by FilmInk Staff
St Kilda Film Festival (SKFF) is proud to announce the winners of Australia’s Top Short Film Competition for 2025. Australia’s longest-running short film festival, St Kilda Film Festival (SKFF), award winners will take home a combined $40,000 worth of cash and prizes across 14 categories.
The prestigious Best Short Film Award, courtesy of City of Port Phillip, was awarded to The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste, which took home the cash prize of $10,000. Directed by Pernell Marsden, this is a tale of two best friends who embark on a high-stakes game of imagination, which takes a twisted turn and threatens to jeopardise their relationship (right). The film was also awarded in the Best Young Actor category for Libby Segal and Frankie Gillespie McKay.
Also recognised in multiple categories, I’m Not Your Heroine, took home two awards for Best Documentary, as well as Best Animation. The film examines pain, loss, addiction and the space in which they intertwine. Directed by Emmalene Vidot and Savannah James, the story follows a mother who is helpless to alleviate the pain of her son, who turns to drugs after his father-figure commits suicide.
Best Director went to Riley Blakeway for A Thousand Odd Days, a story about a young man who reflects on a day spent with his estranged mother, to understand her enduring trauma and its effect on their relationship. Andrew Gough was recognised for his cinematography on this film, winning the Best Achievement in Cinematography award.
Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking went to Motherhood in the Colony. Directed by Genevieve Grieves and Aseel Tayah, the film was awarded a $1000 cash prize from CitiPower and is a love letter to mothers and the vital role they play in the resilience of Indigenous Cultures. The judges also awarded a special Judges’ Commendation in this category, to Re-imagining Our Futures: birthing.
This year, SKFF has set new records for number of films screened and received. The Top Short Films Awards have been judged by a panel of industry professionals, with the 2025 judging panel including: cinematographer Ellery Ryan (Wishful Thinking starring Drew Barrymore), filmmaker Rhianna Meltzer (Thor: Ragnarok and Elvis), editor Cindy Clarkson (I.Q starring Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan), film programmer Spiro Economopoulos (Moving Story Entertainment) and City of Port Phillip First Peoples Programs Lead Fred Gesha.
All award winners also received a complimentary six-month membership with WIFT Australia (excluding Best Young Actor).
Accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the St Kilda Film Festival is an Academy Awards® qualifying event, with award-winning films from the Australia’s Top Short Films Competition eligible for consideration in the Short Film Awards and Documentary Short sections of the Oscars®.
“VicScreen and St Kilda Film Festival share a commitment to celebrating and amplifying the next generation of Australian voices. Congratulations to all the winners – we’re excited to see what they do next as they continue to grow their careers.”Caroline Pitcher, CEO VicScreen
You can see the full list of 2025 nominees and award-winners on the following page and St Kilda Film Festival website.
Best Original Score – Supported by JBL and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers:
Winner – Greg Dombrowski, The Horn
Nominees:
•Alex Olijnyk – The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
•Greg Dombrowski – The Horn
•Ethan Hunter – Resonance
•Matthew Shaw – Clown
Best Achievement in Sound Post-Production – Supported by Sennheiser and the Australian Screen Sound Guild:
Winner – Wiaan van der Westhuizen, Pliers
Nominees:
•Luke O’Loughlin – Bőr
•Frank Lipson – The Horn
•Wiaan van der Westhuizen – Pliers
•Liam Annert & Sean Wilkinson – Unstoppable
Best Achievement in Editing – Supported by Roar Digital and Adobe:
Winner – James Ashbolt – Unstoppable
Nominees:
•Michael Houlahan A.S.E – The Execution
•Pernell Marsden – The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
•Graeme Pereira & Damian Walshe-Howling – Unspoken
•James Ashbolt – Unstoppable
Best Achievement in Screenplay – Supported by Australian Writers’ Guild and Cinema Nova: Winner – Kat Dominis & Mariana Rudan & Damian Walshe-Howling – Unspoken
Nominees:
•Kat Dominis & Mariana Rudan & Damian Walshe-Howling – Unspoken
•Maddie Grammatopoulos – Cordelia, Daughter of The Sea
•Stefan Raabe – Dear Friend
•Gregory Kelly & Pernell Marsden – The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking – Supported by CitiPower:
Winner – Motherhood in the Colony
Nominees
•Re-imagining Our Futures: birthing – (Judges Commendation)
•Motherhood in the Colony
•The Truth About the Telegraph
•Ngarridurndeng Kured
Best Achievement in Cinematography – Sponsored by the Australian Cinematographers Society and Panavision:
Winner – Andrew Gough – A Thousand Odd Days
Nominees:
•Patrick Coe – Die Bully Die
•Ryan Bell – RAGE
•Andrew Gough – A Thousand Odd Days
•Adam Howden ACS – Unstoppable
Best Young Actor – Supported by the Melbourne Actors Guild:
Winners – Libby Segal and Frankie Gillespie McKay – The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
Nominees:
•Pliers
•Rash
•Clown
•The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
Best Actor – Supported by Chameleon Casting:
Winner – Steve Mouzakis – Hiraeth
Nominees:
•Steve Mouzakis – Hiraeth
•Angie Milliken – A Thousand Odd Days
•Nora Goldbach – Bőr
•Caroline Sparrow – Pliers
Best Animation – Supported by Deakin University:
Winner – I’m Not Your Heroine
Nominees:
•Beyond Measure
•I’m Not Your Heroine
•Hanna: A Faerie Tale
•Baggage
Best Documentary – Supported by Shaun Miller Lawyers:
Winner – I’m Not Your Heroine
Nominees:
•Kentaro
•I Like Long Walks on Parramatta Road
•I’m Not Your Heroine
•Tarzan Pants (2023)
Best Director – Supported by the Australian Directors Guild and AFTRS:
Winner – Riley Blakeway – A Thousand Odd Days
Nominees:
•Pernell Marsden – The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
•Bee Jessup – Bicker
•Kate McGuinness – I Like Long Walks on Parramatta Road
•Riley Blakeway – A Thousand Odd Days
Best Innovation Award – Sponsored by VicScreen:
Winner – I Like Long Walks on Parramatta Road
Nominees:
•I Like Long Walks on Parramatta Road
•Bluebird
•Rage
•Red Earth
Best Short Film: Winner – The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
Nominees:
•A Long Drive
•The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
•Hiraeth
•I’m Not Your Heroine
•Unspoken
Best Youth Short Film – Supported by the City of Port Phillip and JMC Academy: Winner Ari Quig for Diced Peaches
St Kilda Film Festival (SKFF) returned to the big screen across Thursday 5 June – Sunday 15 June 2025. SKFF is Australia’s longest-running short film festival, recognising the genre of short film, including music videos, gaming and immersive forms, celebrating some of Australia’s best local short filmmakers and screen artists
SKFF is supported by major government partners Screen Australia and VicScreen.
