Short Films
MOST FEATURE FILMS AT BBFF ARE PRECEDED BY SHORTS.
Short films precede most features at our festival, curated to expand the narrative and create a richer experience within a single session. World-class, surprising, and often boundary-pushing, these works frequently take you somewhere unexpected. Many of the filmmakers will be in attendance to present their films and connect with audiences.
If you’re looking for a particular short film, use the search bar above, or scroll down to see them listed in order of their screening dates.
For those who love short films, we also present four special sessions that bring these works into the spotlight: Stay Strange, a celebration of the wonderfully unconventional; Through the Local Lens, a showcase of the Northern Rivers’ own creative talent; Shaping Waves, Shaping Worlds, stories exploring our relationship with nature, culture, and the choices that shape both; and the Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Competition, where emerging voices take centre stage.
Black Scarf
On the last work day of a teacher at a small deserted village, his students ask for something which changes everything.
The Incredible Paulk
Aaron Paulk has found a way to navigate uncertainty — but this time, the path forward is less clear than ever.
The Worth of Things
At their mother’s deathbed, an emotionally repressed woman tries to force her newly therapised sister to forget the past and say goodbye like a normal person.
Granite Highway
Set in a forgotten Australian country town, Alice, a lonely motel receptionist has a strange encounter with a guest amidst the disappearance of a young woman.
Lizzie
When two housemates ask their third bat shit housemate to move out – the tables are turned in a diabolical way.
Radiant & Sombre
A stark black-and-white vision where sound collides with shadow, Radiant and Sombre channels tension and transcendence in a hypnotic interplay of light, rhythm, and emotion.
Somewhere Only We Know
A young girl returns to her forest hideout with something special for a new friend.
Light In Dark Places
Surf teacher, Beau has a near fatal accident, triggering an out of body experience where he is forced to confront what he has been running from his entire life.
Like a Broken Record
When a coastal girl finds a mysterious vinyl in her hands, she is unaware of the havoc it will bring to her and others. A vinyl that will change and end lives
Haunt Me
In her whimsical universe, Charlie finds solace in daydreams and the imaginative worlds she creates in her journal.
Our Salvage Project
A documentary exploring the Shedding Community Workshop’s bold initiative - tackling waste, sustainability, and climate resilience through hands-on community action.
Not in the Mood
Stan is just back from a long day at work and is looking forward to a peaceful evening.
Sienna and the Sit
SIENNA AND THE SIT is a story about the lengths to which we go to avoid our pain, the community that helps us through to the other side, and ultimately our own inner strength. S
The Wild-Tempered Clavier
An artist insists on playing despite the world's disasters.
A story told through a filmmaker’s art, inspired by Bach’s timeless music and painted on rolls of toilet paper in an homage to the tradition of drawing directly on 35 mm film.
Ali
In a coastal town, women are not allowed to sing.
A teenager joins a singing competition for a chance to move to the city, while hiding his true voice in a sinister way.
Teranga - Road To Dakar
In this adventure documentary, we invite you to travel from France to Dakar, an iconic journey that reveals so much more than stunning landscapes.
Huddy: Beyond the Board
Hudson Walker is a 10-year-old with extraordinary talent and drive, having achieved remarkable feats on a skateboard in just five years.
Charged Water
Simon, a German living in Ballina, became a key developer for an eFoil startup and is now seen as a pioneer in the sport.
Omni
A teenage girl creatively counters the inappropriate advances of a stranger only to spark judgement and jealousy among her peers.
Hilda O. vs. The State of New York
At 15 years old, Hilda Onley was sexually abused at the NY State Training School for Girls, where she was incarcerated in 1958.
We Had Fun
Bordeaux, 1987, Christmas Eve. Siblings, left to their own devices, see snow for the first time and put themselves in danger.
Fireline
FIRELINE tells the story of an inmate firefighter desperately trying to call home while battling a wildfire with his crew.
Things That Matter
Filmed during the aftermath of the 2022 Lismore flood disaster, this is an intimate series of interviews with the filmmaker's friends and community members. Reflecting on objects and things of significance leads to moments of self discovery and a constant surrender to the force of nature.
Bőr
A Hungarian mother struggles to adapt to her new life in 1950s Australia as intense homesickness drives her further away from her young son and husband.
More Than Human
Having survived a bushfire crisis, Dany asks us to look around and become present to all beings who are living and dying together.
They Kill By Night
With reports of a serial killer on the loose, a curious woman locked out of her roadside motel room turns to the stranger next door for help.
Strange Attractor
In a future dystopian Australia, nature’s hard-man, Lyll, disrupts the domestic enclosures of three unsuspecting victims connecting them with an ancient rite of passage deep within the Australian outback.
Rubber Ducky
Attempting to recover a confiscated rubber ducky, a young mother incites a violent brawl with her daughter’s teacher..
