St Kilda Film Festival launches Thursday 5 June with over 150 films across 11 days.
The 2025 iteration of St Kilda Film Festival presents a catalogue of films as diverse and creative as Australia itself. St Kilda Film Festival once again cements itself as the epicentre of the country’s short film industry, showcasing both emerging talent and accomplished industry professionals.
The festival’s more than 150 films are organised into 34 carefully-curated sessions, each adhering to a chosen theme. From coming of age stories to vintage film formats, the sessions cover a wide range of ideas and identities, offering something for every kind of cinema-goer.
St Kilda Film Festival 2025
- When: Thursday 5 June – Sunday 15 June
- Where: The Palais Theatre, St Kilda Town Hall, South Melbourne Market, Astor Theatre
- Films: Over 150 films across 34 sessions
- Special events: Filmmaker talks, workshops, international showcases
- Competition: Australia’s Top Short Films Competition with $10,000 prize for Best Short Film
- Academy status: Academy Awards qualifying event
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This year’s St Kilda Film Festival marks the festival’s largest First Nations line-up to date, with dedicated sessions highlighting Indigenous storytelling and perspectives. The First Nations Women in Film session on 8 June features four essential films followed by a post-screening panel facilitated by Tasha James.
Standout films include Unspoken, set in 1979 Sydney following Croatian-born Marina as she grapples with identity and belonging. See Me: A Film About Redro Redriguez explores the life of the beloved Naarm music community legend through the eyes of filmmaker Nathan Woods. RAGE captures the forgotten Sharpie subculture through Julie-Mac’s memories of her formative years.
The festival presents unique viewing experiences including Festival Mixtape at the Market on 12 June, transforming South Melbourne Market into a cinematic heaven with food and drink stallholders. The Analogue Experience session celebrates filmmakers embracing vintage formats in an increasingly digital world.
Under the Radar showcases youth filmmakers under 21, demonstrating that emerging talent creates cinema well beyond their years. The Edge of Seventeen explores teenage experiences through six films with humour, insight, love and energy.
Your chance to see the next cinematic heavyweights
St Kilda Film Festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an Academy Awards qualifying event. Award-winning films from the Australia’s Top Short Films Competition are eligible for consideration in the Short Film Awards and Documentary Short sections of the Oscars.
The festival has launched the careers of notable filmmakers including Adam Elliot, Matt Saville, Kriv Stenders, Cate Shortland, Jane Campion and Richard Lowenstein. The comprehensive program provides the most thorough overview of Australia’s short film industry alongside international showcases and the country’s largest free Filmmaker Development Program.
Sessions include Moving Portraits featuring Born to Hustle, which documents Naarm label Heart of Bone head Emma Addams through her chaotic whirlwind lifestyle. Shifting the Gaze, presented by Women in Film and Television Victoria, showcases female and gender-diverse filmmakers with post-screening networking opportunities.
Made in VIC, presented by VicScreen across two sessions on 15 June, provides a platform for Victoria’s filmmakers to present their cinematic masterpieces featuring various stories, genres and mediums from across the state.
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