by FilmInk Staff
The 2025 Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival (MMHFF) wrapped on a high note at ACMI – Australia’s museum of screen culture, drawing 170 attendees across two vibrant nights celebrating cinema, culture, and mental health storytelling.
Day 1, presented as part of New Voices in Australian Cinema, showcased six Australian short films followed by a filmmaker Q&A moderated by SBS’s Mojdeh Kashani. Day 2 featured six international selections from Palestine, France, the UK, and beyond, culminating in the MMHFF Awards Ceremony.
Founder & Festival Director Matthew Keisoglu said: “Cinema isn’t just entertainment — it’s a tool. The Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival is built on that idea: using film to foster dialogue, empathy, and connection across cultures and mental health. The films we showcase explore diaspora, identity, care, and belonging — where culture and mental health meet and coexist. They remind us that mental health is cultural, emotional, and profoundly human. These films are quirky, humorous, moving, and complex — just like our own journeys.”
2025 Award Winners
Australian Awards
- Best Australian Short Film – If This Conversation Isn’t Over Yet – Rosey Feng
- Best Australian Documentary Short Film – GOLPES – Kevin Duran Du
International Awards
- Best International Short Film – There Once Was – There Is No More – There Is – Karina Paciorkowska & Łukasz Kamil Kamiński
- Best International Documentary Short Film – Adas Falasteen – Samar Taher Lulu & Hamdi Khalil Elhusseini
Special Award
- Gary Keisoglu Award – Fading Colours – Bronte Rose Page
Since its inception, MMHFF has received over 240 film submissions, selected 43 films, and celebrated 16 award winners from more than 25 countries — establishing itself as a global platform for culturally diverse mental health cinema.
For more information, visit:
https://www.mhfa.org.au/MulticulturalMentalHealthFilmFestival
