Image: Behind the Scenes of 'Why do you dance? by Baro Lee, Gerard Cabellon and LoneFish Productions, Photo by Justin Cueno
Blacktown is going to the iconic Sydney Opera House to showcase an incredible line-up of Western Sydney filmmakers for the 2025 Blacktown Short Film Festival!
A Muslim woman makes a splash at her local pool, dark entities of Filipino and Cook Island folklore and a dance teacher isolated from his homeland and struggling to make ends meet, all feature in the 2025 Blacktown Short Film Festival Premiere to be held on 30 October.
Three Western Sydney filmmaking teams were selected to commission a short film that encapsulates the culture and diverse community of Blacktown City.
Brad Bunting, the Mayor of Blacktown City said, "The Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is a strong celebration of creativity, talent and storytelling from the heart of Western Sydney. It's inspiring to see our local filmmakers share their stories on one of Australia's most iconic stages. Blacktown City Council is proud to support a program that nurtures local voices and showcases the creative energy that defines our city."
Building on that success, the Festival at the Sydney Opera House reflects a major milestone for Western Sydney's creative sector.
It brings local stories from Blacktown to one of the nation's most recognisable cultural stages, aligning with the NSW Government's Plan for Western Sydney Arts, Culture and Creative Industries 2025–2028.
The Plan, led by Minister for the Arts John Graham, highlights the Opera House as one of the State's key cultural partners supporting the growth and visibility of Western Sydney creatives. This event exemplifies the intent to "put Western Sydney on bigger stages," strengthening the region's reputation as a source of bold, world-class storytelling.
Now in its 4th year the program welcomes the newly appointed Associate Curator, Chidebube Ube to work alongside the ongoing Festival Curator Vonne Patiag. While supporting the commissioned filmmakers with industry knowledge, they've helped shape the program to resonate with a local audience and selected a mix of curated films to be screened alongside the commissioned films.
Vonne Patiag, Festival Curator of the 2025 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival said, "This year's Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is proving to be the most ambitious program of films we've ever commissioned. We're working with three new exciting filmmaking teams who are creating distinct worlds that audiences can fall into, and for the first time we're leaning heavier into genre filmmaking with more horror and comedies in the mix."
Chidebube Uba, Associate Curator of the 2025 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival said, "This year's filmmakers are incredibly talented practitioners who will provide audiences with unique perspectives and insight into the lived experiences emerging from Western Sydney, with a special focus on Blacktown. Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is playing a vital role in building a passageway for local filmmakers to enter the wider Australian film industry, while highlighting Blacktown as a hub of social, cultural, and creative growth."
Commissioned Program Films:
Why do you dance? A Filipino migrant teaches street-dance to children after school to support his mother back home, but after class, a student's question forces him to confront the cost of leaving.
Production Company: LoneFish Productions
Directors/Writers: Baro Lee and Gerard Cabellon
Producers: Milly Olrog and Olivia Jeavons
Burqini Body A Muslim woman makes a splash at her local swimming pool with her 'scandalous' modest swimwear. Though she sticks out like a sore thumb, she is determined to take up space, by any means necessary.
Production Company: Praxis Pictures
Director/Writer/Editor: Hebah Ali
Producer: Mohammad Awad, Rizcel Gagawanan and Zac Perry
Third Eye A broody young brother returns home one night, unaware that something has followed him. His overbearing sister, who possesses the Filipino spiritual ability known as the "third eye", sees what he cannot, a monstrous figure looming behind him.
Directors/Writers: Dylan Mangunay and Esky Escandor
Producer: Dulce Aguilar
Shortwave Program Film:
Silver Tongues Exploring the Avaiki (the underworld) and the Momokē, who are water people. They are innocent at heart but follow the dark desires of Miru (the Goddess of the underworld). Momokē lure souls of those who are almost ready to leave the 'enua (the land) and enter into the next life. This work weaves together Cook Island Ura (dance) and spiritual storytelling to tell the darker mythology of the Pacific, seeing the lines between the afterlife and our living.
Direction and Performance: Morgan Hogg
Videography and Gaffa: Mark Mailler
Sound design: Anouk
Video synth: Róisín Spencer
Learn more about the program and book your tickets here:
https://blacktownarts.com.au/event/2025-blacktown-shorts-film-festival/
