Audiences were treated to a diverse and thought-provoking mix of films when the 11th National and International Benalla Short Film Festival premiered at the Benalla Cinema on Sunday, 9 November.

Out of the 87 films submitted for the competition in 2025, 10 finalists were screened over two sessions for this year's festival, selected by this year's judges, experienced Australian actors Krista Vendy and Bruce Hunt-Hughes.

The 10 finalists were "Women of the Waves" (5:06), director Han Soo Yoo, Victoria; "The Pomegranate" (13:40), director Mehrdad Jalali, Iran; "Stonewall" (5:00), directors Lily Lunder and Koko Crozier, Victoria; "The Mediator" (11:45), director Roman Anastasios, Victoria; "A Culinary of Errors" (6:33), director Sherree Dawn Halliwell, Victoria; "Koala-fied to Survive" (12:17), director Hayley Warnock, Victoria; "The Story Of Angelique" (3:24), director Jessica Cross, Queensland; "Aurora Australis" (3:05), director Rene Martens, Victoria; "Hold" (14:45), director Josiah Junqueira Spencer, U.S.A; and "Human Resources" (12:03), director Joel Stephen Fleming, Queensland.

Judge Bruce Hunt-Hughes said in some ways, making a good short film was more exacting than making a feature, with each scene needing to punch above its screen-time.

"The reputation of the Benalla National and International Short Film Festival is based upon the quality of the films it has shown over the last 11 years, and all of the films exhibited in the 2025 festival conveyed a great deal in a short time," he said.

"The result was a great treat for the audience because of the high quality of films and a wide range of genres and locations."

Winning the Best Student Film ($500) was Lily Lunder and Koko Crozier for Stonewall, Best Local Film ($250) went to Hayley Warnock for Koala-fied to Survive, Best Documentary ($500) was won by Han Soo Yoo for Women of the Waves and the Kevin Perry Encouragement Award ($250) went to Rene Martens for Aurora Australis.

Winner of Best Performance ($200) went to Steve Bastoni for his portrayal of the infamous Mick Gatto in The Mediator, the Best International Film ($500) was Hold by Josiah Junqueira Spence, and the judges award for Best Australian Film ($1,000) when to Human Resources by Joel Stephen Fleming.

The People's Choice award ($250) went to Benalla-born and raised filmmaker Hayley Warnock, who backed up her Local Award won in 2024.

Bruce Hunt-Hughes said Hayley, who wrote, directed, performed and edited Koala-fied to Survive, had produced another cracker this year.

"The light-hearted mockumentary combines a quirky script with a bright delivery and sharp, comedic editing," he said.

"The people of Benalla seem to be telling us that they like to laugh.

"This is not surprising, nor does it mean we should only show comedies, because the dramas were very well received too (with The Pomegranate runner up for the People's Choice award).

"One of the unique aspects of the Benalla Short Film Festival is that it can present such a range of genres within such a short space of time."

Mr Hunt-Hughes said one of the pleasures of judging the Benalla film festival was the number of excellent entries received from around the world.

"We appreciate the time people have taken to produce films and send them out to us for our consideration," he said.

Event director Anna Smith said the 11th National and International Benalla Short Film Festival 2025 was honoured and excited to have been nominated for the Victoria Community Achievement Award for two years in row.

She said the Benalla Shorts team would like to thank the local businesses and sponsors who have contributed, and the local community for their continued support for the event over the last 11 years.

Anyone interested in finding out more is encouraged to visit www.benallashorts.com.