Bringing Oscar Qualifying short films to dazzle our screens, Flickerfest is back on its national tour, heading to Palace Electric Cinema Canberra on Thursday 16 May.

Celebrating 33 years, Flickerfest remains Australia’s leading Academy Qualifying and BAFTA Recognised short film festival. Presenting an A-list programme, they will showcase the Best of Flickerfest Shorts programme highlights, hand-picked from a record 3,400 entries.

Featuring nine Australian (including Canberran!) and European Union short films, sit back and enjoy a first look at the hottest short films across one big night of cinematic excellence.

Doing Canberra proud, Skye Leon, a Lardil Yangkaal and Worimi filmmaker who grew up in Canberra presents her graduation film, To Be Silent. A thought-provoking contemporary First Nations short documentary, the short has been screened at festivals at home and abroad. Beautiful Things, a story about a struggling poet, recovering addict, resentful matriarch and a fractured family also features local talent, with cinematography and hair and makeup by Benjamin Ling and Emily Taylor.

Other Australian highlights include Cold Water, starring industry legend Bruce Spence (Mad Max), winner of AFTRS Best Original Script at Flickerfest 2024 by Jay Perry, who studied film at the University of Canberra, and the winner of the Panasonic Award For Best Australian Short Film (Academy Qualifying), the stunning choreographic short Yeah The Boys, which takes a hard yet heartfelt look at Australian male drinking culture, beautifully enhanced by an original soundtrack from Melbourne group, The Avalanches.

Meanwhile, from Europe, you can expect a contemporary Netherlands black comedy and Flickerfest winner of Best EU Short I Am Not A Robot, the winner of the Best EU Rainbow Short at Flickerfest, the German film Slow Down The Fall, and winner of the Oscar-qualifying Best International Short Film at Flickerfest 2024, German/Danish short A Study Of Empathy.

Giving a diverse taste of all Flickerfest has to offer, tickets include the chance to hear from the filmmakers before the screening and a complimentary drink as you watch the films.

To read more about the short films and purchase your ticket, visit Flickerfest.