SHORT FILMS 2026
GROUNDED
▶ Fri 6. 11. 8 pm, Lucerna cinema
New Zealand 2026, animated, 4 min.
Director: Chris Callus, Adam Reynolds
As dawn breaks, a bloom of ladybirds take to the sky… all except for Bug who can’t fly. Helped by a sympathetic spider, she wrestles against an invisible weight that is keeping her stuck on the ground. Told without words, Grounded is a tender animated short about the feeling of being stuck and the quiet power of emotional support.
TUESDAY TUESDAY
▶ Sat 7. 11. 5:30 pm, Lucerna cinema
Australia 2024, drama, 15 min.
Director: Lianne Mackessy
Cast: Peter Phelps, Jillian Nguyen, Di Adams
A young care worker spends one final shift with her longtime client living with early-onset dementia. She must face the complicated feelings that come with letting go.
BŐR
▶ Sat 7. 11. 8:30 pm, Ponrepo cinema
Australia 2024, drama, 15 min.
Director: Dylan Ferenc Nyerges
Cast: Nora Goldbach, Akos Armont
Displaced by the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Anna is haunted by guilt after reluctantly renouncing her Hungarian citizenship in Australia.
LION ROCK
▶ Sun 8. 11. 5:30 pm, Lucerna cinema
New Zealand 2025, 16 min.
Director: Nick Mayow, Prisca Bouchet
Cast: Anton Falstie-Jensen, Mia Blake, Jonno Roberts
On a beach road, a teenage boy and his mother hit something with their car. She insists it was nothing, but as the night unfolds the boy begins to doubt her story. Lion Rock was inspired by a winter’s drive through the eerie, winding roads of Auckland’s Waitākere Ranges. Hidden, isolated homes dot the jagged landscape — family homes full of silent mystery.
KURĪ
▶ Mon 9. 11. 7 pm, Edison Filmhub
New Zealand 2025, 13 min.
Director: Ana Chaya Scotney
Cast: Keporah Torrance, Niwa Whatuira, Lachie Oliver-Kerby
Twenty-nine year old drifter Murikapua, aka Kurī, hasn’t been back home to Te Urewera since she was bitten on the face by a dog as a child. After her older brother Gabriel unexpectedly finds her, she must go back home to the hills for her dad’s tangi (funeral). A short film exploring themes of grief, anxiety, avoidance, and love.
THE BRIGHTNESS
▶ Tue 10. 11. 7 pm, Edison Filmhub
New Zealand 2025, 13 min.
Director:Freya Silas Finch
Cast: Emile Boyle, Jodie Rimmer, Gideon T. Smith, Angus Stevens
A group of teenagers reunites to spend time with the grieving mother of their friend, one year after his passing. The late arrival of Jed sets the solemn evening awry as his friends try to deal with his unpredictable behaviour. When Jed takes things too far, the fragile peace is disrupted and everyone is forced to confront feelings of resentment, guilt and unresolved grief.
ACT OF PROTEST
▶ Wed 11. 11. 7 pm, Edison Filmhub
Australia 2026, documentary, 8 min.
Director: Zebedee Parkes
A poetic documentary capturing the collective spirit and energy of activism through striking visuals, archival photos, an original jazz score and experimental film forms. It explores the emotional spectrum of protest amid global crises, offering a sensory experience that invites the audience to think about what it means to be able to freely dissent in today’s turbulent world.
BEYOND MEASURE
▶ Thu 12. 11. 7 pm, Edison Filmhub
Australia 2024, animated, drama, comedy, 8 min.
Director:David Ferrier
A man discovers he is physically shrinking, forcing him and his wife to navigate life’s ups and downs with increasing creativity and adaptability as his stature diminishes.