Quick Flicks is a hand-picked collection of short films from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, offering a window into diverse stories and fresh perspectives. Our 2025 shorts program celebrates many award-winning films and filmmakers fresh from Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and Flickerfest Short Film Festival. These unique voices are shaping cinema and showcase the emerging talent on the rise from our region.
Die Bully Die
Comedy | Danish premiere | 2024 | Australia | 16 min | English | Directed by Nathan Lacey and Nick Lacey
WINNER Sydney Film Festival 2024 | Best Short Film
WINNER Mardi Gras Film Festival 2025 | Best Short Film
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.
Gorgo
Drama | European premiere | 2023 | Australia | 19 min | English | Directed by Veniamin Gialouris
WINNER Best Short Film - 2025 AACTA Awards Australia
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
Documentary | 2024 | Australia | 10 min | English | Directed by Marlikka Perdrisat
Berlinale 2025 | Official Selection
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.
Dragging the Chain
Thriller | European premiere | 2023 | Australia | 15 min | English | Directed by Virginia Blackwell
Synopsis
On the run from her old life, a young woman finds herself stranded at a mysterious, isolated petrol station. Haunted by her memories and the presence of a sinister stranger, she must confront the dark truths she’s been running from before they consume her completely.
Pack Rat
Drama | English | 2024 | New Zealand | 18 min | English | Directed by Lucy Suess
Synopsis
In rural New Zealand, a fifteen-year-old girl fights to keep her place among the pack of boys she has grown up with. As day turns to night, she falls into a power game with the pack's alpha - but it is the wrestle within herself that proves to be her hardest challenge.
Brett Weir - Home
Documentary | World premiere | 2024 | Australia | 5 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Dominik Gehring
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.
Te Ahi (The Flame)
Drama | World premiere | 2023-24 | New Zealand | 8 min | English | Directed by Dahnu Leaf Graham
Synopsis
In a coastal village, Izzie, an anxious teenager confronts his recurring nightmare by navigating a day of challenges with his brothers, leading to a family gathering where he must overcome his fear and imparts ancestral knowledge to the newest member.
Are You Still There?
Drama | European premiere | 2025 | New Zealand | 10 min | English with German subtitles | Directed by Fraser Howse
Synopsis
Amidst the chaos of distressing calls, a young emergency dispatcher forms a fleeting yet profound bond with an elderly widower, reminding her of the fragile beauty of life and human connection.
A Thousand Odd Days
Drama | German premiere | 2024 | Australia | 14 min | English | Directed by Riley Blakeway
WINNER Flickerfest Short Film Festival 2025 | Best Director
WINNER St Kilda Film Festival 2025 | Best Director
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.