The Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) has announced the 13 finalists for its prestigious Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Award, dedicated to screen storytellers under 25. Drawn from a record 85 entries nationwide, these finalists represent the most exciting voices of a new generation, from teenagers still at film school to early-career professionals already shaping the national cinema landscape.

The Finalists

• Tallulah Louis Remond-Stephen (21, NSW)
A writer and performer whose interest in intimacy and gendered power informs her debut short. In A Hundred Bucks, Tallulah turns her sharp eye on performance, exploitation and the blurred lines of agency.

• Aliyah Knight (23, NSW)
Aliyah is a Black and queer storyteller whose darkly funny, politically charged work explores cannibals and Catholic guilt in her film Consume.

• Cleo Helena Baldwin (22, VIC)
Based in Melbourne, Cleo is drawn to dark humour and off-beat storytelling. Her finalist short In The Cold of the Sun is a blackly comic murder mystery, but her eye is firmly on friendship, absurdity and human frailty.

• Max Cadzow-Smith (21, SA) & Hugo Parrish (20, SA)
Long-time collaborators from Adelaide, Max and Hugo are fascinated by film form and structure. With Lateral, they plunge audiences into a labyrinth of shifting space, reflecting their playful yet rigorous approach to cinematic experimentation.

• Lavanya Wickramasinghe (20, VIC)
A shy teenager reconnecting with her Sri Lankan heritage, Lavanya’s cultural identity is central to her storytelling. Mother Tongue draws from her lived experience, exploring family, belonging and the quiet strength of tradition.

• Chloe Kemp (23, NSW)
Interested in relationships under pressure, Chloe examines how people communicate when emotions boil over. Her finalist short Say places two characters in a confined car journey, echoing her focus on tension, choice and resilience.

• Koko Crozier (20, VIC) & Lily Lunder (21, VIC)
Emerging from Melbourne’s creative scene, Koko and Lily are collaborators who share an interest in perception and perspective. Snap explores the thin line between observer and observed: a theme they intend to continue investigating in future projects.

• Roman Anastasios (24, VIC)
Already building a profile with gritty, character-driven stories, Roman turns his lens to crime and negotiation in The Mediator. His interest lies in power, loyalty and the theatre of confrontation.

• Milla Rovere (19, NSW)
Milla channels her experiences of adolescence into poetic, melancholic tales. The Tinsel Years – in which a young woman fakes her own funeral – reflects her fascination with the performative ways people seek connection.

• Tadji Ulrich (22, VIC)
With a background in photography and music, Tadji brings a layered sensibility to filmmaking. His finalist work The Wake delves into grief and estrangement, but at its heart is a young artist interrogating how families navigate silence.

• Luca Ferraiuolo (21, NSW)
Inspired by memory, love and the bonds of brothers, Luca’s Wake explores presence and absence with lyrical restraint. His work demonstrates a commitment to stories of intimacy and emotional truth.

The award will be judged by Paul Weigard, CEO of Madman Films, whose long-standing contribution to Australian film distribution and production brings industry insight and recognition to the prize.

The award will be presented on stage by Brendan Burke, General Manager of Mercato on Byron – a BBFF Major Partner and long-time supporter of film and the arts – alongside Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke.

Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke said:
“Our Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Award finalists reflect the courage, creativity and distinctive voices of a new generation of storytellers. Each of these 13 filmmakers demonstrates that the future of cinema is in passionate and capable hands.”

The finalists’ films will screen at Palace Byron Bay on Sunday 19 October at 4:00pm, with the winner announced during the festival’s Closing Night celebrations.

Now in its 19th year, BBFF continues to champion independent voices from around the world while spotlighting the talent rising here in Australia. For more information and tickets, visit www.bbff.com.au