Our short film program this year is a curation of submissions and selected works from Australian & New Zealand filmmakers.
Lakefield
Short film | Thriller | | 2025 | Australia | 30 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Sebastian Steins
Synopsis
Charlie, a city journalist, returns to her remote hometown after a disturbing call. When her friend is found dead and a suspect confesses, she must uncover the truth in this uniquely Australian "whydunnit" mystery.
Gorgo
Short film | Drama | European premiere | 2023 | Australia | 19 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Veniamin Gialouris
Synopsis
Inspired by Ovid’s Medusa myth, Gorgo tells the story of a Greek bride’s cross-continental journey to marry a man she has never met. Matchmade by her best friend Athina, with promises of a new future in a distant land, Medousa finds herself arriving in Australia to a strange home—and a cold welcome. Thrust into her new marriage, she soon discovers a monstrous secret that threatens to tear apart the best friends’ vow of sisterhood.
Ornmol
Short film | Documentary | | 2024 | Australia | 10 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Marlikka Perdrisat
Synopsis
Kupungarri, a remote community in the North-West of Australia is one of the most natural places left in the world. This small community fosters confidence in their young people through their relationship with Country. Watch the excitement grow as they prepare for one of the biggest events of the year, the annual Mowanjum Festival.
A Thousand Odd Days
Short film | Drama | German premiere | 2023 | Australia | 14 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Riley Blakeway
Synopsis
A young man reflects on a day spent with his estranged mother, in an attempt to understand her enduring trauma and its effect on their relationship.
Brett Weir - Home
Short film | Documentary | World premiere | 2024 | Australia | 5 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Brett Weir
Synopsis
At the edge of the Australian continent, artist Brett Weir paints in a glass studio overlooking the sea — where weather, solitude, and memory give form to his art.
Rain Simulation
Short film | Animation | European premiere | 2025 | Australia | 5 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Sebastian Steins
Synopsis
Rain Simulation leads you down a colorful path into the mind of our protagonist The Mad Express aka Madeleine Rose who carries us with hypnotic poetry.
Payback
Short film | Drama | German premiere | 2023 | New Zealand | 12 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Mia Blake
Synopsis
In a dreary Department of Welfare NZ (DWNZ) office, case manager Ahorangi (Aho) takes a deep breath to collect herself before another day in the office begins.
Aho finds her working place challenging. She doesn’t agree with the way her supervisor, Debs, treats their clients, but she loves helping people in need so she keeps trying to work within the system, to fix the system.
The lack of privacy in the office makes things ten times harder. Aho can hear everything going on in Debs’ next door cubicle. She hears her embarrass Kayla, and now, whilst Aho makes real progress with her own troubled client Amber, she hears Debs antagonise Kahu and his support person Caine. Aho tries to ignore it but when Debs threatens to call the police she finds herself in the middle of an altercation desperately trying to convince Caine to back down.
All odds seem stacked against Caine but when Kayla unexpectedly convinces the group they could work together to blame this situation on Debs, and issue some payback of their own, Aho makes a life altering decision to stand by her clients and bring down her boss.
Die Bully Die
Short film | Comedy | Danish premiere | 2024 | Australia | 16 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Nathan Lacey and Nick Lacey
Synopsis
Seventeen years after high-school, Max catches up with his former bully Adam in a fancy restaurant, where Max’s grudge against Adam begins to manifest in horrific ways.