BBFF 2026 WINNERS
The 20th edition of the Byron Bay International Film Festival has come to a close. This year's festival was a major success and featured a program packed full of excellent films, Q&As, and special events!
Festival director J’aimee Skippon-Volke said “Our awards are created to celebrate the true spirit of independent filmmaking.” As part of that tradition of celebrating and uplifting independent filmmakers this year's pool of feature film winners was drawn from films yet to find an Australian distributor. These awards represent BBFF’s efforts to bring greater oportunies and audiences to independent films and filmmakers.
This year's festival winners are:
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
She In Storms
YOUNG AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR
Jake James Whitford - The Squaters and The Fairy Princess
BEST SCREENPLAY
Hell’s Gate
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: 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.
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.
Meet The Filmmaker - Johnny Abegg
As we approach the Byron Bay Film Festival 2024, excitement builds for the premiere of Fragments of a Half Life, Johnny Abegg's deeply introspective film. In this abstract journey, Abegg explores the profound grief he feels after his father’s death. Rather than drowning in sorrow, he surrenders to the complexity of grief, discovering that through embracing loss, he can live a deeper, more meaningful life. Through his mother’s recounts and his own reflections, Johnny navigates the intricate relationship between father and son, finding solace in life’s impermanence.
Meet The Filmmaker - Sarah Ticho
As we approach the Byron Bay Film Festival 2024, excitement builds for the premiere of Soul Paint, a groundbreaking experience blending immersive technology, creative storytelling, and wellbeing. Through bodymapping, 3D drawing, and movement, participants explore and express emotions and sensations in the body, revealing their inner reality while observing others' creations. Narrated by actor and activist Rosario Dawson, Soul Paint has won awards including Unity for Humanity, StoryFutures XR Connect, and SXSW’s Special Jury Prize.
Meet The Filmmakers - Alan White and Jamie Brisick
As we approach the Byron Bay Film Festival 2024, the excitement mounts for the premiere of The Life & Death of Westerly Windina, a powerful documentary exploring the life of Peter Drouyn, a surfing legend, and his transformative journey into becoming Westerly Windina. Filmmakers Alan White and Jamie Brisick provide insight into the creation of this poignant film.
BBFF2023 Meet the Filmmaker: Leslie Brockett
John’s Robert’s first release of 2023 is a return to pop with his single ‘Danger’, a moody mid-tempo 80’s style bop. The music video offers an exciting landscape filled with pulsating sounds and throbbing rhythm, as well as Robert’s vibrant and signature vocal style that brings the music to life.
BBFF2023 Meet the Filmmaker: Hadley Perkins
Murphy is on an open road adventure with his love, Murphette, when he finds himself drawn into an infinite pursuit in order to fix his broken down bus. The road is paved, the future is in sight and it’s a race to the finish line.
BBFF2023 Meet the Filmmaker: Iván Bustinduy
Discover the mystery in ‘Animal Transport’ as a man returns to his job working for a company that transports animals. On his first trip, a cage doesn't seem to be carrying what it should. The mystery lurking in his truck pushes him to the limit of his own sanity.
BBFF2023 Meet the Filmmaker: Andrew Shaw
The darkness at the edge of a boy’s play threatens to turn him into a beast. ‘Boy/Beast’ delves into the challenging phase in boys' lives when they vigorously test limits to establish their identity. It's a narrative of a boy's anger driving him to discover his voice at any expense, uncovering the hidden grief it shields — a feminine perspective on masculinity at its core.