Flickerfest Sydney 2025

Overview

Another year has come and gone, and Sydney's cinema community is ramping up for the return of one of its biggest events: the beloved short film festival Flickerfest. If you're not impressed by the slate of Hollywood's full-length film lineup anymore, then you need an evening at this festival of short films, which happens to be Australia's only Academy® Qualifying International short film festival.

Returning to Bondi Pavilion for the 34th year running, Flickerfest runs from Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 26 in Sydney before it packs up to tour screens across Australia. The festival program is comprised of 200 top films (handpicked from over 3500 entries) that will delight audiences while vying for prestigious awards like the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, the Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, the Panasonic Lumix for Best Australian Short Film and the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary - all of which are Academy® qualifying.

Flickerfest prides itself on promoting talented, diverse filmmakers of all ages and walks of life. Elements of the program like Rainbow Shorts celebrate the work of LGBTQI+ storytellers; FlickerKids gathers the best of the family-friendly program; FlickerUp showcases the work of young filmmakers and Short Laughs keeps the audience laughing with a focus on hilarious comedy titles.

All this, as mentioned, takes place in the stunning Bondi Pavilion. A great location like this means you can enjoy a meal or a swim in Bondi before the show. Then grab a drink from the festivals bar before you take your seat in the comfy indoor air conditioned theatre or outdoors in the Pav's palm tree-lined courtyard and enjoy a night of films under the stars with a drink in hand.

After wrapping up its Sydney stint, Flickerfest will embark on its annual nationwide tour, appearing in over 40 venues across the country throughout 2025.

The 34th Flickerfest International Film Festival will run from Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 26. Tickets and the full 2025 program are available now. For more information, head to the website.