PRESS RELEASE
For its 7th edition, The Sydney Short Film Festival returns to the Ritz Cinema on March 13th with a diverse selection of short films by Australian and international filmmakers. Highlighting the power of independent cinema and the art of short filmmaking, the SSFF2025 will screen 12 films.
Each of the two carefully curated programs features 6 short films that span a wide range of genres, themes, and storytelling styles. From dramas to imaginative animations and thought-provoking documentaries, the Sydney Short Film Festival 2025 brings indie gems that are bound to entertain, inspire and spark conversations. Fiction stories and real-life events blend unravelling personal dilemmas, and relationship challenges and taking us to various places.
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In the first program, Toyoko Matsuo Saindon’s experimental documentary ‘Scissors’ examines intergenerational trauma, healing, domestic violence, and the complex bond between mother and daughter, Marielle Madly Gonier’s experimental ‘First Encounter’ aims to evoke a visceral response, allowing us to feel the weight of solitude and the richness of new beginnings.
Candy Guard’s ‘She's My Best Friend (and I Hate Her)’ talks about friendship in a funny and emotional way, ‘Triade’ by Sebastiaan Buts touches upon the challenges of a love relationship, while the award-winning comedy ‘Dead Cat’ (Tribeca Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival) by Annie-Claude Caron and Danick Audet talks about and parent/child relationship through a fun and witty story.
Discover the full program and join us at the Sydney Short Film Festival 2025 on the 13th of March at the Ritz Cinema.
Program 1: 18.00-19.30
Medicine, William Amos McKegg • 15' • New Zealand • 2023 • Short Drama Competition
When Marjorie and Jack offer their help to a passenger and things take an unexpected turn, one wonders who was actually helping who.
Scissors, Toyoko Matsuo Saindon • 20' • United States • 2023 • Short Documentary Competition
To honour her sister's wish, Eiko keeps Akiko’s ashes close, still seeking a peaceful place for her to rest. "Scissors" unfolds through a rich tapestry of dreamlike reenactments and intimate interviews, capturing a daughter’s quest to understand their mother and support her journey toward healing from an abusive past. This short, experimental documentary explores intergenerational trauma, healing, domestic violence, the complex bond between mother and daughter, Japanese-American identity, and the heartache of moving forward after profound loss.
Dead Cat, Annie-Claude Caron, Danick Audet • 13' • Canada • 2023 • Short Comedy Competition
What were Catherine and Louis thinking when they chose a cat with distinctive white spots? It would have been much easier to replace if they had picked the all-back one! Now, they will have to tell their daughter Sophie that Nugget’s dead. Unless….
The Message, Reinhard Koller-Astleithner • 10' • Austria • 2024 • Short Drama Competition
In a dull and lonely life, Salem decides to leave a message for the one who needs it most.
First Encounter, Marielle Madly Gonier • 10' • Australia • 2024 • Short Experimental Competition
In ‘First Encounter’, Marielle depicts a landscape full of the sensations of the first time, through her initial encounter with the Australian bush. She is transported to a land she is still discovering, yet one that seems eager to impart its (hi)story to her, however beautiful and painful it may be. Throughout this quest, the artist explores an unfamiliar terrain, transcending the boundaries between the conscious and the subconscious. Engaging with themes of dislocation and discovery, the art video aims to evoke a visceral response, allowing us to feel the weight of solitude and the richness of new beginnings.
Backwash, Danica Arias Kleinknecht • 15' • United States • 2024 • Short Film Competition
Two best friends have fun at a sleepover. Makeup, selfies, and no parents in sight. What happens though when the topic of boys comes up? Perhaps there are some things you cannot come back from.
**Break: 19.30-19.45
Program 2: 19.45-21.15
Re-Éksodos, Julia Horta Paiva • 16' • Brazil • 2023 • Best Short Experimental
The fun story of a soul who, with divine blessing wishes to be reincarnated as a house, but it’s not just any house. The film flirts with the anxiety and inconstant fluctuations of human beings, to show in a comical and even ironic way how humanity’s path is a pendulum. Portraying syncretism in the land of all saints it illustrates with ludic images and original music the transition from the polluted and busy urban space to a reconnection with nature, pure and contemplative.
She's My Best Friend (and I Hate Her), Candy Guard • 4' • United Kingdom • 2023 • Short Animation Category
The complexity of an ancient friendship is dissected to hilarious and recognisable effect as old friends Milly and June wait impatiently for each other outside a coffee shop. The longer they wait, the more annoyed they get, causing old resentments to play on their minds.
Triade, Sebastiaan Buts • 19' • Belgium • 2023 • Student Film Competition
An icy couple, Elias and Milou, go on a ski trip to the picturesque village of Elm in search of solace and escape from their cold, distant lives. Here they meet the local Beat. A volatile relationship blossoms between the three, revealing their hidden desires. Will this new warm breath be enough to revive their relationship or will they freeze again afterwards?
Memory Lane, Frederic Mosbeux • 20' • Belgium • 2023 • Short Drama Competition
To prove that he's still fit to live at home, an old man suffering from Alzheimer's disease must search the depths of his mind, where memories pile up like jigsaw puzzles, in search of a forgotten past.
AstroNots, Andrew Seaton • 10' • Australia • 2023 • Short Comedy Competition
Astronots is a short comedy about two astronauts about to take off on a vital mission to Mars. We open with a montage showing just how serious, and crucial this mission to Mars is. As the two astronauts sit in the cockpit awaiting launch, Major Tom Collins realises his co-pilot, Abe, is nowhere near as qualified as he should be. Abe has inextricably fumbled his way through training and ended up in the most important seat in the universe. The two grapple with the consequences of taking off anyway, or delaying their crucial mission.
Verflechtung, Philip Hofmänner, Simon Jonas Pflanzer • 19' • Switzerland • 2024 • Short Fiction Film Competition
In the near future, Susana's fiancé Marco decides to have a chip implanted in his brain. Marco, who suffers from severe depression and has professional problems as a result, sees this new technology as his only chance, not to lose touch. Susana, who originally drew his attention to the chip, soon begins to have doubts, when Marco begins to change dramatically.
Venue
The Ritz Cinemas
45 St Pauls St, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia
Phone: +61 2 8324 2500
Starting time: 18.00
Entrance is Free
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