HAVE A GREAT APOCALYPSE
Francois Theurel
Director, Writer // Francois Theurel
Producer//Kirk Mihelakos
Country of origin // Australia
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Short Narrative, Best Art Direction
Synopsis // It’s an end of the world… and Sean wants to write a book. He doesn’t know why or how, but he sure as hell wants to write the dang thing. However, a big question remains : what about ?
HAVE A GREAT APOCALYPSE is available for theater screenings in 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos versions.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Short Narrative, Best Art Direction
In The Trees
Andy Jadwiga LayClark
Director, Writer, Producer //Andy Jadwiga LayClark
Country of origin // Australia
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Cinematography
Synopsis //Blood, bones, war, violence, fish guts, wooden swords, this is the story of Sasha the Great and Rory the Brave. Two leaders of opposing forest fort gangs, whose relations so far have been exclusively on the battlefield, but now their mums are friends…After shared vulnerability and secrets exposed, Rory and Sasha bond over their shared interest in medieval warfare. This gets tricky once they return to their respective gangs and are forced to betray their newfound alliance. The story ends where it starts, on the battlefield, where Rory and Sasha learn that being friends doesn’t mean the sacrifice of their favourite interest, war.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Cinematography
Director // John Martin
Country of origin // Canada, South Africa
Season Award #17 Nomination //Best Short Documentary
Synopsis //Under The Ice follows a woman battling depression and alcoholism who sets out to reclaim her life through an extraordinary challenge: swimming beneath the ice of a frozen lake in Norway. Facing the brutal reality of extreme cold and the weight of her past, the attempt to break a Guinness World Record becomes more than a test of endurance—it becomes a fight for survival, resilience, and redemption.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Short Documentary
Director, Writer, Producer// Ollie Skilton
Producer//Bella Thomsson
Country of Origin//New Zealand
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Director
Synopsis // James’s day spirals from the moment he walks through the school gates for afternoon pick-up. His youngest, Mikey, is given his final warning for violent behaviour, while Noah’s plea for takeout clashes with the reality of another pot-noodle dinner in their cramped motel room. ‘Prologue’ depicts James’s 24-hour struggle: parenting, a conflict at work, a housing crisis and the unexpected return of his sons’ elusive mother. At the end of the day, he just wants to give his kids something to smile about.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Director
Director, Writer, Producer // Stephen Cardelli
Producers// Monique Bryson
Country of origin // Australia
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Actor (Amelia Conway), Best Editing/Post-Production
Synopsis //After a messy divorce, a single mother struggles to start a new life. Whilst unpacking in an empty home, she comes upon a mysterious box containing nothing except a single note… ‘Don’t take too much.’
The box begins to gift her items she’s desperately needed giving her a glimmer of hope. Things take a dark turn, however, when she realises there’s a price that demands to be paid.
The Empty Box is a horror thriller film that highlights the dangers of greed and what on a physical and spiritual level we lose when we take too much.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Actor (Amelia Conway), Best Editing/Post-Production
LOOKSMAXXXING
Lucas Wilhelm
Director//Lucas Wilhelm
Writer// Silja Højmark, Joel Kock Nielsen, Isak Friis
Producer: Mads Nellemann Johansen
Country of origin //Denmark
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Acting Ensemble
Synopsis //A young man, Silas, becomes increasingly obsessed with online “looksmaxxing” culture, the belief that one can optimize their physical appearance to achieve success and validation. After a failed date exposes his insecurity and distorted worldview, his fixation spirals into compulsive and self-destructive behavior. Isolated in his apartment, Silas obsessively follows extreme online advice, pushing his body beyond its limits in a desperate attempt to become “perfect.” Ultimately, his pursuit of physical perfection leads to a violent and tragic breakdown, blurring the line between self-improvement and self-destruction.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Acting Ensemble
Dink: Deconstructed
Maya Bienstock
Director, Writer, producer//Maya Bienstock
Producer// Emmie Duong
Country of origin //Australia
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Music Video
Synopsis //Thrust into an alternate world of dancing spirits and sparkling brass, a jazz conductor must find his groove before the show comes to an end. ‘Dink: Deconstructed’ is an experimental music film, featuring Australian jazz band, Dink, where music, dance and synaesthesia unite to translate sound into movement.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Music Video
Director//Maya Bienstock
Writer, Producer// Levin Alexander Diatschenko
Country of origin // Australia
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Animation
Synopsis // On the Mars colony where robot coffins deliver the dead’s final messages, one coffin-bot commits revenge for its occupant and escapes to Earth, kicking off a solar-system-wide chain reaction. Meanwhile, Earth is besieged by kaiju attacks so frequently that it has become a spectator sport, with dojos training human Defenders to battle them.
All eyes turn to Vassylisa Murderenko, a woman who seems immune to harm. She is also so captivating that even robots fall for her. But while leaders think she’s Earth’s salvation, Vassylisa only wants her beloved cat back after all felines have abandoned humanity.
As civilization teeters, the fate of Earth may hinge on the bond between Vassylisa and Cabbage Ears the cat who refuses to leave her.
This surreal sci fi epic mirrors many of the political and military events of today.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Animation
Born to Brawl
Josh O'Neill
Director, Producer//Josh O’Neill
Country of origin // Australia
Season Award #17 Nomination // Best Feature Documentary
Synopsis // Born to Brawl follows the personal and professional stakes surrounding the International Brawling Championship, a new combat sport fighting to establish itself on the world stage.
The film follows two opposing fighters through the weeks of training camp that lead to fight night. Behind the preparation are lives shaped by hardship and sacrifice, and the chance to establish a legacy in a sport still finding its place in the world.
For one fighter, it is about protecting a reputation; for the other, it is the chance to define one.
Rivalries take shape, champions are tested and underdogs emerge in one of the most unforgiving sports on the planet.
Season Awards #17 Shortlist:
Best Feature Documentary
