2023 Award Winners
We are thrilled to announce the award winners for Australia's Top Short Film Competition in the 2023 St Kilda Film Festival. Thank you to all our Awards Partners for rewarding and recognising our award winners.
Best Short Film
The Best Short Film award is proudly supported by the City of Port Phillip.
Under the Radar - Best Youth Short Film
The Best Youth Short Film award is proudly supported by the City of Port Phillip.
Craft Award
Best Director
The Best Director award is proudly sponsored by the Australian Directors’ Guild.
Best Documentary
The Best Documentary award is proudly sponsored by Shaun Miller Lawyers.
Best Animation
The Best Animation award is proudly sponsored by JMC Academy.
Best Actor
The Best Actor award is proudly sponsored by Chameleon Casting.
- Joshua Mehmet, Mud Crab
- Jack Riley, Incarnation
- Ben Gerrard, Svengali
- Gael Ballantyne, Good Times and That’s Okay
Best Young Actor
The Best Young Actor award is proudly sponsored by Profile Creative.
- Ella Harrold, The Lost Crystal’s in Jessica’s Room
- Sheldon Pickett, The Lost Crystal’s in Jessica’s Room
- Calvin Black, Tarneit
- Antanhe Zewdu, Tarneit
- Federico Gazzilli, By Lucas Wilson
- Lena Nankivell, MYTH
Best Achievement in Cinematography
The Best Achievement in Cinematography award is proudly sponsored by the Australian Cinematographers Society.
- Jaclyn Paterson, Mud Crab
- Valentino Filimon, SUGA RUSH
- Tania Lambert, MYTH
- Bernard Winter, Incarnation
Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking
The Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking award is proudly sponsored by Post Lab IO.
Best Achievement in Screenplay
The Best Achievement in Screenplay award is proudly sponsored by the Australian Writers’ Guild and Cinema Nova.
- Grace Tan, Lucky Peach
- Neer Shelter, Perspectives
- Elizabeth Packett, Tarneit
- James Robert Woods, Svengali
Best Achievement in Editing
The Best Achievement in Editing award is proudly sponsored by Roar Digital and Adobe.
- James Taylor, Mud Crab
- Geoff Hitchins, Svengali
- Cal McLean, Hash Browns
- Tania Nehme, MYTH
Best Achievement in Sound Post-Production
The Best Achievement in Sound Post-Production award is proudly sponsored by Music and Effects, and the Australian Screen Sound Guild.
- John Kassab, Breathe
- Jared Plant, Lee Yee and Bernard Winter, Incarnation
- Nathan Turnbull and Andrew Thomas Dean, Mud Crab
- Folklore Sound, OUR HAUNT
Best Original Score
The Best Original Score award is proudly sponsored by House of Marley.
- Zhao Shen, Famished Shell
- Jason Kunwar, Marionettes (and the virtue of a lotus flower)
- James Mountain, Mud Crab
- Rainbow Chan, Butter: A Love Story
