This was our first time watching short films and we have to say they are more than what we expected.
What we noticed about the difference between short film and a regular long film is that they are only around 10 to 15 minutes, with focused storytelling. Unlike features, shorts typically focus on a single narrative idea or a specific emotional moment rather than a sprawling, multi-act plot.
The St Kilda Film Festival has been around for four decades, and in 2026, running from 4 to 14 June , proudly presented by the City of Port Phillip. It has built a long history of creativity and a culture of nourishing young talent to follow their dreams in the entertainment industry. Something we are so proud to have been a part of, even for one night. This year the Top Shorts competition received a record 960 submissions, with almost 200 short films curated from those submissions across the full festival program. We watched around 10 of them on opening night. Here is my honest account of what happened inside that room.
Walking Into the Palais Theatre: The Night Had Already Started Before the Films Did
We came into the Palais Theatre and it is gorgeous. A two-floor castle. It was so crowded and everyone dressed up formally. For one moment we thought we were in the middle of a the night in Cinderella. There were filmmakers, people in the industry, families and supporters, showed up with excitement under severely rainy weather conditions. Seeing that kind of turnout told me everything about how deeply this community cares about what they are here for.
We went inside and sat in front of a big screen. Behind me were rows of audience, upstairs too, all celebrating the creativity and enormous effort filmmakers have put into their art pieces. Opening Night at the Palais Theatre was presented by Myf Warhurst, which added a lovely touch of occasion to the whole evening.
During her welcome, she said something that I have not stopped thinking about since.
“Now, more than ever, we need to lean into our creativity, because creativity is our humanity.”
That one saying had a big impact on me personally as someone who works in the creative industry, and we believe it is going to hit hard for all people who are using AI instead of their own brains to think. It changed the way how we should show up with our own perspective, our own words, in an economy where AI could easily do my job, but if we let AI be my creative director, there is no humanity in that anymore.
SKFF Director Richard Sowada has said publicly that he believes 2026 marks a genuine turning point for Australian short film, describing the program as reflecting a level of confidence, risk and ambition he has not seen before. Sitting in that room on opening night, with that quote still in the air, it was easy to believe him.
Three Films That Stayed With Me Long After the Credits Rolled
Writers in Love: The Film That Manipulated Everyone in the Room
The first film of the night, Writers in Love, directed by Sarah Joan Wischusen and Giles, with Brandon McClelland and Roxie Mohebbi leading the cast, made the whole room laugh out loud.
The story follows two writers whose romantic entanglement takes a sharp turn when they realise they hold deeply conflicting views on the ethics of writing. As their boundaries clash, the line between storytelling and manipulation begins to blur in the most delicious way.
What the film does brilliantly is fool the audience completely. We are drawn into the girl’s life trauma, a story about parents who shot each other, leaving her alone in a big mansion, and how that pain became the foundation of her beautifully touching piece of writing. It is only at the very end that we discover both her parents are alive and the entire backstory is her imagination. Once the truth is revealed, the guy takes her story and claims it as his own life trauma.
The crowd’s reaction to the closing line said everything:
“Good writers copy. Great writers steal.”
The whole room laughed and nodded at exactly the same time, silently admitting the truth about what great storytellers can do when they decide to fully sway an audience. The film is cheeky, sharp and completely pulls you inside its own narrative before you even realise what is happening. As a first-time short film viewer, this was the moment we understood that the plot was playing very, very smart.
A Stable for Horses: The Plot Twist That Got Me
Next, the film that got us mind-blown.
A Stable for Horses, directed and produced by Davie Paterson and co-produced by Maia Thomas and Bernadette Elsouri, with Jeremy Waters, John Harding, Nicole Cardoso and Angus Farrand in the cast, is built around one of the most compelling setups of the night: a motivational speech from an uncle to his nephew, delivered entirely inside a car, right before the young man walks into the biggest moment of his life.
The story follows Remy as he prepares for what the film calls a baptism by fire. To steady him, his uncle recounts the legend of Remy’s father, a man built up as brave, larger than life and borderline mythical. The money rain scene, where the father scatters cash before getting caught, had me fully convinced I was watching a story about a hero. That was exactly the trap.
Because the father, it turns out, is the bad guy. And by the time the uncle finishes his story and both men are ready to walk out of that car and commit a crime, just like their father did, the audience has been completely played. We sat there thinking “what?” for a full second before bursting out laughing.
Baby Shower: Hugo Weaving Was Born to Be on Screen
The film centres on Heidi, whose carefully planned baby shower descends into chaos the moment her estranged father crashes the party with one request: money to cover his gambling debts. What starts as an uncomfortable family intrusion quickly escalates when the gangster hunting the father for that same debt shows up uninvited, makes his way into the party, and makes it very clear that he will not be held responsible for whatever happens next if the money does not appear.
What makes the film work so well before any of that even unfolds is the suffocating undercurrent running through the earlier scenes. The conversations between pregnant Heidi and her friends are layered with the particular kind of tension that comes from people performing care while privately judging. You feel it before you can name it. And then Hugo arrives, decides he has had enough of the performance, and everything that was simmering beneath the surface comes up at once.
This is a film that holds your attention so completely that you might genuinely find yourself wanting to lean forward and tell everyone in it to stop. The ensemble is extraordinary, the tension is built with real precision, and it reminded me once again that the short film has absolutely no room to waste and knows it better than any other format does.
For Filmmakers: The Free Day at St Kilda Film Festival 2026 That Might Change Your Direction
The Big Picture on 6 June is the festival’s free filmmaker development day presented by JMC Academy, and it is one of the most underrated offerings in the entire program. Forty-two panels, workshops and networking events across a full day, open to creatives at every stage of their career, free to attend with booking required. In a city that talks a great deal about supporting local creative industries, this is the festival actually doing it.
The Under the Radar youth competition, for filmmakers aged 21 and under, received 135 submissions this year. Screenings are $10. The work consistently surprises audiences who assume emerging means unfinished, and it is one of the best investments of an afternoon in the entire June calendar.
Should You Go to St Kilda Film Festival 2026? A First-Timer’s Honest Answer
Yes. Without hesitation.
Overall, the opening night went beyond expectations and we highly recommend you go out and see the art yourself. We know it is cold lately, but trust us, laughing with thousands of people in a glamorous Palais Theatre and showing up for young, passionate filmmakers is more fun than your chill night in with a Netflix show.
The St Kilda Film Festival 2026 is still running until 14 June across the Palais Theatre, Astor Theatre, St Kilda Town Hall and other iconic Melbourne venues. Ticket prices are straightforward: Opening Night was $35, regular screenings are $17.50, Under the Radar youth competition screenings are $10, and selected events are free with booking required.
There are still sessions worth rushing for. The Pride Without Prejudice LGBTIQ+ Showcase on 13 June celebrates the diversity of Australia’s LGBTIQ+ creative community across comedy, horror, animation and deeply personal storytelling, followed by drinks and networking at the Victorian Pride Centre. The Made in VIC sessions on 14 June close the festival with a dynamic mix of comedy, animation, drama and genre filmmaking, spotlighting the future of Australian cinema. Both celebrate the kind of diverse, fearless storytelling on full display on opening night.
Worth knowing too: the festival’s Top Shorts competition is an Academy Awards qualifying event, which means the films you are watching are not casual creative exercises. They are the real thing, made by people who have something true to say and the craft to say it in fifteen minutes or less.
Do not miss it. It only runs until 14 June and it is your opportunity to discover Australian film culture firsthand. Then come back and tell me which film is your favourite, and whether there are any interesting points you think should be mentioned that I have missed. Let me know.
Full program and tickets at stkildafilmfestival.com.au.
Your Practical Guide to St Kilda Film Festival 2026: Dates, Venues and Tickets
The St Kilda Film Festival 2026 runs from Thursday 4 June to Sunday 14 June. Opening Night at the Palais Theatre is $35, with the after-party available separately for $25. Regular screenings are $17.50. Under the Radar screenings are $10. Selected events are free with booking required.
The full program and all bookings are at stkildafilmfestival.com.au. Buy the sessions with a live element first. Then work backwards through everything else.
FAQs
Is St Kilda Film Festival 2026 still on?
Yes. The festival runs until Sunday 14 June 2026 across multiple venues including the Palais Theatre, Astor Theatre and St Kilda Town Hall in Melbourne. Full program at stkildafilmfestival.com.au.
How much are tickets to St Kilda Film Festival 2026?
Regular screenings are $17.50. Opening Night was $35. Under the Radar youth competition screenings are $10. Selected events are free with booking required.
Is the St Kilda Film Festival an Academy Awards qualifying event?
Yes. The Top Shorts competition is formally recognised as an Academy Awards qualifying event, meaning winning films can be submitted for Oscar consideration. This year the competition received a record 960 submissions.
Is St Kilda Film Festival 2026 good for first-timers?
Absolutely. Sessions run around 90 minutes to two hours, featuring multiple short films per sitting. With 2 to 5 actors per film and focused storylines, it is one of the most accessible ways to experience Australian cinema for the first time.
Disclaimer: Glamorazzi representatives Roslyn Foo & Cherry Vuong attended the Opening Night of St Kilda Film Festival 2026 at Palais Theatre on 4th June 2026, invited by Good Humans PR. All opinions are our own.
