The 2025 Stellar Film Festival line-up is, like all years, a top tier slice of some of the very best Australian short films around. We're eager to once again provide support to the festival with media coverage, including in depth interviews with some of the filmmakers, a recognition of the ambassadors for the festival, and more.
On 1 March 2025, Stellar Film Festival will head into its sixth year, continuing what the fest has always done: bringing the best of Aussie short film entertainment to the grounds of the McClelland Sculpture Park in Langwarrin, Victoria. Located about 45 minutes out of Melbourne, the park is home to a myriad of great sculptures, including a big silver gnome. We're huge fans of all things 'Big' at the Curb, so have a particular affection for the moustachioed fellow.
Stellar isn't just about watching films with a giant gnome nearby, it's also about the steadfast drive and support that husband-and-wife team Jasmine and Stuart Charles give short films. By advocating and celebrating the short film format, Jasmine and Stu have placed a flag in the ground stating with proud defiance that shorts are a valid form of cinematic entertainment that deserve their place amidst the greatest feature length films.
After all, short films are films, and it's through festivals like Stellar that they are honoured as such.
As with each festival iteration, the 2025 Stellar fest features a curated line-up of Aussie shorts are then judged by an esteemed panel of filmmakers, artists, and purveyors of cinematic excellence. The panel for 2025 features an array of excellent filmmakers, many of whom have experience in crafting some of the best Aussie shorts around. This years panel includes:
Glendyn Ivin (director of Penguin Bloom), Christian White (writer of Relic), Madeleine Dyer (director of A Savage Christmas), Annelise Hickey (director of Hafekasi), Darren Gilsehenan (actor in Jason is My Dad), and Leah Popple (production designer on Inside).
The films they will be viewing and celebrating that make up the official selection include:
Astronots
Director: Andrew Seaton
Two astronots sit in the cockpit awaiting takeoff on a crucial mission to Mars when one turns to the other and admits he isn't ready for the voyage.
Bird Drone
Director: Radheya Jegatheva
A heartfelt story of unrequited love explored through a lonely seagull struggling to accept that his newfound object of affection is a human-operated drone with a limited battery life.
Listen to the interview with Radheya Jegatheva here:
Die Bully Die
Directors: Nathan Lacey & Nick Lacey
Max catches up with his high-school bully Adam, 17 years later, in a fancy restaurant where Max’s grudge against Adam begins to manifest in horrific ways.
Listen to the interview with Nathan Lacey & Nick Lacey here:
Last Man Standing
Directors: Alvy Willa & Calan Mai
A short documentary about Ron West, a 90-year-old organ player at The Majestic Theatre, the longest running silent movie theatre in the world. Ron looks back on his life, detailing memories of love, loss and the magic of Hollywood's Golden Era—all seen through the eyes of a young man carrying a secret too dangerous to tell but impossible to keep. 'Last Man Standing' is the swan song of a life well lived.
Read the interview with Alvy Willa & Calan Mai via Cinema Australia here.
Favourites
Director: Nick Russell
When their family camping trip turns deadly, two parents face an impossible choice.
The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
Director: Pernell Marsden
Two best friends embark on a high-stakes game of imagination, which takes a twisted turn and threatens to jeopardise their relationship.
See where The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste ranked in the Best Australian Films of 2024 list here.
Yakka
Director: Jack Shepherd
On a secluded Australian estuary, as two young brothers grapple for their neglectful father’s approval, their usual pastime of exploring empty holiday houses goes awry, and a violent mistake will shatter their fragile bond forever.
And the Ocean Agreed
Director: Tanya Modini
Vina is fading away, lost to dementia, but on a rare outing to the ocean, she finds herself and a chance for freedom.
Read the interview with Tanya Modini here.
Yeah the Boys
Director: Stefan Hunt
Yeah the Boys follows six young Australian men as they sink beers over an afternoon and well into the night. Emoting only through movement; lewd gestures, chokeholds, crowd surfs, and chugging shoeys, they somehow say everything without uttering a single word.
Listen to the interview with Stefan Hunt and Vanessa Marian here:
Good Neighbour
Director: Julian Lucas
A kidney could save Phil’s life, and Jeff, his neighbour, is willing to help—for a price. His demand throws Phil, his partner Ray, and his
parents into a moral and emotional battle. Good Neighbour is a witty and thought-provoking exploration of human nature, blurred ethical lines, and the surprising complexities of generosity.
Gorgo
Director: Veniamin Gialouris
Inspired by Ovid’s Medusa myth, Gorgo is a dramatic short film that 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.
Finding Jia
Director: Alice Yang
Mei, an immigrant 8 y.o yearns for the type of life she sees on TV. A life that resembles the Western way of living that is so often played on her television.
For all details regarding Stellar Film Festival ahead of the 1 March 2025 kick-off date, visit their website here.
Congratulations to all of the selected films, and to Jasmine & Stu for another excellent year of supporting, validating, and amplifying shorts.