Filmmakers from New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Western Australia have been recognised at the 2026 CinefestOZ Short Film Awards, selected from more than 300 entries.

Filmmakers from across Australia have been recognised at the 2026 CinefestOZ Short Film Awards, with Mates taking home the festival’s $5,000 Best Short Film prize.

The winners were announced in Busselton on Friday night as part of CinefestOZ Film Festival, which is running across Western Australia’s South West until Sept. 6.

Hosted by Australian actor and comedian Pete Rowsthorn, the awards recognised seven winners from 22 finalists, drawn from more than 300 submissions from around the country.

Written and directed by Rory Pearson, Mates follows two old friends who reunite in an inner-west Sydney terrace, where tensions beneath their friendship begin to emerge. Pearson co-wrote the film with Marcus Aldred-Traynor, who also produced and stars alongside Roy Molloy.

Aldred-Traynor also received the Best Performance award for his work in the film.

The $2,500 Best Indigenous Short Film prize went to Maŋutji (Catching Eyes), from Northern Territory filmmaker Siena Mayutu Wurmarri Stubbs. Set in the Aboriginal community of Yirrkala in Arnhem Land, the love story follows two teenagers negotiating their feelings for one another while observing cultural boundaries and kinship.

Stubbs wrote and directed the film, with Libby Collins producing and Cindy Rostron and Denzel Dhurrtjiyurrtji Marika starring.

Western Australian filmmaker Cooper Clark received the $2,500 CineWest Best WA Short Film prize for The Love Nub. Written, directed and produced by Clark, the film centres on a ventriloquist who sells her dummy to a mime living in a cluttered share-house whose residents are each searching for something seemingly impossible to find.

Victorian filmmakers Harrison Rook and Tea Van de Burgh shared the Best Directors award for The Happy Place. The film follows Elsie, a mother of a three-year-old boy who escapes the turmoil of her home life by watching a late-night talk show, before being forced to confront whether she should leave her increasingly volatile husband.

Damon Herriman received the Best Screenplay award for Candy Bar, directed by Nash Edgerton. The short follows a young girl who becomes convinced that a man standing in a candy bar line looks like her father. Herriman stars alongside Andrea Demetriades and Zumi Edgerton, with Serena Paull and Nash Edgerton producing.

Cameron McNess rounded out the winners, taking Best Animation for Good Luck.

CinefestOZ CEO Cassandra Jordan said the festival had experienced a significant increase in both the number and quality of submissions to its short film program this year.

“Short filmmaking is where fresh ideas come to life, emerging voices are discovered and powerful stories that may not find a home in longer formats have the opportunity to connect with audiences,” Jordan said.

“This year’s program highlighted the remarkable diversity and creativity of Australian filmmaking, spanning thought-provoking social perspectives, distinctive voices and deeply personal stories.”

The winners were selected by a jury of Australian industry figures including Ingrid van den Berghe, Tegan Higginbotham, Claire van der Boom, Dario Russo, Tim White, Suzanne Worner, Ngaire Pigram, Harvey Zielinski, Kristina Ceyton and Arlo Dean Cook.

More than 60 short films are screening across this year’s CinefestOZ program. All seven award-winning films will screen together as part of the Short Film Winners program at Orana Cinemas in Busselton on Sunday, Sept. 6.

The 2026 CinefestOZ Film Festival runs through Sept. 6.