Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2025 December Lift-Off Showcase!

We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.

Hazel

Director/Writer/Producer: Timothy Kukucka
Producers: Bela Attila Kovacs, Eva Essandoh, Derek Brown, Andrea Modica
Country of Origin: United States
Genre: Horror, Drama

Synopsis: When Angie is put through trauma at work, she summons -Hazel_ a cyberpunk warrior to exact her revenge.

Protocol 909

Director/Writer/Producer: Estela Oliva
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Scifi, Drama, Thriller

Synopsis: CLON's Maker awakens to the disappearance of her beloved synthetic beings, who have escaped from the Research Unit. As she searches for answers, David awaits her command in turmoil. Faced with heartbreak and grief, the Maker must decide whether to start a process that could erase their memories and shut down the code that keeps them alive. A reflection on power, betrayal, and the fragile impermanence of (artificial) life.

The Toymaker's Tale

Director: Yasmine Bailey
Writer: Dylan Pope
Producer: Will Collard
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Short Narrative

Synopsis: A struggling toymaker battles with perfecting her craft, until an unusual encounter with a mythical monster alters her view on perfection.

Office Hours

Director/Writer: Otilia de Royer
Director: Anica Hamed
Writer: Tyrone C Miller
Producer: Corry Raymond
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis: Luna drifts between two lives—one stifling, one electric. A chance encounter sparks something deep, unraveling the boundary between escape and truth.

NADIA

Director/Writer: Tanja Blume
Producer: Alexandra Alicia Broniec
Country of Origin: Poland
Genre: Short

Synopsis: A battle between what is right and what is the law: The story was inspired by true events, and it is about the (Polish) abortion law and its effects on women, their bodies, and their families.

Last Call

Director/Writer: Kirsty Hines-Mackay
Producer: Michael Hines
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Synopsis: Two strangers. One locked toilet. Eleven hours to kill.
After missing the final ferry, Emily and Carla find themselves stuck overnight in a ferry terminal bathroom. What begins as an awkward inconvenience quickly becomes an emotional pressure cooker, as secrets surface, defenses crack, and assumptions fall apart. By morning, both women will leave changed—if they can survive the night together.

Red Roots

Director/Writer: Jayne Forster
Producer: Damon Myeshan Naidoo
Country of Origin: Australia
Genre: Horror, Drama

Synopsis: Lucy is plagued with nightmares of chasing her younger sister Rosie through the woods, with each dream feeling more real and echoing with whispers of truths she can't accept. One night, the nightmare bleeds into reality and Lucy hears Rosie's voice calling from her untouched bedroom, preserved like a shrine for the past year. Inside, Lucy finds Rosie sitting there on her bed, seemingly alive. The two girls reconnect, but Rosie's words and presence feel strangely off, tugging at Lucy to return to the woods.

Maggie & Ted

Director/Writer: Erin Major
Producer: Chloe May Vaughn
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Genre: Comedy, Drama

Synopsis: Ted, a young caregiver and a no-nonsense woman
forge an unexpected friendship through candid
conversations about life and loss during a care
visit.

The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination.  At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated.  Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.