Explore the full program of films screening at the Very Short Film Festival 2026.
3AM Challenge
Coen Wilson
Two friends filming at 3am find their night unraveling into a haunting reality.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
A Cold One
Sam Tooker
An 11-year-old discovers solace in alcohol as he copes with the pain of his parents’ troubled relationship.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Aevum
Tashi Higgins & Bree Sanders
A young man suffering from an existential crisis journeys through his dream landscape.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Alone
Indianna Thompson
A red thread of comfort twists into something binding as a girl’s night turns ominous.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Bambino
Paris Piccolo
A shy Italian-Australian boy tries to connect with his brother, but a family secret stands in the way.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Before Goodbye
Dylan Lawless
Before Goodbye follows a late-night phone call between two people on the verge of separation.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Call of the Void
Jasper Kennedy
The story of a disillusioned cook who contemplates what it would be like jump into a bottomless pit and fall for eternity.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Cat’s Cradle
Sidney Im & Katrina Chan
A struggling actress from Hong Kong plays Cat’s Cradle with her long-distance partner, across cities and time.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Cinema of the Dead
Harrison Drynan
A timid man enters a cinema alone for a horror screening, unaware the real terror is already in the room.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Crossfire
Sim Kaur
CROSSFIRE is a dance fashion film that transforms a competitive battle into a wordless confession, blurring rivalry and devotion.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Cut the Sh*t
Jasmine Formato
In this unconventional speed dating program, charm is left at the door as participants expose their flaws with brutal honesty.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Darrens_camera
Taylan Gogan
A VHS tape found at a garage sale, labelled: ‘darrens_camera’, reveals something unexpected.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Dizzy Spells
Beth Morrison & Bridget Morrison
Etsy witch Nancy casts a spell to end her best friend’s situationship — but when a strange FaceTime call comes through, it’s clear she’s cast the wrong one.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Entrelacé
Lara Busby
A ballerina prepares backstage, stitching together doubt, memory and discipline before stepping into the light.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Here We Go Again
Jimmy Eaton
A young woman tries to resolve a simple flight issue, but her call with an endlessly polite airline operator spirals into a surreal bureaucratic loop.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Homesick
Darcy Buckle
An adolescent girl struggles to hold things together as she grows further from a friend and the childhood she remembers.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
I Got An Issue
Gabriel Bobele
After finding a dead body, a socially awkward teen makes the worst possible decision and brings it home.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Jachelt
Stella & Ruby Kurzel
JACHELT, meaning wind bent trees, is a short horror film following a young girl living on Bruny Island.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Loop
Jane Hamilton-Foster
A woman feels stuck, having lost her spark; her neurodivergence a difficult revelation, she longs for a chance to rediscover what she’s missed.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Lost Things
Francheska Operario
Whisked away by a gust of wind, a silent bird lost in a world cast aside by man finds comfort in its isolation and its lost things.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Oldies of the Coast
Clarence Fennessy
Creaking bones impatient moans and drunken giggles. It’s The Oldies of the Coast.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Patience
Mack Green
A young man waits alone for an elevator, growing increasingly anxious as the elevator takes a long time to arrive.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
PERDITA
Charlie Carr
A lonely teenage outcast who is desperate to belong makes a doll that comes to life, triggering deadly consequences.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Reconnected
Alice La
A lost lottery ticket leads a young woman into an unexpected connection and a quiet act of letting go.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Remedy
Deepa Parmar
Priya and her daughter are waiting for a prescription at the chemist when a conversation becomes the catalyst for another urgent remedy.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
ROE
Alison Stanton-Cook
ROE follows teacher Jenna as she struggles under the pressure of creating boundaries with her students.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Shkendije
Kea Gargiulo
Two strangers exchange a conversation in a cinema lobby, connections are made but awkwardness follows.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Slow Burn
Jaxon Goldsmith
In a quiet, enclosed space, a father and daughter care for a fragile seedling as their surroundings slowly deteriorate.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Sparky
Megan Kenna & Paul Della
Desperate to keep his dog-sitting job, Peter and his mate Jasper search for the run-away dog Sparky, only to uncover a much bigger problem.
Screens in: Opening Night — Tasmanian Spotlight
Strands Of Obsession
Ava Prenter
A meticulous detective refuses to close a case, undone by one missing thread that won’t align.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
String Theory
Kirk Mihelakos
Drawn by a mysterious thread, a distracted student is pulled far and wide in search of connection.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Students of the World – Australia
Alana Rowling & Jonathan Schneider
In remote Fregon, young Dominic shares a quiet, personal glimpse into life, family and country.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Talking Cans
Grace O’Sullivan & Joel Berechree
Two siblings revert to their favourite pastime from childhood after an unsuccessful family lunch.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
The Loop
Samuel Jones
A runner is caught in a looping nightmare, unable to leave the beam of a single parklight.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
The Mess
Will Walquist
If they ever want to see their iPads again, siblings are going to have to join forces to tackle a monstrous mess that has gotten out of hand.
Screens in: National Tour
The Pocket Dial
Josephine Croft & Pete Vulinovich
When Marie accidentally “butt-dials”, things spiral from bad to worse. A frantic chase, a smashed phone, and a viral video later, Marie turns her humiliating mistake into poetic justice.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
The Sweater Curse
Miki Wain
A disgruntled girlfriend decides to end her relationship by weaponising an old knitting superstition known as The Sweater Curse, which claims that gifting a handmade sweater to your partner will cause a breakup.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Threads
Noah Duncan
A young crime detective discovers things he never should have while chasing the threads to a murder investigation.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Tidal
Sofia Poli
A simple premise. The arguments in the home impact others. The film shows the time that two sisters spend together to get away from abuse. Like a rising tide, the film argues that abuse affects everyone connected.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Tragic
James McMahon
The discovery of an old cricket ball in the boot of his car fills an ageing former cricketer with nostalgia and a desperate urge to return to the nets and relive his glory days one last time.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Trepidation
Angus EIchmann
A boy’s anxiety unravels into a waking nightmare, where fear of the dark may be more than imagined.
Screens in: Junior Premiere
Unfollow
Liz Christensen & Garth Edwards & Dane Hallam
A vanlife influencer tracks down her missing friend, weaving a thread to draw him back in.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Version 1.0
Chanelle Le Roux & Michael de Lange
In a near-future world where AI has replaced nearly every human job, one person makes a radical choice: firing their chatbot to hire a human assistant.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Wear & Tear
Isaac Sargent & Vienna Leaf
A young woman moves life through one outfit at a time, but the constant pressures of fashion and presentation start to wear her down.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Witness
Maya Carmen
A couple reflects on how love can both liberate and quietly confine.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
Yes, And?
Finn Middleton and Dominic Taffa
Seconds before their biggest improv gig, two members of the group breakup. Giving themselves no choice but to confront their relationship on stage.
Screens in: National Premiere (Open)
Zombie
Jessica Husband
After her partner’s death, a woman clings to a voicemail as the line between memory and reality begins to blur.
Screens in: Opening Night Showcase
