by FilmInk Staff
South by Southwest Sydney® (SXSW Sydney) has announced the 2025 Screen Festival Award winners, with horror / comedy The Weed Eaters taking home the coveted award for Best Feature Film.
Brought to you by local legends Causeway Films (Talk to Me, The Babadook) and directed by Callum Devlin, the New Zealand horror/comedy hybrid stars Alice May Connolly (The Power of the Dog) and features cameos from Paul Kean of legendary Flying Nun band The Bats, and NZ comedian David Correos. The film begins with a sincere, deadpan portrait of millennial friendship, before seeing an idyllic New Years getaway in isolated Canterbury take an unexpected turn when a bad batch of cursed weed unleashes horrific after-effects.
The SXSW Sydney Screen Festival 2025 Audience Award went to found footage horror Welcome Back to My Channel from Australian writer / director Jorrden Daley. In Welcome Back to My Channel, influencer Suki brings her boyfriend, Leo, home to Australia. On a camping trip, they’re disturbed first by Leo’s prankster friend, Cass, and then by the discovery of a lost little girl before they’re set upon by the girl’s knife-wielding cannibalistic family. They’re taken to a cave where they discover another captive, Sara, before being forced to listen to Cass’ dying cries. The three try to escape but Leo is killed in the attempt. Suki gives in to her pleas and suffocates Sara before taking the opportunity to kill the parents leaving the girl behind. Suki seeks help but learns the ranger is a friend to the cannibals and is forced to kill him as well before smashing up her cameras.
Independently produced series, Lake Boga, from Australian creative duo Ben Bryan and Nick Capper, was awarded Best Episodic. Set in Australia, Lake Boga follows Nathan, an experienced ex-military assassin that is hired to find and destroy every single meth lab in the state after the meth-addicted daughter of a mysterious businessman named The Baron is declared missing, presumed dead. Masquerading as a photographer, he stays a couple of nights at the Lake Boga Pub looking for his next target, arousing the suspicions of the publican, Bev, and her daughter-in-law Jess. Unbeknownst to Nathan, Bev is connected with the bikies and also running the local meth lab. With Bev and the Bikies now out for revenge, the cops closing in on him and his employer on his back to complete the job, Nathan finds himself wedged between a rock and a hard place.
The award for Best Short Film went to Australian production, Siblings. Directed by Julian Tynan, the film follows Zoe and Adam who return to their Nana’s house to compete in a series of absurd games to determine the best sibling and crucially, win a ride home on the back of their Mother’s motorbike, but as the games escalate it is clear that something is not right.
Best Music Video was awarded to Party Dozen’s ‘Coup de Gronk’, directed by Ollie Jones.
Rejoice took home the award for Best New Wave, directed by Australian filmmaker Lucinda De Palma. Palma’s bachelor graduate film follows Rejoice, as she lives out her everyday life, roaming the streets, crashing parties and attracting trouble, all the while vividly dreaming of fighting everyone and anyone – including those close to her.
The 2025 SXSW Sydney Screen Festival closed on Sunday 19 October, following a week of screenings and special events, including over 100 feature films, 5 World Premieres and 39 Australian premieres.
