Meet the judges
-
Adrian is an award-winning narrative and documentary filmmaker and founder of Proud Wing Films, a production company focussed on bringing new stories and new voices to Australian cinema.
His debut feature Cerulean Blue, which he wrote, directed, and produced, premiered to sold-out audiences at the 68th Melbourne International Film Festival in 2019 and went on to win the El Rey Award for Excellence in Film Directing at the Barcelona International Film Festival.
Westgate, Adrian’s second feature film as director, premiered at the 73rd Melbourne International Film Festival and SXSW Sydney in 2025, and has been acquired by Madman Entertainment for ANZ distribution. Drawing on his own upbringing, Westgate is an intimate, culturally specific drama anchored by a powerful central performance. -
Darcy is an award-winning writer and director with a strong love for genre films.
His short film Flappy screened on the Opening Night of the St Kilda Film Festival (2023) and went on to win awards at Melbourne Nocturnal Film Festival and Berlin Short Film Festival.
His music video work has screened at SXSW Sydney and earned awards at Fantastic Fest and the Australian Cinematographer’s Society (DP Wilson Huang).
In 2024, Darcy was accepted into Vic Screen’s Key Production Placement program, and in 2025 his cosmic horror The Harvest won the Wake in Fright Development Initiative.
-
Jessica is an award winning actor, writer, director and producer.
She is a board member of Women in Film and Television Victoria.
Her web series Strings Attached won Best Dramedy and Best Web Series at the 2022 Seoul Web Fest, and Best Web Series at the 2023 New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles. -
Nathan is an award-winning 3D animator.
He creates short films in genres ranging from surreal horror to comedy, blending unique animation with engaging storytelling.
Nathan also works on commercial television and comedy festival shows, bringing his creative skills to a variety of projects.
His short film Honse won Best Short Film at the 2025 edition of MNFF.
2026 SPONSORS
-
SPONSORED BY GLOW STUDIOS.
All selected short films are in competition for Best Short Film.
The winner receives the Best Short Film trophy, plus the prize of a full day of studio hire at Glow Studios, valued at $850.
The winner is chosen by our panel of judges. Shortlisted films will be notified. The winner is announced after the closing night screening.
-
SPONSORED BY ECLIPSE CINEMA
All selected short films are in competition for the Audience Choice Award.
The winner receives the Audience Choice Award trophy, and 4 X Cinema Passes from our sponsor Eclipse Cinema, Collingwood.
Audience members have the opportunity to vote for their favourite film using the QR code provided on the screen at each session. The winner is announced after the closing night screening.