2025 FILMS A-Z

MADE IN THE WEST OFFICIAL SELECTION

Congratulations to the 2025 Official Selection! These films will be showcased at our Opening Night celebration, throughout the Australian summer season online and on big screens around Sydney. Some will even make it into our Closing Night Party, but you'll have to vote for them to get them noticed !

Featuring a marathon line-up of 36 short films made by indie and student filmmakers from Western Sydney, this film festival extravaganza is sure to entertain!

So, this summer, grab some popcorn and settle in on the couch, out on the patio, in your pool chair, or the family BBQ – wherever you are! – because we've got another fantastic line-up of Aussie shorts for you to enjoy.

Check out the full program below and click on the social links to follow the filmmakers online.

Congratulations to the ALL the filmmakers

featured in the 2025 Official Selection!

A Blacktown Ballad

Submitted by Herbert Leota

A casual walk through Blacktown streets sees two best friends deliberate and balance the weight of family expectations in the face of a potentially life-changing opportunity.

Agoge

Submitted by Adam Daniel

Placed in detention after a physical altercation on the school playground, two teenage boys find their developing friendship challenged by the limits of their emotional honesty.

Always: Sonic Mantra

Submitted by Matthew C. Vella

A woman with a dark secret is stalked by a serial killer. A gritty, psychedelic twist on the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale.

Animus

Submitted by Eli Jackson

See the story of Sasha Santana, and the betrayal that led to her becoming Animus.

Azadi

Submitted by Clinton Gill

Life changes for troubled Western Sydney goon Tahi and suppressed Middle Eastern Leyla when they cross paths. They form a unique relationship and motivate each other to leave behind what they were given in order to chase their dreams and aspirations.

Contagious

Submitted by Thea OConor

A caffeine loving gamer, his eccentric conspiracy theorist friend, and a coffee company employee find themselves pursued by a crazed horde as they try to find safety. Just when they think they've escaped, a new threat awakens.

De-Comm

Submitted by Salvatore Samperi

Three allied mercenaries are given conflicting orders in the heart of a mission.

Destination Sophie

Submitted by Santhosh Murugesan

Follow a young woman on a late-night Uber ride that unravels into something far more unsettling than she expected.

Duplicity

Submitted by Andrew Singh

Suhrab, a notorious figure in the underground drug world, is invited to the luxurious home of his rival Serg, for a supposed negotiation. However upon arrival, Suhrab quickly realises that Serg's intentions are far from peaceful.

Egg Law

Submitted by Dominic Colucci

Tommy and Pete are just two happy-go-lucky men. Their world is turned upside down when they become the one thing neither of them expected: mothers.

Fasten Your Belts: Deo

Submitted by Amadeo Putro

The music video for Fasten Your Belts, the new single by Deo.

Fun & Games

Submitted by Jeffrey Gordon

Every family has its strange traditions. The story of a father and daughter who live in a remote rural landscape and decide to continue their brutal family legacy.

Ghost Town Cricket

Submitted by Matt Sterne

In the remote South Australian outback lies Farina - an abandoned railway ghost town with a spirit that refuses to fade. Once a year, this quiet place bursts to life as people from all corners gather to play cricket on a desolate, rocky oval, ensuring the town’s legacy endures.

Hold

Submitted by Daniel Fletcher

A desperate but determined woman braces herself for another phone battle with the insurance company, after several failed attempts to make a claim on her husband's life insurance policy.

I Don't Wanna: Sarah Jane & The Noise

Submitted by Luke Agius

A house party from hell - Sarah Jane & The Noise are too cool for this shindig.

I Spy Myself

Submitted by Bus Stop Films

On the eve of her graduation from Spy School, a rookie agent ponders whether she's ready to become a real spy.

No Right Turn

Submitted by Kamil Domaradzki

Three lifelong friends and first-generation migrant Australians navigate questions of identity, belonging, and friendship. As the night unravels, their friendship is tested in ways they never expected.

Odd One Out

Submitted by Taylah Barbeitos

A monster-obsessed kid turns his obsession into reality to become a leading force in prosthetics and animatronics; a story of passion, perseverance, and breaking the mold.

Oi

Submitted by Laneikka Denne

When a turbulent teen undergoes a traumatic experience, she must face her own violent bravado head-on.

Olan, Earthbound

Submitted by Bus Stop Films

Olan the alien has always dreamed of moving to Earth, but to do so he must be voted in by the audience of the planet’s biggest talk show: The Gravy Train.

Passion Pop

Submitted by Chris Elena

A woman on the eve of her 30th birthday is given a surprise gift she'll never forget.

Rage Bait

Submitted by Hebah Ali

Jess sends her relationship into murky waters after revealing the truth about her online conservation group.

River Town People

Submitted by Michelle Kaldy

After catastrophic flood waters destroys her home, a mother struggles against adversity to rebuild her life and raise her children.

Riverberi

Submitted by Pete Ireland

A young woman returns to Australia to reconnect with the memory of her recently deceased father. Having left Australia as a child, she is helped by her Uncle to navigate the various landscapes of her past.

Silent Currents

Submitted by Georgios Atsalis

A young man is consumed by grief after his sister's drowning. Struggling to move forward, he seeks solace through therapy and reconnecting with a friend.

Stone Lions, Liquid Lions

Submitted by Georgia Plantzos

An aspiring filmmaker interrogates her father, a seasoned director lost in a 13-year quest to finish his documentary about two stolen lion statues, uncovering a tender, humorous portrait of their clashing visions, shared frustrations, and the stories they’ve both left untold.

Tamah

Submitted by John Nguyen

What if the weight of your grief had no place to go? A father grapples with loneliness and unspoken secrets in the aftermath of a tragic accident.

The Colour of Black

Submitted by Melika Azimi

Mahtab, an Iranian immigrant, clings to the illusion that she can reclaim the life she lost. Battling loneliness, she finds solace in an online lover.

The Impossible Decision

Submitted by Bus Stop Films

A mother and her autistic son face an emotional crossroads as a neighbour’s call to police forces them to confront their fears, love, and the possibility of separation.

The Teapot Troopers

Submitted by Laurence Shaw

Silly soldiers defend their prized teapot from marauding desert bandits.

Tiger Cop: Project A

Submitted by Adrian Castro

Tiger and Tang shut down a major arms deal called Project A. Tracking down the infamous White Ghost, it's a final showdown with her arch nemesis.

Wander

Submitted by Rhys Cropper

Percieve the images and story how you will; this is a short film that is open to interpretation with no one intended view on the story.

Waves

Submitted by Cristobal Olguin

A young woman grapples with inexplicable sounds that disrupt her daily life, prompting a haunting quest for answers. As she navigates this, she confronts buried emotions and unresolved grief from her past.

Wolf

Submitted by Alex Kamura

Deep in the shadows of the Japanese underworld, two brothers must settle an act of great

dishonour with blood.

Wombo

Submitted by Angus Lowe

Molly and Dave argue their way through a night out camping when a wandering madman alerts them to the incoming man-eating Wombo.

Yandel'mawa

Submitted by Kate Richards

Yandel'mawa is based on the traditional D’harawal story of the Seven Peacekeepers and the Peacemaker. The story has many layers of Lore / Law; the key events centre around the Yandel’ora and was performed on the Georges River.