klein

It seems like the perfect dinner party, but one guest is a little salty.

Home Smart Home

Directed By Katie Ord

A meticulous burglar, a little out of his depth, is forced to confront his greatest enemy, a small and unassuming household assistant, H.I.L.D.A.

ACID AMOREÈ

Directed By Finn Middleton and Marc Robinson

Acid Amore is a face paced comedy exploring the themes of love through the metaphor of an acid tab.

That hourglass figure

Directed By maria de la Ossa

Taking a punt can be sometimes misconstrued.

Cappuccino: A Lactose Intolerance Thriller

Directed By Ezekiel Simat

Sometimes, you set out to make a short film. Often, you end up with a pile of sh*t.

Tunnel Rats

Directed By Kumar Sambhav Gupta

Two cars in the tunnel follow each but only to realise they are driven by the same person.

Egg Freezing in America

Directed By Fiora Cutler

An avoidant single career woman gets much more than she bargained for when a routine doctor's appointment turns into a terrifying confrontation with finger snapping consequences.

Shadowman

Directed By A.J Madsen

A rural Australian folktale that centres on the unsolved disappearance of the narrator's best friend.

The Hourglass

Directed By Danny Giles

When an unsatisfied customer tries to return an hourglass to an op shop, the unusual returns policy catches him by surprise.

The Prize

Directed By Paul McDermott & Ren Thackham

After an unfortunate (but comical accident) Nicholas Flemp, realtor, finds himself catapulted into a desperate and dangerous world as he tries to re-capture his fleeting moment of fame.

Under The Concrete, The Beach

Directed By Vanilla Tupu

A pair of strangers meet by a phone booth on a balmy Summer evening. During their brief interaction they guide each other to unravel the tragedy of their pasts.

A Faecal Matter

Directed By Cassandra May

Two unlikely friends bond over a pile of poo, and the hilarious potential of someone stepping in it.

Love and Urinals

Directed By Haris Mirza and Lena Albin

After being dumped en route to a wedding, Jackson discovers a time machine in the urinal of the pie shop they’ve stopped at. Letting him relive the conversation as many times as needed until he can change her mind.

dAIsy

Directed By Carl J. Sorheim

A seasoned actress goes head-to-head with an AI scene partner amidst fears she is enabling humanity's greatest threat.

Write Me A Seven Minute Short Film That Will Win Tropfest

Directed By George-Alex Nagle

When the country's most popular AI chatbot crashes, an impatient young filmmaker is forced to confront the one thing he fears most: his own imagination.

Corner Piece

Directed By Ash Dighton

For the first 40 years of her life, love has escaped Clara - until an encounter at an eclectic speed dating service turns it all upside down.

New Age Therapy

Directed By Ash Dighton

Couples therapy is easy, when you can time travel - or at least so it seems to beleaguered Steve and frustrated Jenny.

The Voyage of Everything

Directed By Andy Tang

The Voyage of Everything is a film with heavy lyricism and is symbolic of life and death. It goes through themes of childhood, acceptance, pain & change all without any words spoken.

Growing Again

Directed By Bronte Bekir

The journey of a girl navigating life after a loss, and finding out if anything ever truly ends.

JUNK

Directed By Carly Brand & Stevie Vickery

In this comedy short, a woman feeling trash about her diminishing sexual desire finds herself turned on again at her local gym.

FISH FOOD

Directed By Francesco Robins, Kalliopi Nicholas, Lucy Madafiglio

When three catatonic housemates are faced with the task of spreading their roommates ashes, they spiral into a drug fuelled journey of grief.

Egged

Directed By Melissa Brownlow

When Jess and Sarah's house is egged by an ex-boyfriend, Jess becomes haunted by hallucinations of a giant egg, which forces her to mend their fractured friendship.

Dilemma

Directed By Nick Kozakis

Offered a supernatural bargain to resurrect his daughter, a grieving father must first kill her murderer. But when the killer’s identity takes an absurd turn, Daddy has to improvise.

The Voice Over

Directed By Stephen James King

During a late night voice-over session, two voice legends unlock a terrifying new ability. And the young sound engineer who prompted it is now expendable.

TIME'S UP!

Directed By Kathy Luu

A dark comedy set in a posh neighbourhood where dinner guests playing charades mistake their friend’s heart attack as part of the game.

Our Glass

Directed By Samantha Jukes

Matt's got everything squared away, including the ground rules for a new flatmate. But when unexpected things start happening, he's forced to see a reality he never considered.

Silent Night

Directed By Nicky Tyndale-Biscoe

When ‘Buses replace trains’ on December 24, well-heeled G.P. Sam is dumped at a lonely bus exchange in an unknown suburb. Her fading Christmas spirit will be tested tonight...

VOODOO Chapter 2 - LOVE

Directed By Linda Niksic

Stitched with affection, pricked with rejection. Can LOVE’s pin pricked heart be restored.

Sunken World

Directed By Oliver Marsden

In a world swallowed by the ocean, a lone boy survives on toxic fish as a crocodile closes in for the kill.

Cool Off

Directed By Adrian Konarski

In a world where newlyweds get one hour to commit for life or legally kill their spouse, a groom spirals through petty icks and bad advice, deciding if love is worth surviving.

Drop Bear

Directed By Joseph Smallman

After a bushwalk turns into a massacre, a timid young woman must summon the courage she's never had to survive the murderous myth stalking her.

Proper

Directed By Ryan Whitworth-Jones

When Tony, a working-class ‘eshay,’ and Evie, a proper private school girl, meet by chance at a bus stop, their teasing, awkward interaction sparks a tentative connection that bridges social divides and explores attraction, curiosity, and vulnerability.

The Big 4 0

Directed By Samuel Galloway

A short comedy about a filmmaker who turns his 40th birthday party into a stage, performing success to avoid confronting what it feels like not to have it.

Inner West

Directed By Maeve McKenna

Opportunistic real estate agent, Dominic Drake, lures a young couple into a rundown Inner West terrace... where a routine inspection turns into a rental nightmare.

Don't Rush Me

Directed By Jez Underwood

A love story in intervals: breathless beginnings, quiet endings, and everything time steals in between.

Time is a Tired Horse

Directed By Sidney Sylvester Smith

If you had the chance to bring someone back, even just for a moment, would you cherish it?

Lin's Laundromat

Directed By Hannah Feneley & Kalliopi Nicholas

When Charlie attempts to connect with their estranged Father, will their unexpected queer kinship be enough to mend their paternal relationship?

Driverless

Directed By Eric Hutton

An outlandish plot to increase the value of a car creates tension between two friends and pushes one of them to the brink of psychological collapse.

Taint Calico Blues

Directed By Jackson Perryman

A lovelorn young man takes his new jazz-cat persona out for a midweek test drive and meets a cautionary older double, Taint Calico, who's proof that some costumes become cages.

We Don't Take Breaks

Directed By Jasper Sharpe

A deep-thinking hospo worker narrates his everyday grind dealing with a relentless boss, until a deranged ex-employee returns, sparking a spiral of chaos.

Screech

Directed By Alessia Pugliese and Fernando de Miguel Fuertes

Caught between her housemates and their prey, a woman descends into a surreal realm where tormenting ravens force her to confront her repressed complicity.

Sand Trap

Directed By Murray Enders

After being magically trapped inside an ancient hourglass by a vengeful witch, a shifty thief must lead a mountain of previous victims in a physics-defying escape to break back into reality.

The End

Directed By Sean Bayles

Lost, among the sands of time, our protagonist looks for a way out.

Little Things

Directed By Luke Luxton Creasy

Moments in life from the eyes of an hourglass, as it drifts through the lives of various owners.

Not This Time

Directed By Jack Braddy, Andy Burkitt

After losing their dog Lucky, exes Glenn and Ava reconnect when Glenn discovers a time-looping shower. What begins as a romantic do-over turns dark as grief slips into obsession.

A Letter to a Jumper

Directed By Jason van Genderen

A stranger on the edge. Staying can change everything.

DOGNAPPED

Directed By Luca Pasvolsky

Young Harry’s attitude to walking 'Snowball' the family dog changes when Snowball is Dognapped.

DANGER RANGER

Directed By Matt Lee

Where there's Danger, there's a Ranger.

Parasomnia

Directed By Charlton Lansley

In a 90s VHS-styled aesthetic, a reclusive analyst is haunted by recurring nightmares in liminal spaces. An unknown presence walks with him - and it’s getting closer.

Bloody Mainlanders

Directed By Mick Davies

After being diagnosed with Tasmanianinfatalisation (the delusional belief that Tasmania holds the answer to all life’s problems), the Callaway family flees Sydney, only to discover that when fantasy meets reality, it’s not the place that needs fixing… it’s them!

Evelyn Alvarez's Five Step Guide to Not Growing Up

Directed By Ramon Samson

A nine-year-old vows never to grow up and comes up with five foolproof steps to ensure she never has to.

A Life in Words

Directed By Raul Gasteazoro and Helix Wolfson

A weathered whaling captain’s life of peril, love, and sacrifice is etched into an hourglass tattoo, turning his skin into a living record of the moments that defined him.

Red Flags

Directed By Jas Rule

Emma has learned not to expect much from first dates, which proves useful when her date hits a man with his car.

Liar, Lyre

Directed By Stephanie Bonnes

How much trouble could one little lyrebird possibly cause?

Do It Like Gary

Directed By Daniel Fletcher

When time is our greatest asset, how do we invest in it wisely? More importantly, who will step up and do it like Gary?

Red Roses

Directed By Spencer

Wilds On one city block, a stolen bike, missing wallet, and pocketed knife collide, spiraling ordinary people into a violent chain reaction driven by desperation and chance.

still, there

Directed By Dylan Robinson

Overwhelmed by a noisy Byron Coast routine, Clara discovers an hourglass that transports her to a silent ocean world, but each escape steals real time until returning fails and she surrenders.

ANGRY GIRL

Directed By Georgia Miller

A girl confesses her grandmother’s final moments, lurching through fragmented memory and lost opportunity. A darkly comic exploration of generational conflict, time's passage, and the enduring ache of unresolved grief.

Man of the Forest

Directed By Chloe Holliday

An animated collage of wildlife photography and natural sound, Man of the Forest follows an orangutan formed entirely from plants and animals, connecting Borneo’s and Tasmania’s threatened rainforests.

Chronically Connected

Directed By Debora Manusama

A day in a life of a girl who is chronically online. Or more so, chronically aware, informed, and connected?

The Becoming

Directed By Angie Stojic

Alone at her dining table, a woman confronts the versions of herself she refuses to release. Trapped in self-punishment, she must decide whether to hold on or finally become who she is meant to be.

Love's Not Lost

Directed By Justin Schneider

When Nancy was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia, her husband Ken took on the role of full-time carer. That 24/7 commitment is his unconditional love for her.

Safe Arbor

Directed By Cielo Croci

Two men in one branch, holding on and letting go.

Bourguignon

Directed By Mathew Panayiotou

When a clueless home cook is rescued from a kitchen disaster by a celebrity chef, a classic French dish becomes his last hope of winning over his date.

Cinquante Cincuenta

Directed By Jordan Ross

Two strangers visiting a foreign country meet on a train and envision their lives together.

Multiple Choice

Directed By Aaron Lucas

During her HSC maths exam, a high-achieving student spirals into panic as the rhythmic pressure of the room forces her to confront the weight of deciding her entire future before time runs out.

Lemon

Directed By Tim Ogborne

A man, lonely in his relationship, finds an unexpected romance. When his life is taken for a ride, will he make the right choice?

MATTRESS

Directed By Lachlan Dickie

Some people take. Some people give. But the mattress never forgets.

A Better Half

Directed By John Duigan

Trapped in a loveless, hopeless marriage, Ron takes comfort from chatting with his AI assistant, Lucy. She could never replace his wife, Kath. But never say never…

Average Times

Directed By Hadley Perkins

Extraordinary times averagely spent.

The Summer Break

Directed By Jeff Parker

It’s summer and it’s definitely time for a break.

THE REAL LAVERNE

Directed By Allanah Zitserman

The Real Laverne is a surrealist romantic drama about a woman who has checked out, until a connection with a vibrant fruit shop owner forces her to confront reality.

HUGO

Directed By Shane Keeffe

When a young girl struggles with the death of her dog, her younger sister builds a "time machine" to help her say goodbye

My Blue Valentine

Directed By Louis Royle, Felix Ferguson, Sophie Verheul

After spying a speed dating flyer on her work crush’s desk, one woman sets out on a plan to turn speed dating into, well, dating.

Solace

Directed By Kailas Prasannan

As a young woman struggles with her partner's passing, her AI assistant presents an opportunity for her to reflect on their relationship and embark on a poignant quest for closure.

MONSTERZ

Directed By Maddyson Colley & Jensen

Just When a superhero obsessed six-year-old is confronted by the monster under her bed, she must over come her fear to keep her mum safe.

Six Five

Directed By Finnian Williamson

Desperate to be noticed, a boy falls down an online rabbit hole that sells him a way to “grow taller”. But soon the algorithm's promise becomes a monstrous reality…

The Forefather

Directed By Petros Ktenas

A dark, twisted descent into the edges of desire, The Forefather delves into the world of infamous occultist Aleister Crowley and his obsessive fixation on newly engaged Ottie Edwards.

Songline

Directed By sam ferris bryant

When a father erases his Indigenous wife's Songline from her loop machine, he and his son must race to restore it before reality collapses - before she returns from Pilates.

Happy Place

Directed By Philip Lemon

Three strangers attend a guided meditation and discover a

Won't Be Long

Directed By Thalia Joan

Won’t Be Long is a poetic, direct-to-camera short in which a simple wait for coffee becomes a meditation on time, aging and a world on the brink. As the character visibly ages while reflecting on change and personal regret, the film urges us to act, love, and live before time slips away, because for now ... we still have time.

SCROLL

Directed By R._X________

Time drains away as a man scrolls through his life.


Dashcamera Obscura

Directed By Henry Stone

A man desperate to capture a traffic accident on his new dashcam accidentally unleashes a car crash day in his personal life.

Balloon on the Gate

Directed By Leo O'Donoghue

More mood piece than narrative, this film embraces the awkward but beautiful nature of what Halloween is to suburban Australia through the eyes of two siblings.

The Emma Dilemma

Directed By Spencer Susser

Love, unanswered.

Hourglass

Directed By Jessica Young

A young woman, obsessed with obtaining the perfect hourglass figure, peels herself apart in the mirror. Layer by layer, her life force is stolen by her own poor self-image.

Innocent Fun

Directed By Joel Phillips

A well-meaning Father insists on demonstrating a childhood toy and things escalate a little.

Normal Wear And Tear

Directed By Kyra Bartley

What happens when you ask people what life is for, once they’re old enough to know?

TROPFEST 2026 OFFICIAL PRESELECTION

TROPFEST 2026 OFFICIAL PRESELECTION