★★★★★
Thursday night saw the opening ceremony of the 42nd St Kilda Film Festival at the Palais Theatre. Following words from host Myf Warhurst and representatives of the festival, the audience was treated to ten short films from emerging filmmakers.
The films spanned a broad spectrum from comedies and horror to dramas and documentaries. The offerings consistently brimmed with unique ideas and impressive filmmaking skills, promising a festival jam-packed with excellent short films.
Comedy dominated the opening night, with the genre represented by six of the night’s ten shorts. The evening kicked off with Writers in Love from director Sarah Giles and writer Grace Malouf. The film has already taken the festival circuit by storm throughout 2025. A very witty short with some great twists and beautiful design, it seamlessly transported viewers into the minds of the writers.
Hindsight, directed by Mikey Hamer, tells the story of a socially awkward teen trying to buy a video game. This film felt like the only miss of the night, as its comedy never quite landed and its narrative never really went anywhere.
The audience was treated to two animated shorts that also fell into the comedy basket: The Fling, directed by Jemma Cotter, and The Fix-It-Man and the Fix-It-Wooman, directed by Cornelius Ebatarinja and Nelson Armstrong.
While The Fling certainly wears its love for John Carpenter’s 1982 cult classic The Thing on its sleeve, Cotter and the team managed to escape from that film’s shadow with an inventive blend of live-action filmmaking and stop-motion Claymation.
The Fix-It-Man and the Fix-It-Wooman was one of the most surprising features of the night. A charming and sincere comedy, it was fully CG animated using 3D renderings of soft sculptures by indigenous arts collective Yarrenyty Arltere Artists.
Breaking up the laughs were a couple of tender dramas, a fascinating documentary, and a spine-tingling horror. A Stable for Horses, directed by Davie Paterson, had a unique narrative perspective. The story played out like a montage, as a man told a boy about his father’s life, with quite a devastating ending.
Despite its short run time, Ayana, directed by Saskia Faniis, was one of the night’s hardest-hitting films, delivering an unflinching reflection on loss and grief.
PAPER ANGELS, directed by Sebastian Hill-Esbrand, explored the life of skateboarder-turned-fashion designer Mikey Mendoza. Occasionally, the film felt more like an advertisement than a documentary. But by the end, striking visual choices and an interesting glance into Mikey’s upbringing brought it back around.
Parasomnia, directed by Chalton Lansley, was the major outlier, taking the audience into a discomforting found footage style horror.
The film clearly draws from a pool of inspirations, including the original Backrooms short and video games like P.T. It delivered a true thrill ride and was one of the most memorable showings of the night.
The horror in Parasomnia comes from the whole thing operating on nightmare logic. Whenever the POV character thinks they’re safe, they are suddenly thrust back into danger, leading to many moments where the audience’s collective stomachs sank with dread.
Two comedies, Baby Shower from director Matt Day, and Intervention from director Jessica Sofarnos, closed out the night.
Baby Shower delivered laughs, a few fun twists, and an expectedly stellar performance from Hugo Weaving. Intervention felt like a perfect fit for a sketch comedy show, with a grounded premise taken into absurd territory that had the audience rolling with laughter.
If these ten shorts are any indication, this year’s festival promises many fantastic offerings. All these short films and many more will be playing at events hosted by the St Kilda Film Festival for the next week.
St Kilda Film Festival (SKFF) runs to 14 June 2026 at various locations around Melbourne. For full program details and bookings, visit the website.
Website: https://www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/stkildafilmfest/
Images supplied.
Venues:
Palais Theatre – Opening Night presented by Mandala Wines (Thursday 4 June)
Astor Theatre – PBS Stone Love Broadcast and St Kilda Rocks Screening (Friday 5 June)
JMC Academy – The Big Picture (Saturday 6 June) – Free Filmmaker Development Program
Victorian Pride Centre – Pride Without Prejudice: LGBTIQ+ Showcase (Saturday 13 June)
St Kilda Town Hall – All other screenings/events, including Opening Night After Party and Closing Night Awards Ceremony (4 – 14 June)
