BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Rae Choi
When musician Indiana learns that she’s losing her hearing, grief around her mother’s death is unearthed. Experiencing auditory hallucinations, she finds that only in surrendering to the waves of grief - both real and metaphorical - can Indiana begin to heal.
In anticipation of Some Kind of Blue’s screening at BBFF2026, writer-director-producer Rae Choi takes us along the deeply personal journey of bringing the poignant story to life.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Stephen Dupont
Two of Australia’s most recognised actors and a musical wizard. A troubadour trio of conscientious vagabonds. They bring their ‘badass gospel’ country music to the most remote and marginalized people in Australia. That Half Barbaric Twang is a spiritual epic road movie for the love of music and country.
Director Stephen Dupont let us in on the colourful characters of the band members, his journey from photography to filmmaking, and what he hopes BBFF audiences will take away from the film.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Shannon Harvey
When journalist/filmmaker Shannon Harvey set out to understand why mental illness is rising among young people, she found a more confronting question: what if much of this suffering could be prevented? Raising Superheroes investigates that question through worldwide research, building an evidence-based case for prevention and for changing the environments in which children grow up.
Ahead of the film's BBFF2026 screening, Shannon talks to us about refusing the usual crisis narrative, the moment that changed the film, and why knowing the evidence was no longer enough.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Jake Shannon
Based on a true story, we follow Jenny, a middle-aged woman in remission going for an MRI scan. However, before the scan, Jenny discovers that she can’t take off her erotic piercing. This leads to her finding an unlikely confidant in the MRI technician as they both try and find a solution to this tricky situation.
In an exclusive interview with BBFF, writer-director Jake Shannon reveals the true events behind the film’s story, his affinity towards absurdism and what he’s looking forward to sharing with BBFF2026 audiences.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Stanley Cook
Coming from the heart of emerging filmmaker Stanley Cook, My Friend Artemis is a poignant story of friendship reunited and a tribute to the persistence of nature to endure in an ever-changing world.
Ahead of the film’s Byron Bay Premiere, The 17-year-old filmmaker from Mullumbimby speaks to us about his passion for the natural world and journey into filmmaking.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Endre Kvia
When a terminal cancer diagnosis forced filmmaker Endre Kvia into a confrontation with fear, mortality and the parts of himself he had kept hidden, the result was Crack Me Open. Making its World Premiere at BBFF2026, the documentary turns Endre’s own experience into a wider investigation of fear: how it shapes us and what can happen when we stop running from it.
Endre opened up to us about vulnerability, filmmaking, and why this is only the beginning of his exploration of fear.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Harvey Zielinski
After being mistaken for his identical twin by his estranged, dying father, Jake finds himself unexpectedly welcomed into a version of masculinity he has never been offered before. Written, directed by and starring Harvey Zielinski in the dual roles of Jake and Sam, Sweet Milk Lake is a funny, romantic and deeply personal film about the compromises we make to be seen.
We spoke with Harvey about building the film from a transmasculine perspective and the joy of finally handing it over to an audience.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Vic Sarin
Following lighthouse keeper Seamus Óg MacGrianna in post-war Ireland, The Lightkeeper is a haunting story of grief, love and the search for a way forward.
For director and cinematographer Vic Sarin, the film grew from meeting a real lighthouse keeper and discovering that the man responsible for guiding ships through the darkness was, in many ways, the one who needed guidance himself.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Dominic Allen
Following Australian-Italian art historian Marco and his young daughter Lucia on a summer journey through Italy, TIBER is a quiet story of memory, grief and the connections that remain with us.
For director and producer Dominic Allen, the film grew from his years living and studying in Rome, where he became fascinated by the way the city holds its past in the present. What began as a feeling about memory, art and the enduring nature of place eventually found its shape in a father, a daughter, a small gold car and the Tiber River.
BBFF2026 Meet the Filmmaker: Alix Livingston
Following Sonya Takau and her family, Ganibarra explores the deep relationship between Dingo, Country and First Nations culture, offering audiences a story of kinship, cultural knowledge and connection.
Co-director and producer Alix Livingstone first met Sonya in 2022, and what began as a conversation about Dingo protection grew into a friendship, collaboration and ultimately a film.
BBFF at 2026 AACTA FESTIVAL
BBFF’s Festival Director J'aimee Skippon-Volke chaired the AACTA Festival’s 'Grit and the Art of Doing It!' panel - a deep dive into the discipline and resilience required to turn creative practice into long-term progress.
She was joined by an incredible lineup of industry heavyweights: Jason Baird (JMB FX Studio), Natasha Pizzica (EndemolShine Australia) and Mike Mosallam (Shadowbox Studios).
BBFF2025 Winners
The Byron Bay International Film Festival announced its 2025 award winners, officially closing the festival’s 19th edition after a strong program of screenings and events.
Winners were recognised for outstanding craft, originality and impact across the program.
A Treacherous Country wins BBFF Screenplay Competition
Submissions to the Byron Bay International Film Festival’s 2025 Screenplay Competition came from around the world - from Turkey to Canada - with a particularly strong showing from the United States. While some entries leaned on familiar tropes or prose-first thinking, the top scripts stood out for their cinematic craft and producibility.
Several of the strongest works, including among the top three and shortlist, are Australian-set stories written by authors based overseas.
BBFF2025 Meet the Filmmaker: Neo Sora
Set in a near-future Tokyo, the film follows a group of teenagers as they confront surveillance, social prejudice and the constant threat of natural disaster, while finding solace in friendship, rebellion and music.
Sora, son of the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, has drawn on both personal experience and wider social anxieties to craft a story that is both intimate and political.
BBFF2025 Meet the Filmmaker: Benedikt Just
The Heart Revolution blends poetic imagery and groundbreaking science, challenging us to rethink what we know about the human heart. As it makes its Australian Premiere at the Drill Hall Theatre, we spoke with director Benedikt Just about the winding journey that led him to filmmaking, the seven-year process of bringing this documentary to life, and why he believes the heart holds the key to understanding what it means to be human.
BBFF2025 Meet the Filmmakers: Alison Cornyn and Heather Greer
Filmmakers Alison Cornyn and Heather Greer have long worked at the intersection of storytelling and justice. In Hilda O. vs. The State of New York, they follow 81-year-old Hilda Onley as she seeks justice for the abuse she endured while incarcerated at 15. Silenced for decades, Hilda finally finds a path forward after the 2019 passage of New York’s Child Victims Act.
We spoke with the co-directors about their creative process, how they first connected with Hilda, and what her story reveals about resilience, visibility, and the long arc of justice.
BBFF2025 Meet the Filmmaker: Ben Sturgulewski
Ben ‘Sturge’ Sturgulewski grew up on a remote island in Alaska’s Aleutian Chain, sparking a lifelong passion for wild places and the people who inhabit them. His award-winning short films have screened globally, earning acclaim for cinematography, editing, and storytelling. He’s worked with Patagonia, YETI, Arcteryx, Red Bull, and others, and his ski film VALHALLA was named "The Greatest Ski Film of All Time" by Outside Magazine. Champions of the Golden Valley is his first feature documentary.
BBFF2025 Meet the Filmmaker: Anna Trichet-Laurier
Anna is a producer and director whose work weaves together environmental urgency and human resilience. With award-winning projects spanning National Geographic (Save This Shark, Save This Rhino), Stan (Misunderstandings of Miscarriage), and Channel 7 (Here for the Horses), Anna has built a career bringing powerful real-world stories to the screen. Her independent debut feature, Nansie - a deeply personal, warm and moving portrait created with journalist Adelaide Miller - affirmed her voice as a storyteller to watch, earning recognition at Sydney Film Festival and the Asian Academy Creative Awards.
BBFF2025 Meet the Filmmaker: Caleb Graham
Caleb Graham is a Sydney-based filmmaker and cinematographer whose work is grounded in honesty, intimacy and human resilience. With two ACS Gold awards and international credits including Green is the New Black (BBFF2021) and Blue and Gold (BBFF2024), Caleb has established himself as a rising voice in documentary storytelling. His latest film, Beyond the Break, follows para-surfing world champion Joel Taylor, capturing a story of resilience, identity and community.
New BBFF Award Honours David Stratton’s Legacy
The Byron Bay Film Festival is proud to introduce the David Stratton Best Documentary Award, celebrating one of Australia’s most respected champions of cinema. This new accolade will honour the most outstanding feature-length documentary in competition, from Australia or abroad. David Stratton’s remarkable career as a critic, festival director and broadcaster helped shape Australia’s cinematic landscape, introducing audiences to powerful stories from around the world.