STAY STRANGE

OFFICIAL SELECTION | SHORT FILM SESSION

A sharp, funny and gloriously offbeat collection of shorts for anyone who prefers cinema a little left of centre.

A dark image with the words third eye in red

Stay Strange - Because normal is a myth… this short film session at BBFF2026 flips the bird to conformity and celebrates the beautifully unconventional.

The shorts in this session range from the mischievous to the soulful, the spiky to the surreal. Some spark laughter with sharp wit, others linger with poignancy or take unexpected leaps into the absurd. Together they refuse to play it safe, offering fresh perspectives and memorable moments that keep you on your toes – always with a streak of humour that makes the sting go down sharp and sweet.

Stay Strange is for the outsiders, the rebels and the curious - an invitation to celebrate the beauty of difference and the thrill of disruption.

A HAND TO HOLD

15 MIN | 2025 | DIRECTOR: PHILIP CLYDE-SMITH | PRODUCERS: GREG MILLS + GEORGIA MILLS | UK | NSW PREMIERE
An elderly woman finds herself literally attached to her deceased husband. When his hand refuses to let go after death, it leads to increasingly grotesque events.
BIDET

7 MIN | 2025 | DIRECTOR: JAMES BRYLOWSKI | PRODUCERS: JAMES BRYLOWSKI + MICHAEL MADDEN + JOHN BARRETT | CANADA
A group of best friends are hunted by a possessed bidet.
BLESSED

7 MIN | 2025 | DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: BIRUTE SODEIKAITE | CANADA
When a no-nonsense Buffalo’s long-awaited dream of fatherhood finally comes true, he find himself stumbling through the challenges of parenthood.
CHAORTIC

8 MIN | 2026 | DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: DECLAN HARDING | AUSTRALIA
An experimental surf film exploring the knifes edge between chaos and order. Always flowing between the states, never static.
DEATH'S PEAK

9 MIN | 2025 | DIRECTOR: WILLY FAIR | PRODUCER: LOUIS JOUSSELME | UK
Desperate for connection, David digs up his brother’s corpse. They ascend a treacherous mountain in pursuit of their childhood dream.
DUCKS

5 MIN | DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: AJ JEFFERIES | UK
A 3D CGI animated short film about a perfectly normal day in a park, and an important message.
HENCH

3 MIN | 2026 | DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: SHANE CROSLAND | AUSTRALIA | WORLD PREMIERE
An absurdist comedy about two old friends who unexpectedly cross paths. The casual run-in quickly becomes awkward.
I FELL IN LOVE WITH MY SLEEP PARALYSIS DEMON

7 MIN | 2026 | DIRECTOR: MATTHEW J. THOMPSON | PRODUCERS: MATTHEW J. THOMPSON + GABRIELLE ANGELONE | AUSTRALIA
Scared of commitment, Sarah pursues the most emotionally unavailable guy she can find, her sleep paralysis demon.
THE DYSPHORIA

13 MIN | 2025 | DIRECTORS: KYLIE AOIBHEANN | PRODUCER: OLIVER ELLIS | AUSTRALIA | BYRON PREMIERE
A trans woman performs a satanic ritual to get a vagina, but unwittingly invites a demonic presence which demands a terrible sacrifice.
THE PRIZE

7 MIN | 2026 | DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: PAUL MCDERMOTT + REN THACKHAM | AUSTRALIA
A real estate agent gets a sudden taste of victory, but spirals into obsession as he struggles to recapture his fleeting moment of fame.
THIRD EYE

10 MIN | 2026 | DIRECTORS: DYLAN MANGUNAY, ESKY ESCANDOR | PRODUCERS: DULCE AGUILAR + MARISTELLE TANDOG | AUSTRALIA
A sister with the Filipino “third eye” ability discovers a ghostly figure has followed her brother home.