Best of AUSTRALIAN LIVE-ACTION SHORTS Festival
New Releases
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22m
UNDER THE WATER, 10min., Magic Realism
Directed by Isabella Andronos
An eleven-year-old girl, targeted by misogynistic taunts and violence, retreats into the pages of a picture book about the sirens of the sea. As strange events pull her toward the ocean, what begins as an escape into fantasy becomes a radical act of reclamation, as she emerges with a voice sharpened by rage and ancient power.
https://instagram.com/underthewatershortfilm
PATH TO DEATH, 3min., Horror
Directed by Alexander Whitlock
A serial killer is rampaging through a hotel. Will the protagonist escape or become another victim?
TRAPPED AT 12 AM, Thriller
Directed by Aryamaan Chabba
A boy spends hours playing a video game, completely ignoring his grandmother’s repeated warnings to stop at certain time. What begins as harmless screen time slowly turns unsettling when his Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 starts moving on its own , revealing eerie paranormal signs on 31 October 2025 at exactly 12:00 AM, a. As midnight passes, the phone becomes something far more sinister, blurring the line between obsession and control. Shot entirely on a smartphone, Trapped at 12 AM is a sub-two-minute horror short that explores fear, technology, and the hidden consequences of losing yourself to screens.
TRANSENDENCIA, 7min., History/Drama
Directed by Gia Alvarez
This short film explores the impact of the Spanish Civil War (1930’s) on a young girl and how those experiences followed her throughout her life. The story is narrated through the perspective of her older self as she reflects on everything she lived through.