PRESS RELEASE
This summer, Flickerfest, Australia’s largest Short Film Competition and the only one with Academy® Qualification and BAFTA recognition, will once again grace our shores, rolling out the red carpet at Bondi Beach from the 23rd January to the 1st of February.
Celebrating its 35th year, this not to be missed ten-day event will showcase a handpicked selection of Australia’s and the world's most exciting short films under the stars and in the theatre at the Bondi Pavilion, presenting a stunning season showcasing our most exciting emerging cinema talent.
The 2026 programme is now live and showcases around 200 exceptional shorts, across 23 dedicated festival programmes, handpicked from a record-breaking 3,700+ entries, from over 100 countries, with many enjoying their world and Australian premieres. Flickerfest’s prestigious Academy® Qualifying Competitions of 111 short films, include 42 World Premieres, 41 Australian premieres and 19 NSW premieres, giving audiences a first look at the most outstanding short films on offer. These shorts are fiercely vying for a number of prestigious prizes, including the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, the Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, the Panasonic Lumix Award for Best Australian Short Film and the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary - all of which are Academy® Qualifying.
Take a trip across Australia and around the world from the comfort of your cinema seat and be amongst the first to discover ground breaking stories from across the globe, with short filmmaking at its most fearless and fabulous.
From home soil, 60 Australian films have been officially selected for the Best of Australian Competition. 36 International films will compete in the Best of International Competitions, whilst 15 thought-provoking Documentaries make up the Best of Documentary Competition. A further 100 films will also feature across Flickerfest showcase sessions.
Alongside the films in competition, audiences will also be delighted with programs including FlickerUp - a celebration of youth filmmaking from filmmaker 18 and under across Australia, Rainbow Shorts - amazing LGBTQI films, a First Nations Showcase celebrating First Nations talent and stories, FlickerKids - special showcases of kids and family friendly films, LoveBites - films about the trials and tribulations of relationships and Short Laughs - presenting the world’s most hilarious comedy films.
Flickerfest director Bronwyn Kidd says: “With a record of over 3700 entries received, Flickerfest 2026 will again deliver an outstanding programme celebrating our most talented contemporary storytellers, both here in Australia and from around the world. With so many outstanding films to choose from I am so excited to present our audiences with programmes that applaud bold, inspiring, creative & unforgettable short films from talent who are destined to shape the future of cinema”
Following the festival in Sydney, Flickerfest will share a selection of festival highlights and award winners on tour to over 40 venues across Australia between February and October, 2026.
For further information head to www.flickerfest.com.au
Check out the highlights here:
Flickerfest is thrilled to reveal some highlights of just a few of the incredible films that have made the cut in our Academy® Award qualifying Australian competition, showcasing the depth & enormous talent that exists in our local film industry.
Flickerfest Alumni and director Jesse Vogelaar returns for the world premiere of his new short film The Suit. This sharp and hilarious comedy brings together a stellar cast, featuring award-winning actress Kat Stewart (Five Bedrooms, Offspring, Underbelly), rising star Harvey Zielinski (White Fever, Deadloch, Spreadsheet), and much-loved comedian Colin Lane (Fisk, Utopia, The Adventures of Lano & Woodley).
Flickerfest is also delighted to present BUBBA, a deeply intimate and tender new work from alumni director Nina Buxton. Returning to the festival nearly a decade after the success of her short film WOOF!, which premiered at Flickerfest in 2016 and earned her the award for Best Editing in an Australian Short Film, Nina brings her distinctive storytelling voice to the screen once again with this heartfelt and compelling film.
Flickerfest are also thrilled to premiere acclaimed actor, director and writer Matt Day’s new short Baby Shower starring Hugo Weaving (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King & The Fellowship of the Ring, V for Vendetta, The Matrix), Contessa Treffone (Totally Completely Fine, One More Shot , Here Out West, Doctor Doctor and Helen Thompson (Elvis , Kangaroo Jack, Colin from Accounts, Gettin' Square). Shot in a single day and set in one location, Baby Shower is a dark comedy that takes a wholesome family ritual and turns it on its head. A proud Flickerfest alumni, this marks Matt Day’s third film to screen at the festival.
In the Academy® Award qualifying international competition, watch out for the Australian premiere of They a beautiful animation and the directorial debut by Oscar winning actress Renee Zellweger, where in a town overrun by grumbling citizens a hopeful hero and his trusty dog hatch a plan to encourage better days. Flickerfest is also thrilled to present the world premiere of Three, a provocative and darkly humorous short, by first time director, award winning Scottish actor and director Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty’.) Also not to be missed is A Friend of Dorothy, starring screen legend Miriam Margolyes (The Age of Innocence, Little Dorrit) and Stephen Fry (Black Adder, The Hobbit, Narrator Harry Potter audiobooks) in this heart warming story about finding unexpected friendship.
The Oscar qualifying Documentary Programme showcases intimate and compelling true stories, including the standout Return of the Champ. Directed by Damien Power, the film follows Indy 500 champion Will Power and his comedian brother Damien as they confront a lifelong rivalry to reconnect before it tears them apart. Damien describes it as deeply personal, with everyone playing themselves and delivering strikingly natural performances.
The Rainbow Shorts programme celebrates bold and diverse queer voices, including the exciting Scottish short Sleazy Tiger. Directed and written by James Ley and featuring iconic actor Alan Cumming.
FlickerKids presents the Australian premiere of Forevergreen, a shortlisted Oscar contender. The animated short tells the story of an orphaned bear cub who finds a home with a fatherly evergreen tree, until his hunger for trash leads him into danger. Directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears, the film is a charming and adventurous tale for audiences of all ages.
What - FLiCKERFEST, Australia’s most respected and only Academy® Award qualifying International short film festival, screens the best short films from Australia and the world, all guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and gasp with delight. This year, Flickerfest will once again be hosted at its home of almost three decades, the stylish Bondi Pavilion for indoor and outdoor screenings. The panoramic beachside festival bar is open daily before each session and into the night.
When - 23rd January - 1st February 2026 (Touring Nationally Feb - Oct, 40+ dates)
Where - Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach NSW 2026
Cost - starting from $22 for a session ticket (https://flickerfest.com.au/ticket-info/)