Sydney Lift-Off Film Festival 2025
Network Round Shorts
Monday 29th September - Sunday 5th October
1. DREA! What Have You Done?
Director/Writer: Jennine Heymer
Producer: Lucy Ratz
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: Drea is trying to make a ‘fresh start’, but her world unexpectedly implodes when she starts hearing a strange sound. As it systematically infiltrates every aspect of her life, Drea realises she is being watched by a group of unassuming bystanders.
Desperate to escape her ever-present past and the sound that haunts her, Drea realises she must decide whether or not to put her trust in the unlikely group of strangers. All of this leads Drea into a world where the edges of reality blur, and she finds herself walking right back to where she started.


2. Kick in the Teeth
Director/Writer: Paulie Bird
Producer: Kayley Atkinson
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: Over a decade of fleeting encounters, a quietly romantic man and a luminous but uncertain woman orbit one another, never quite together,
never quite apart. Until one final meeting forces them to confront the love that always almost was.
3. Millie
Director/Writer: Pedro Greig
Producer: Jane Liscombe
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: With her family slowly breaking apart, a vibrant, spirited 10-year old girl escapes to a strange, magical world that helps her navigate the turbulence at home.


4. Chookas
Director: Nicholas Hooker
Writer: Gabrielle O'Keeffe
Producer: Tahlia Kelleher
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: An unexpected discovery brings catastrophe to the opening night of a play at a local theatre company.
5. Guts
Director: Jane Maree Abernethy
Producers:Amy Upchurch,Vanessa Batten
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis: A comedy about finding the guts to share the parts of ourselves we would rather hide.


6. After the Spread
Director/Writer: Ash K Tysowsk
Writer/Producer: Jared Fontaine
Country of Origin: Canada
Synopsis: After sneaking out late one night to attend a party with his friends, a teenage boy tries to find himself and finds out what camaraderie means to him. Set to soundtrack by the Idea of machines.
7. The Shot List
Director/Producer: Aaron Baggenstos
Producer: Mike Darter
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: An unsatisfied salesman turned wildlife photographer and his friend race against nature and time to capture three once-in-a-lifetime images of Alaska’s wild brown bears, only to discover that the true story lies in their connection to the wild and to each other.


8. Dog Days
Director/Writer/Producer: Leo Stuart Allan
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Synopsis: In the aftermath of the apocalypse, a man is trying to find a charging cable for his camera.
9. Off the Track
Director/Writer/Producer: Emma Pascu
Producer:Dunja Stojovic
Country of Origin: Canada
Synopsis:
Through the eyes of Alana Carter, a 25-year-old female race-car driver, this documentary delves into the high-speed thrills, challenges, and triumphs of carving a career in a male-dominated sport, where passion fuels every turn of the wheel.


10. Home of Salmon
Director/Writer/Producer:Notin Nuoding Wang
Producer: Howard Chen
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: Home of Salmon is a Chinese drama mainly tells the story of Zhou Zhou, a Chinese young man born and raised in Australia, who had a dispute with his father in the process of questioning his self-identity.
11. FENCE
Director/Writer: Samantha Alexis Laughton
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: A Young Woman slaves to maintain the boundary line fence of a remote cattle station for a brutal Boss Man, until a mysterious captive is brought in, revealing an ancient inner strength to her from the Foremothers of her homelands, giving her the courage to escape the fence that has entrapped her womanhood and spirit since birth - returning back to Herself, on country (Apmere).


12. Fangs & Fur
Directors:Monique Bryson,Nick Bradshaw,Maria De La Ossa
Writers: Jacob Sgouros, Cooper Savva
Producers: Roelene Coleman,Natasha Cheng
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: When a supernatural lockdown is imposed, a narcissistic vampire and an introverted werewolf are begrudgingly forced to become housemates, all while trying to deal with their personal life problems.
13.Cataclysm Down Under - Hero
Director/Writer/Producer: Akal Demir
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: Cataclysm Down Under is an Australian action film about survivors in a post-apocalyptic Australia, dealing with the aftermath of massive natural disasters like earthquakes and tidal waves. The story follows the struggle for survival and the effort to rebuild a devastated land, with some synopsis suggesting a new, more advanced civilization is built by former prisoners using ancient technology. However, rival factions soon plunge this new society into conflict, putting the fate of their world in the balance.


14. Into the Night
Director/Writer/Producer: Aarya Hatkhambkar
Producer: Eliza Knaggs
Country of Origin: Australia
Synopsis: Welcome to Into the Night, a paranormal webseries where friends, Alex, Claire, Byron and Brij explore the sites of Australia’s untold history. Watch as the friends go to old ruins of mental asylums, uncover hidden tunnels and find buried bodies under Australia’s most public spaces.
With a dark history mixed with paranormal activity, will an unusual group of sceptics and believers come together to uncover what haunts Australia’s past?
15. Feel It From My Words
Director: John RG Lacey
Producer: Anna Groot
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Synopsis: Surviving the horrors of bombings and gunfire, musician and producer Mushtaq Hussain is forced to flee his war-torn homeland. In search of safety, he embarks on a treacherous journey that leads him into the dangerous underworld of human smuggling. In a raw, personal performance, Mushtaq speaks directly to the audience, immersing them in his harrowing story. As he says, “You will feel it from my words,” the film takes you deep into the heart of his struggle, where survival means navigating a world of unimaginable risks.


16. Gone
Director: Letícia Ayres
Writer/Producer: Vitor Gomes
Producer: Daniel Piña
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: Gone is a gripping and emotional short film that follows the tumultuous relationship between two brothers, Enri and Benny. Enri, the older brother, is struggling to support his family while dealing with the emotional toll of their mother’s deteriorating health. As the pressure mounts, Enri turns to a life of drugs and crime in a desperate attempt to secure the money needed for her care. Meanwhile, Benny, the younger brother, remains hopeful and determined to find a legitimate way out. When Enri's actions drain their emergency savings, the brothers are forced to take on a dangerous job that ultimately leads to a tragic confrontation. In the end, Enri's choices cost them more than he ever imagined, leaving him to face the irreversible consequences of his decisions.