My Queer Career: reviews of the 8 short films competing in Sydney

Next week eight locally-made short films will compete in Mardi Gras Film Festival’s My Queer Career, Australia’s richest LGBTQIA+ short film prize, with over $16,000 worth of cash and in-kind support to be won.

The My Queer Career shorts will screen in competition on 24 February at the Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney. Each will be eligible for one or more of the prizes below.

My Queer Career 2025 prizes:

• $5,000 of camera hire from Panavision
• $5,000 of post production support from Spectrum Films
• $3,000 cash from The Stephen Cummins Film Trust
• $2,000 worth of legal advice from JP Media Law
• $1,000 cash from Event Cinemas 
• NIDA 2-day Essentials Course, valued at $400
• Flexi pass 10 to Mardi Gras Film Festival 2026, valued at $190
• Automatic entry in the Iris Prize, the world richest prize for LGBTIQ+ short film

Here we review the eight Australian-made and proudly queer short films that will be gunning for those prizes on Monday.

My Queer Career shorts reviewed

Ballad

Ballad is an Australian period romance set in the 1850s, written and directed by Roe Bonnici. It focuses on a lonely housewife on the frontier who has a run-in with an injured outlaw who is more than meets the eye. After tending to the bushranger’s wounds, they form an unlikely connection which only grows stronger when the lawman comes knocking.

The tenderness of this story is not only palpable between the two lead characters, but in every shot of the eucalypt trees, babbling creeks and dry grasses that make up the landscape of the untamed bush. Well acted and shot, Ballad elicits a glowing sense of possibility: a ‘what if’ fantasy inside a dangerous and stifled reality.

ScreenHub: Lesbian Space Princess awarded $10k in completion funds by Queer Screen

Bathers

Written and directed by Theresa Roberts, Bathers is a coming-of-age drama following surfer Tess, who finds comfort in the company of female surfers while grieving the death of her father.

Beautifully scored by Perth-based musician Sleepthink, this is a very accomplished work. The actors embody the sense of community among the female surfers, friends and lovers. In the ocean, the waves symbolise both uncontrollable anxiety and freedom. Learning to tame that juxtaposition leads to Tess’ true self being able shine, a journey that’s so rewarding to watch.

Die Bully Die

In Die Bully Die, directors Nathan and Nick Lacey (AKA The Lacey Brothers) make a compelling case for a feature film centring on the cringey yet hilarious reunion of a gay man with his former high-school bully. In the 17 years since graduation, Max hasn’t let go of his grudge towards Adam, and despite trying to be cordial, he cannot help but imagine all the gory and horrific ways in which he could die.

Die Bully Die is such a scream – it’s so funny, well-shot, acted and edited. The writing is incredibly tight (that credit goes to writers Matthew Backer and Drew Weston), and Max’s journey is very relatable due to the convincing ways in which the lead actors bring that script to life. I genuinely think this could be a box-office-smashing romcom if given the chance.

Hold Still

Directed and written by Emily Dynes, Hold Still is something of a tone poem about queer suburbia. A tradie and a dancer meet during a lilting summer in a rural town – two young people on the edge of something big.

Less of a linear narrative and more a meditation on queerness in Aussie small towns, Hold Still presents a montage of transcendent joy, introspection, and grief that paints a fuller, yet abstract picture of what it means to be ‘queer’ (see also: strange/abnormal, not accepted by mainstream society).

Joan the Kid

When her detention project comes to life, Jo is taken on a whirlwind trip through history by the not-so-saintly Saint, Joan of Arc. Joan the Kid is directed and written by the duo of Kat Silverosa and Grace Hackney.

This genderqueer coming-of-age story is so lovely and poppy that I could watch at least three seasons of it on ABC. It’s broad enough to resonate with all teens while also being specific to the non-binary/genderqueer experience. I especially love the part with the pantomime-esque burning of Joan at the stake. The end credits are paired with a lovely animation that keep those charming vibes up until the very last second. Joan the Kid is quirky, dreamlike and instantly re-watchable.

ScreenHub: Invisible Boys, Stan review: a gloriously messy marvel

Pleasure

Written and directed by Jasper Caverly, Pleasure tracks the movements of two teenage boys – who are instantly identifiable as ‘eshays’ – on a sweaty summer night of crimes and revelations. When they’re caught graffitiing a train in Melbourne’s inner-west, a moment of unexpected intimacy brings them closer together than ever before.

This piece explores that subculture of Eshays – teenagers that are typified by their penchant for vapes, graffiti, shoplifting and wearing bumbags across their chests like shoulder bags while speaking pig latin and otherwise communicating in punch-ons. As Pleasure reveals, there often lies underneath the heard exterior a broken heart and big feelings. The shaky handheld camera adds to that feeling of vulnerability during this ‘one summer’s night’ story.

With Love, Lottie

With Love, Lottie is an unconventional romcom directed and written by Lily Drummond. Lottie is a disabled teenager who fears she will never find love, but after enlisting her friends as mentors in the unpredictable world of dating, she discovers that love can come in unexpected forms.

This short is cute, colourful and sparkly in all the best ways, just like first love can be. The queer joy here is palpable, and the lovely lead performances are ignited with genuine chemistry. It’s well shot and edited, with an obvious Heartstopper-inspired production design (the influence of that Netflix show is a phenomenon which is sure to be studied for decades).

I particularly liked the pink, blue and purple set design, in which the director uses bisexual pride colours to paint a vivid world of queer love, neurodiverse hyperfixation (Lottie loves dinosaurs), and the excitement and trepidation around dating for the first time. 

Oi

Directed by Sophie Serisier and written by Laneikka Denne, Oi tells the story of a turbulent teenage girl who undergoes a traumatic sexual experience and learns to face her own violent bravado head-on.

This short manages to capture the Aussie high-school experience so accurately that I was equal parts grinning and grimacing in recognition. The shaky extreme closeups paired with eerily still long shots weave a tapestry of violent and visceral rites of passage, which soon meet the existential dread that comes with being a teen.

As Jasmine comes to terms with her own feelings, it plays out as an analogy for all queer teens who realise, eventually, that they’re not the only one to feel certain things so intensely.

---

For more information about My Queer Career and the other films screening at the Mardi Gras Film Festival, head to the Queer Screen website.