Now in its 34th year, Flickerfest – Australia’s largest and most prestigious short film competition, renowned for its Academy and BAFTA qualifications – has announced its official 2025 program with tickets now on sale for the Bondi event. The marketing campaign and trailer this year riffs on Aussie classic Strictly Ballroom, with the tagline, ‘strictly great short films’. (Last year, the inspiration was Muriel’s Wedding.)
Returning to the hopefully dry and summery Bondi Pavilion under the stars, the Flickerfest International Short Film Festival will start with a grand opening night screening and afterparty on Friday, 17th January and run until the 26th, with ten days of sessions showcasing 200 short films chosen from Australia and around the world.
Flickerfest Director Bronwyn Kidd has been curating for the last 25 years. She said, ‘With over 3,500 entries, Flickerfest 2025 promises to deliver an exceptional programme that celebrates the work of contemporary storytellers from both Australia and around the world. We’re thrilled to present a selection of bold, inspiring, and unforgettable short films from emerging talent destined to shape the future of cinema.’
Among the official selections are 63 Australian films in the Best of Australian Competition, 36 international films in the Best of International Competition, and 15 documentaries in the Best of Documentary Competition. Flickerfest’s Academy-qualifying competitions will include 130 short films, with 37 world premieres and 46 Australian premieres. These films are in the running for a host of awards, including the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, the Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, the Panasonic Lumix Award for Best Australian Short Film, and the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary.
Australian Shorts
There are seven programs featuring the best of Australian short films in competition. Here are some of selected highlights with big names to look out for – though of course it’s often the hidden gems and undiscovered talents that shine the brightest when you stumble upon them.
Vlog – Yvonne Strahovski’s directorial debut
Flickerfest 2025 will feature the world premiere of Vlog, described as a deeply personal family drama written, directed by, and starring Emmy-nominated Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid’s Tale). In her 17-minute directorial debut, Strahovski explores the chaotic reality of motherhood and social media pressures, offering a candid portrayal of working women.
The synopsis reads: ‘In Vlog, our heroine juggles her chaotic #momlife with the growing success of her Mommy social media vlog. As she walks the fine line between her authentic self and her curated online persona, she faces a new challenge: she’s pregnant again—with baby #3. Overjoyed yet
overwhelmed, she struggles with morning sickness, fatigue, and nausea. On a particularly tough day, her son inadvertently uploads an unfiltered, raw “mom moment” to her channel. The next morning, she’s mortified to discover what happened. How her followers react may surprise her more than she ever expected.’
ScreenHub: Most anticipated Australian films for 2025
Candy Bar – Nash Edgerton and Damon Herriman
Acclaimed director Nash Edgerton (The Square, Gringo) made his name with hard-hitting shorts like Spider and Bear. This year he returns to Flickerfest with the world premiere of another short film, Candy Bar, a dark comedy starring Damon Herriman, best known for his roles in Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The story centres on a young girl in a candy bar line (played by Serena Paull) who mistakes a man for her father, sparking an unexpected encounter.
Belinda Bromilow’s Glove
Belinda Bromilow, the Australian actor known for her work in Doctor Doctor and playing the delightfully nutty Aunt Elizabeth in The Great, makes her directorial debut with Glove. The quirky and humorous short film follows an adventurous young woman in search of love.
‘When Isobel orgasms she produces knitted scraps of wool from her mouth. Isobel resignedly accepts her idiosyncrasy and continues to secretly steal lambs to feed her strange habit. She is on a quest, however, to find the person with whom this quirk will make sense.’
International Competition
In the international competition, across five sessions, highlights include the Australian premieres of Hearts of Stone, starring Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and the poetic animation The Brown Dog, voiced by the late Michael K. Williams (The Wire) and featuring Steve Buscemi.
Also look out for Beautiful Men, from Belgian writer-director Nicolas Keppens, which follows three balding brothers who travel to Istanbul to get a hair transplant. ‘Stuck with each other in a hotel far from home, their insecurities grow faster than their hair.’
Also look out for animated short films And Granny Would Dance, a tribute to the solidarity of Iranian women; The Three Sisters from Cyprus; and Zarko, You Will Spoil the Child! from Croatia.
Documentary
Two programs of films will feature the best of International and Australian Documentary short films in competition. Films that intrigued us by their synopses include:
Am I the Skinniest Person You’ve Ever Seen? written and directed by Eisha Marjara from Canada: ‘They were sisters and soul mates—and dieting together seemed like fun….’
Recomposing Earth from UK director Christian Cargill: ‘Under two feet of peaty soil in Orkney, lies the only recording of Scottish composer Erland Cooper’s unheard album. In an entirely unique attempt to collaborate with the natural world, it would be an experiment on patience, art and value. Will the tape emerge silent, and does it matter if it does? With interviews including Paul Weller and Sir Ian Rankin.’
Echoes of Dissent from Australian director Dylan Nicholls: ‘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.’
Curated programs
In addition to the competition films, the festival will feature a range of curated programmes, including FlickerUp, celebrating youth filmmaking across Australia; Rainbow Shorts, showcasing the best in LGBTQI cinema; a terrific Indigenous spotlight, FlickerKids, a special programme of kids and family-friendly films; Love Bites, exploring films about relationships; and Short Laughs, offering a collection of hilarious comedies.
This year’s festival will also reveal the winning ‘Should’ve gone to SpecSavers’ ad created by Conor Mercury, a young Adelaide-based commercials and music video director whose quirky black comedy The Fritz had its world premiere at Flickerfest 2023.
Mercury won the opportunity from 100 entrants who had to come up with a script for a 1-minute commercial with the sponsor’s punchline. The winning package saw the filmmaker supported for the production of the script as well as a $5k cash prize.
Flickerfest 2025 will conclude with the awards ceremony and closing night party on Sunday 26 January.
After the Bondi festival, Flickerfest will embark on a national tour, visiting over 40 venues across Australia from February to October 2025. The tour takes the main competitive programmes and some special sessions to regional and metropolitan areas which rarely have an opportunity to view such short film collections.
Flickerfest 2025 runs from 17-26 January at Bondi Beach. For tickets and more information, head to the Flickerfest website
