After a record-breaking attendance last Friday night at the Botany View Hotel in Newtown, of over 220 visitors, the S.O.S. Film Festival grew over three times the size of its previous installment. The event awarded seven separate prizes, and showcased 24 short films over one night, filled with aliens, princess brides, hand drawn animation, dashcam footage and rogue pixels… lots and lots of rogue pixels.
For the uninitiated, S.O.S. had the honour of playing short-films made by local creatives that didn’t need big budgets, fancy equipment, or massive teams. Instead, they were encouraged to submit a film that they've made in the last year, shot on complete shit: think old digi-cams, pre-2010 camera phones, webcams, a home-security device, outdated animation methods, etc. etc.
The aim of the festival was to encourage creativity, despite monetary and technological means - and get people to explore and experiment with storytelling in unconventional ways.
Film submissions, entry on the night, and all participation was completely FREE, to maximise accessibility for filmmakers and attendees.
Amidst the crowd, the room overflowed with filmmakers (some having travelled from Central Coast and Wollongong) to watch their films in a supportive and communal space, with special guests from Screen Australia, ScreenNSW, the Blackbird Foundation, media, and more.
Not only did the event sell out, but first release tickets ran out in 30 minutes…
Then second release hit capacity in 15 minutes.
And finally the third release were all gone in 10 minutes.
The final verdict is in: PEOPLE WANT TO GATHER AROUND AND WATCH COOL SHIT (that’s fittingly shot on shit.)
“We are absolutely blown away by the response to the festival” said Festival programmer and co-founder Parker Constantine. “We got up on the Botany View stage and immediately felt the love and support of a beautiful, burgeoning, wildly eager community of filmmakers and lovers alike. Shot On Shit gives me hope for the third wave of the Australian film industry, which feels firmly in the grasp of us young, cheap, bastards!” Flynn Boffo, the other half of S.O.S. (programmer and co-founder) added “We have never seen this level of excitement for short films before. There is something special about spontaneously making films over a weekend with your friends. Not only were the films exceptional, there was also a profound sense of love and belonging in the room.”
The evening’s event also sold copies of the showcased films, on special edition VHS tapes and DVDs - which sold out well before the films had even finished playing.
Concluding the showcase, a myriad of prizes were awarded, the winners all receiving a coveted spray-painted VHS trophy. The award recipients were separately decided by the audience and a curated jury of film industry leaders and tastemakers, including Kristen Settinelli (Producer - Salt Along The Tongue), Ing Dieckmann (Founder of Pink Flamingo), and Matthew Dolan (Editor of The Fleapit).
The grand prize of the 2026 festival went to Wollongong filmmakers Jack Tickner, Fenn Idle and Corey McCrossin (House Spirited Productions) for their 2000s-flip-phone-shot short titled “Young Boy Plays with Ooshies at the Pyramids but is Interrupted by an Alien Who Wants to Destroy Planet Earth.” The jury were immediately charmed by the quality of its musical comedy and praised its ability to surprise the audience. The creative team behind the film further embodied the spontaneous expressiveness of the festival with an impromptu live performance of their film’s song during the intermission.
AWARD WINNERS
First Prize
Film: ‘Young Boy Plays with Ooshies at the Pyramids but is Interrupted by an Alien Who Wants to Destroy Planet Earth’
Creatives: Jack Tickner, Fenn Idle and Corey McCrossin
Second Prize
Film: ‘Shot on Piss’
Creatives: Eve Krombas
Third Prize
Film: ‘Taint Calico Blues’
Creatives: Jackson Perryman
People’s Choice (chosen by audience vote)
Film: ‘Conversations’
Creatives: Helena Ivy Williams
Person’s Choice (chosen by a randomly selected audience member)
Film: ‘Pizard Worn’
Creatives: Dexter Gibson-Cummins and Jesse Grima
The S.O.S. Award (chosen by Flynn and Parker)
Film: ‘Pizard Worn’
Creatives: Dexter Gibson-Cummins and Jesse Grima
The E.P.I.C. Award (emerging perspective in cinema)
Film: ‘A Night at Epic Pizza’
Creatives: Charlie Blomfield
The festival would finally like to thank the wonderful prize partners, Ritz Cinema, Umbrella Entertainment, and Unexpected Guest Distillery, as well as the Protostars grant from the Blackbird Foundation for believing in the vision of the event. All kickass people that undeniably… give a shit.