STELLAR

PResented BY

2025 AWARD WINNERS

BEST FILM

best production design

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

SPECIAL MENTION

AUDIENCE CHOICE

BEST SCREENPLAY

BEST PERFORMANCE

RISING STAR

The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste

direted by Pernell Marsden

production design by Pernell Marsden

Yeah The Boys

cinematography by Sam Chiplin

directed by Stefan Hunt

Gorgo

directed by Veniamin Gialouris

Die Bully Die

direted by Nathan Lacey & Nick Lacey

screenplay by Matthew Backer & Drew Weston

Danielle Stamoulos

Gorgo

Libby Segal

The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste

photos by steve brown photography

Cast and crew from the 2025 Stellar 12, gather at McClelland.

A carefully curated fusion of film,
food and beverages, art and top
quality entertainment.

• Glendyn is one of Australia’s pre-eminent film and
  television directors. His recent film credits include
  Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts, while his
  extensive list of television credits include Puberty
  Blues, Gallipoli, The Seven Types of Ambiguity, The
  Cry and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart starring
  Sigourney Weaver and Asher Keddie.

• Christian is a best-selling Australian author with four
  novels to his name, including The Nowhere Child -
  the fastest selling debut novel by an Australian
  author. Christian also writes for the screen, having
  co-written the screenplays for feature films Relic and
  Apartment 7a, whilst co-creating the Netflix series
  Clickbait.

• Madeleine Dyer is a writer and director. Her feature
  film debut 'A Savage Christmas' released on Binge
  scored a 2024 AACTA Best Indie nomination. Her
  latest directing work on comedies 'Colin From
  Accounts' for Binge/Paramount Plus and 'Austin' for
  ABC/BBC have had very successful releases.

• Annelise’s stunning film ‘Hafekasi’ was awarded Best
  Film by the judges at Stellar 2024 and has won
  awards all across the world. Her most recent short
  film is entitled Stranger, Brother - making it’s debut at
  Sundance Film Festival recently

• Darren is one of Australia’s most iconic actors, with
  a career spanning decades of unforgettable
  performances. His extensive TV credits include Colin
  from Accounts, Bay of Fires, Stateless, How To Stay
  Married, Rake, No Activity, Top of the Lake, The
  Moodys and so much more. On the big screen,
  Darren has starred in June Again, The Appleton
  Ladies’ Potato Race, Carnifex, and Save Your Legs.

Leah Popple is a production designer working across
film, television and commercials. Throughout her
career she has designed numerous award-winning
films with prolific directors both nationally and

internationally. Her recent credits include The Royal
Hotel, The Stranger and the upcoming prison drama
Inside.

• GELNDYN IVIN

• CHRISTIAN WHITE

• MADELEINE DYER

• ANNELISE HICKEY

• darren gilshenen

• leah popple

Directed by Andrew Seaton

Two astronots sit in the cockpit awaiting takeoff on a
crucial mission to Mars when one turns to the other
and admits he isn't ready for the voyage.

• ASTRONOTS

Directed by Radheya Jegatheva

A heartfelt story of unrequited love explored
through a lonely seagull struggling to accept that his
newfound object of affection is a human-operated
drone with a limited battery life.

• BIRD DRONE

Directed by Nathan Lacey & Nick Lacey

Max catches up with his high-school bully Adam, 17
years later, in a fancy restaurant where Max’s
grudge against Adam begins to manifest in horrific
ways.

• DIE BULLY DIE

Directed by Alvy Willa & Calan Mai

A short documentary about Ron West, a 90-year-old
organ player at The Majestic Theatre, the longest
running silent movie theatre in the world. Ron looks
back on his life, detailing memories of love, loss and
the magic of Hollywood's Golden Era—all seen
through the eyes of a young man carrying a secret
too dangerous to tell but impossible to keep. 'Last
Man Standing' is the swan song of a life well lived.

• LAST MAN STANDING

Directed by Nick Russell

When their family camping trip turns deadly, two
parents face an impossible choice.

• FAVOURITES

Directed by Pernell Marsden

Two best friends embark on a high-stakes game of
imagination, which takes a twisted turn and
threatens to jeopardise their relationship.

The Meaningless Daydreams of
Augie & Celeste

Directed by Jack Shepherd

On a secluded Australian estuary, as two young
brothers grapple for their neglectful father’s
approval, their usual pastime of exploring empty
holiday houses goes awry, and a violent mistake will
shatter their fragile bond forever.

• YAKKA

Directed by Tanya Modini

Vina is fading away, lost to dementia, but on a rare
outing to the ocean, she finds herself and a chance
for freedom.

• AND THE OCEAN AGREED

Directed by Stefan Hunt

• Yeah the Boys follows six young Australian men as
  they sink beers over an afternoon and well into the
  night. Emoting only through movement; lewd
  gestures, chokeholds, crowd surfs, and chugging
  shoeys, they somehow say everything without
  uttering a single word.

• YEAH THE BOYS

Directed by Julian Lucas

• A kidney could save Phil’s life, and Jeff, his
  neighbour, is willing to help—for a price. His
  demand throws Phil, his partner Ray, and his
  parents into a moral and emotional battle. Good
  Neighbour is a witty and thought-provoking
  exploration of human nature, blurred ethical lines,
  and the surprising complexities of generosity.

• GOOD NEIGHBOUR

Directed by Veniamin Gialouris

• Inspired by Ovid’s Medusa myth, Gorgo is a dramatic
  short film that tells the story of a Greek bride’s
  cross-continental journey to marry a man she has
  never met. Matchmade by her best friend Athina,
  with promises of a new future in a distant land,
  Medousa finds herself arriving in Australia to a
  strange home—and a cold welcome. Thrust into her
  new marriage, she soon discovers a monstrous
  secret that threatens to tear apart the best friends’
  vow of sisterhood.

• GORGO

Directed by Alice Yang

• Mei, an immigrant 8 y.o yearns for the type of life
  she sees on TV. A life that resembles the Western
  way of living that is so often played on her
  television.

• FINDING JIA

FESTIVAL ARCHIVE

Ashes (Georgina Haig)

Cold Water (Jay & Shaun Perry) Best Screenplay & Audience Choice

Eden Alone Surpasses Thee (Tom Chapman)

Hafekasi (Annalise Hickey) Best Film

Inspire Me (Sophie Saville)

Jia (Vee Shi) Best Performance Sel Hiew

Mud Crab (David Robinson-Smith) Best Cinematography

Myth (Alies Sluiter) Rising Star Lena Nankivel

Raising Thunder (Kaleb McKenna)

Strange Beasts (Darcy Prendergast)

Sushi Noh (Jayden Rathsam Hua)

Teach Me How To Cry (Finegan Sampson)

An Ostrich Told Me The World Is Fake... (Lachlan Pendragon)

Tarneit (John Sheedy)

Tangki (Donkey) (Jonathan Daw, Tjunkaya Tapaya)

What Was It Like? (Genevieve Clay-Smith)

Aayan (Alies Sluiter)

Hatchback (Riley Sugars)

A Definatly Happy Story (Alex Cummings)

This Town Aint Big Enough For The Both Of Us (D.C. Fairhust)

Freedom Swimmer (Agnes Patron, Olivia Martin-McGuire)

Stonefish (Megan Smart)

The Moths Will Eat Them Up (Tanya Modini, Luisa Martiri)

Voice Activated (Steve Anthopoulos)

2024

2023

390 McClelland Drive Langwarrin

• VIC Australia 3910

WHERE IS STELLAR?

Stellar Short Film Festival is held in the
stunning grounds of the McClelland
Sculpture Park in Langwarrin (about 45
mins drive south of Melbourne). The
natural amphitheatre lends itself to an
evening of spectacular short films under
the stars, amongst acres of native
bushland filled with some of Australia’s
finest sculptures.

• Your subtitle goes here

FAVOURITES - Directed by Nick Russell (Stellar 2025)

“It’s genuinely one of the​

best organised, finely curated, thoroughly
enjoyable film festivals on the calendar.​

The team at the helm are professional, down-to-
earth and share a genuine passion for cinema.”​

​

STEPHEN CURRY - ACTOR

• Jasmine and Stuart Charles are a dynamic husband-
  and-wife duo committed to establishing Australia's
  most beloved short film festival. We are passionate
  advocates for the short film format and take pride in
  nurturing and promoting the next generation of
  filmmaking talent from around the world. Our
  enthusiasm extends to highlighting the vibrant arts
  community of Frankston and celebrating the
  exceptional food, wine, and artisanal products from
  the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula regions.

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