Sam Ferris Bryant’s real-life inspired shark tale Marcia And The Shark has claimed Best Australian Short at Sunday’s Flickerfest Awards.
The closing night ceremony recognised the entrants in this year’s competition and Academy® Qualifying Awards, including the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, and Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary, among others.
Based on the true story of Sydney Harbour’s last fatal shark attack in 1963, Marcia And The Shark centres on the titular woman who in the aftermath of a shark attack comes back to life with something wild inside her, testing her doting fiancee Frank as they take to the road in his mustang. Bryant wrote the script with Hugo O’Connor, who served as producer.
Also recognised on the night was French writer/director Violette Gitton, who received Best International Short Film for Changing Rooms. Produced by Jules Reinartz, the drama picks up with César, who is 12 when his older sister Lou is sexually assaulted. In the changing rooms of the fencing classes he attends, everything is measured by the yardstick of violence. César would like to take part in every fight, but he doesn’t have the weapons.
In the documentary competition, UK director/producer Christian Cargill’s Recomposing Earth, about Scottish composer Erland Cooper’s efforts to capture the Orkney Islands that inspire him, was awarded Best Documentary Short Film. Cargill produced the film with John Bannister.
Netherlands entry Nelson The Piglet, which centres on a family’s efforts to navigate the miraculous growth of their pet mini pig into a 500-kilogram beast, won the Special Jury Award for Documentary Short. Directed by Anneke de Lind van Wijngaarden, it was produced by Nienke Rispens, Maarten Kuit, and Jeroen van den Idsert.
Following Sunday’s ceremony, Flickerfest now embarks on a national tour to all states and territories across Australia.
In congratulating this year’s winners, festival director Bronwynn Kidd said it was pleasing to see the 2025 selections “so warmly embraced” by audiences.
“We are thrilled that the 34th Flickerfest 2025 has been such a success, with many filmmakers present to introduce their films, passionate crowds, and great enthusiasm expressed for the programs screened,” she said.
“I would like to congratulate all of the films selected for Flickerfest in the competition this year, our jury for their dedication, and all of tonight’s award winners.
The full list of Flickerfest winners is as follows:
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
- Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film (Academy® Qualifying): ‘Changing Rooms’ (France) – Writer/Director: Violette Gitton | Producer: Jules Reinartz
- Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animated Short Film (Academy® Qualifying): ‘Beautiful Men’ (Belgium) – Writer/Director: Nicolas Keppens | Producer: Emmanuel Alain Raynal
- Highly Commended International Animation: ‘Maybe Elephants’ (Norway, Canada) – Director/Writer: Torill Kove | Producer: Lise Fernley, Maral Mohammadian, Tonje Skar Reiersen
- EU In Australia Award for Best EU Short Film: ‘The Boy With White Skin’ (France, Senegal) – Writer/Director: Simon Panay | Producers: Rafael Andrea Soatto, Laëtitia Denis, Kévin Rousseau, Souleymane Kébé, Maud Leclair-Névé
- Flickerfest Special Jury Award: ‘Ebb And Flow’ (Lebanon) – Director/Writer: Nay Tabbara | Producer: Isabelle Mecattaf
- Special Mention of the Jury for International Short Film: ‘A Summer’s End Poem’ (China) – Director/Writer/Producer: Lam Can-zhao | Writer: Yupeng He, Shutong Xu
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
- Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary Short Film (Academy® Qualifying): ‘Recomposing Earth’ (UK) – Director: Christian Cargill | Producers: Christian Cargill, John Bannister
- Flickerfest Special Jury Award for Documentary Short: ‘Nelson The Piglet’ (Netherlands) – Director: Anneke de Lind van Wijngaarden | Producers: Nienke Rispens, Maarten Kuit, Jeroen van den Idsert
RAINBOW LGBTQI COMPETITION
- Azure Productions Award for Best Rainbow Short: ‘Holy Curse’ (United States) – Writer/Director/Producer: Snigdha Kapoor | Producer: Neeraj Churi
- EU In Australia Award for Best EU Rainbow Short Film: ‘Chico’ (France) – Writer/Director: Theo Abadie | Writer: Louise Courvoisier | Producer: Pauline Attal
- Special Mention of the Jury for Rainbow Short Film: ‘Dragfox’ – Director: Lisa Ott | Producer: Owen Thomas
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION
- Panasonic LUMIX Award for Best Australian Short Film (Academy® Qualifying): ‘Marcia And The Shark’ – Writer/Director: Sam Ferris Bryant | Writer/Producer: Hugo O’Connor
- Spectrum Films Award for Best Direction in an Australian Short Film: Riley Blakeway for ‘A Thousand Odd Days’
- Yoram Gross Award for Best Australian Animated Short Film: ‘The Fix-It-Man And The Fix-It-Wooman’ – Director: Cornelius Ebatarinja, Nelson Armstrong | Writer: Rhonda Sharpe, Courtney Collins | Producer: Sophie Wallace
- AFTRS Award for Best Screenplay in an Australian Short Film: Claudia Osborne for ‘Rash’
- John Barry Award for Best Cinematography in an Australian Short Film: Jason De Ford, Victor Ng for ‘A Good Boy’
- Avid Award for Best Editing in an Australian Short Film: Samuel Inglis for ‘Not Yet’
- Avid Award for Best Original Music in an Australian Short Film: Josh Barber for ‘Asian Male, 60’s, Lead’
- Rebel8 Award for Outstanding Emerging Female Director In honour of Samantha Rebillet: Sophie Serisier for ‘Oi’
- Highly Commended Outstanding Emerging Female Director: Claudia Osborne for ‘Rash’
- Specsavers Award for Best Australian Comedy Short Film: ‘Over’ – Director/Writer: Duncan Ragg, Anna Phillips | Producer: Isabella Debbage
FLiCKERUP YOUTH COMPETITION
- AFTRS FlickerUp Award for Best Youth Short Film: ‘Bubblegum and Bunyips’ – Director: Kellyville High School | Producer: Fabio Caprarelli
- Yoram Gross FlickerUp Award for Best Youth Animated Short Film: ‘The Apartment’ – Director: Year 7 Doveton College Students | Producer Gene Geoffrey
- Avid FlickerUp Award for Best Editing in A Youth Short Film: ‘Mind The Gaps’ – Writer/Director: Lucia Carman Murray
- Karma FlickerUp Jury Award for Youth Short Film: ‘More Than Milk’ – Writer/Director/Producer: Abigail Rain Knight