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 took home a combined $40,000 worth of cash and prizes across 14 categories.
Presented by City of Port Phillip, this year’s winners were announced at the St Kilda Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony on Sunday 15 June, hosted by Sammy J at St Kilda Town Hall.
St Kilda Film Festival 2025 Award Winners:
Best Original Score:
Winner: Greg Dombrowski – The Horn
Best Achievement in Sound Post-Production:
Winner: Wiaan van der Westhuizen – Pliers
Best Achievement in Editing:
Winner: James Ashbolt – Unstoppable
Best Achievement in Screenplay:
Winner: Kat Dominis & Mariana Rudan & Damian Walshe-Howling – Unspoken
Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking:
Winner: Motherhood in the Colony
Best Achievement in Cinematography:
Winner: Andrew Gough – A Thousand Odd Days
Best Young Actor:
Winners: Libby Segal & Frankie Gillespie McKay – The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
Best Actor:
Winner: Steve Mouzakis – Hiraeth
Best Animation:
Winner: I’m Not Your Heroine
Best Documentary:
Winner: I’m Not Your Heroine
Best Director:
Winner: Riley Blakeway – A Thousand Odd Days
Best Innovation Award:
Winner: I Like Long Walks on Parramatta Road
Best Youth Short Film:
Winner: Diced Peaches in Light Syrup #10 Can
Best Short Film:
Winner: The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
This year, SKFF set new records for the number of films screened and received. The Top Short Films Awards are 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 staring Tim Robbins and Meg Ryan)
- Film Programmer Spiro Economopoulos (Moving Story Entertainment)
- City of Port Phillip First Peoples Programs Lead Fred Gesha.
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,” said Caroline Pitcher, CEO VicScreen.
The 2025 St Kilda Film Festival ran from Thursday 5 June to Sunday 15 June 2025. For more information, visit: www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au for details.
Image: The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste (film still)