Following critical and audience success in 2024, the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) has partnered with SBS On Demand and DocPlay again this year to showcase a selection of curated student documentaries on both platforms.
Fifteen short documentaries produced by AFTRS Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production students will premiere on SBS on Demand and six short documentaries produced by AFTRS Master of Arts Screen: Documentary students and alumni will screen on DocPlay.
One of the films, Chinatown’s Last Emperor, won the Best Australian Documentary Film award at the Doc.Sydney festival and has been submitted for the student category in the Oscars®. Chinatown’s Last Emperor was written and directed by Tyler Kang and produced by Paris Piccolo, both AFTRS BA students. A second film Reel Equality, written and directed by Meisha Lowe and produced by Jasmine Russell, was nominated for Best Short Documentary at the Sydney Women’s International Film Festival; and Empress, directed by Lucien Jones and produced by Chhayly Moek, both AFTRS Masters students, premiered at this year’s Mardi Gras Film Festival.
For the SBS On Demand showcase, AFTRS Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production students were invited to submit short-form documentaries that explore perspectives on contemporary Australia and tell authentic, diverse stories, often from parts of our society underrepresented on screen.
SBS On Demand and World Movies programmer Alex Walkden said: “SBS On Demand is thrilled to continue our ongoing partnership with AFTRS to deliver a collection of bold, boundary-pushing, and distinctly Australian stories. These short films don’t just entertain – they inform, provoke, and challenge expectations with purpose and originality. Each project is a testament to the creativity of emerging Australian documentary makers, and we’re constantly inspired by the distinctive voices and fresh perspectives they bring to the screen. This year’s showcase is no exception – a vibrant lineup that demands attention and promises impact. We’re proud to champion the next generation of storytellers and to offer their work alongside our slate of world-class documentaries and series.”
DocPlay Executive Rufus Richardson said: “As Australia’s only dedicated documentary streaming service, DocPlay is thrilled to once again partner with AFTRS in bringing this collection of entertaining and informative short-form documentaries to Australian audiences. The quality of emerging talent in this showcase stood out to us from the start, and the filmmakers have explored a diverse range of topics and issues with empathy, compassion and insight.”
AFTRS Discipline Lead, Documentary, Richard Welch, said: “The dynamic world of documentary filmmaking means it’s crucial that AFTRS provides real world, direct-to-audience pathways that empower students to be future-ready and equipped to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the industry. Collaborating with Australia’s dedicated documentary platform DocPlay on the latest edition of the AFTRS First Cut Strand, means the incredible short documentaries from the next generation of Australian documentary storytellers will be available to audiences across the country.”
AFTRS Discipline Lead, Production, Darren Chau said: “I am truly honoured to have mentored and supported these top emerging storytellers in the creation of their documentaries and incredibly excited to be amplifying their fresh, unique voices through this wonderful partnership with SBS, providing distribution pathways to audiences via SBS On Demand – the leading platform for showcasing world class diverse stories.”
AFTRS Documentary Showcase is available to stream free from June 26 on SBS On Demand HERE and on DocPlay HERE.
The films screening on SBS on Demand are:
Can I touch Your Hair?
An exploration into the relationship between black women and their hair, delving into its cultural significance and celebrating its power as a symbol of identity and self-expression.
Writer – Saskia Faniis
Producer – Chiara Hochstadt
Director – Saskia Faniis
Cinematographer – Christina Booth
Production Designer – Poppy Grant
Editor – Alejandro Burns
Sound Recordist – Luca Yi
Chinatown’s Last Emperor
Three long-time community members of Sydney’s Chinatown navigate the area’s changing landscape from its golden past to the unrecognisable present.
Featuring – Susan Pang, King Fong and Stanley Yee
Writer/Director – Tyler Kang
Producer – Paris Piccolo
Cinematographer – Gus DeVylder
Editor – Zachary Viney
Music – Sienna Kang and Luca Yi
Heart and Neo-soul
As the cost of living rises and venues close, Yasmina Sadiki and her band navigate being independent musicians in the modern age, revealing the vital role of community in their musical expression.
Featuring – Yasmina Sadiki and her band
Writer/Director – Spencer Dejanovic
Producer – Elle Charalambu
Cinematographer – TOHKYOH
Editor – TOHKYOH
Music – Yasmina Sadiki, River Langford, Marley Tupou Rooney, Lorenzo Benatiro and Ally McMahon, Jacob Turl
Sound Supervisor – Christina Booth
Lines In The Sanctuary
Marine researcher David Booth unveils the critical state of Sydney’s waterways with a plea for future generations to embrace and protect our fragile marine environment.
Featuring – David Booth
Writer/Director – Tyler Pease
Producer – Alex Maxwell
Cinematographer/Colour Grader – Harry Peters
Editor/Sound Designer – Charles Varcoe
Sound recordist – Carl Edillo
Additional footage courtesy – Nays Baghai, Seasik, Rashevskyi Willfalcon, Ifootage, Taryn Elliot, Lotus Studio, Tom Fisk, Pond5 and Pexels
Original Score – Oliver Hook
Living In Limbo
A Hazara filmmaker seeks to raise awareness for his community the Hazara people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, who are seeking refuge and permanent residency in Australia and have been forced to live in limbo for years on end.
Writer/Director – Zabi Malik
Producer – Meisha Lowe
Cinematographer – Marcel Mai
Editor – Jasmine Russell
Sound Recordist – Sean Cheng
Over The Rainbow
Amid a silent epidemic, Janet Muir shares her experience with early pregnancy loss, highlighting the healing power of connection and conversation in overcoming shared struggles.
Featuring – Haylee Muir, Janet Muir, Samantha Payne and Cath Runyon
Writer/Director – Akaysha Morgan
Producer – Skye Netting
Associate Producer – Haylee Muir
Cinematographer – Emily Weeks
Editor – Keona Lau
Music – Thomas Balshaw
Sound Designer/Recordist – Jaxx Loui
Reel Equality
An emerging female filmmaker advocates for gender equality in the film industry alongside industry leaders, through representation, diversity and allyship.
Writer/Director – Meisha Lowe
Producer – Jasmine Russell
Cinematographer – Tuan Mai (Marcel)
Editor – Byron Luckey
Sound Recordist – Annika Willcocks
Boom Operator -Annika Willcocks
Screen Music/Composer -Frances Cameron
Revolver
Eileen Perkins reflects on the events of the “black siege” at the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in 1974, a near-fatal hostage situation that hides a powerful secret.
Writer/Director – Charles Perkins
Producer – Finbar Murphy
Cinematographer – Gus DeVyledr
Production Designer – Madison Mccreath
Editor – Finley York
Music – Tim Jayatilaka
Sound Designer – Bailey Lock
Street City
Step into the world of Street City, the Western Sydney Street football community that brings a fusion of South American flair and Aussie grit to the concrete pitches of Sydney.
Director – Awdesh Al-Zebaree
Producer – Tyler Kang
Cinematographer – Kyan Paltoft
Production Deaign – Christina Booth
Editor – Vincent Vangi
Sound Recordist – Luke Huang
Composer – Luca Yi
Sweet Like Honey
Experience a day with ‘Ah Honey’ an Australian indie band as they showcase their creative grind, raw energy and passion attempting to make their dreams a reality.
Writer – Kristin Beukes
Director – Jordan Fox
Producer – Kavyaa Gohil
Cinematographer – Alejandro Burns
Editor – Amelie Twyford
Sound Designer – Haylee Muir
That’s How We Roll
Sharing their experience with neurodivergence, the nerdy role-players of How We Roll tell us a bit about the tabletop gaming hobby.
Featuring – Angelus Morningstar, Apostoli Baker, Conan John French, Jessica Clark, Steve Dee and Tara Chambers
Director – Jemma Tainsh
Producer – Louis Vahl
Cinematographer – Byron Lucky
Production Design – Jack Jordan
Editor – Luca Yi
Music – Luca Yi
Sound Supervisor – Arlo Di Fazio
The Dirty Half Mile
The Dirty Half Mile takes audiences through Sydney’s Kings Cross in the late 20th century, exploring stories of the performers who defined its iconic nightlife.
Featuring – Tully Gwyer and Ayesha Kazan
Writer/Director – Madison McCreath
Producer – Charles Varcoe
Cinematographer/Editor – Joseph Brocklehurst
Production Designer – Aliyah Issa
Sound Recordist/Boom Operator – Sebastian Smith
Threads of Identity
Three Sydney-based creatives reflect upon the experiences and influences that shape personal style, exploring the intersection between fashion and individual storytelling.
Featuring – Joshua Williams, Sara Camara and Robin Sahyoun
Director – Poppy Grant
Producer/Editor – Louis Cheval
Cinematographer – Una Sawers
Sound Recordist/Designer – Xavier Cutts
First AD/Production Designer – Amelie Twyford
Assistant Editor – Keona Lau
Trust
Trust focuses on women and non-binary people’s lived-experience of housing insecurity in the Blue Mountains and highlights a local led initiative encouraging grassroots action to empower our communities.
Writer/Director – Tegan Geelie Rose
Producer – Chiara “Chess” MeRers
Cinematographer – Skye NeTng
Production Designer – Sophie Blanch
Editor – Louis Cheval
Music – Tegan Geelie Rose
Sound Designer – Zach Viney
Wog
Wog is a documentary that interviews multiple generations of European-Australians to explore the contrasting impacts of the word ‘wog’.
Writer/Director – Paris Piccolo
Producer – Alex Maxwell
Cinematographer – Alec Tanner
1st AD and co-writer – Jack Jordan
Editor – Vincent Vangi
Associate producer – Timothy Sanford
Music – Tim Jayatilaka
Sound recordist – Aryan Gorasia
The films to screen on DocPlay are:
Waves of Change: Saving Sydney’s Sharks
One woman’s AI-powered mission to challenge the stigma surrounding sharks and restore Sydney’s endangered marine ecosystem.
Featuring – Sarah Han-de-Beaux and Charlotte Elliot
Directors – Anneke De Bruin and David Priestly
Producer – David Priestly
Cinematographer – Liam Coleman
Editor – Daniel McGarry Gallagher
Music – Gabriel Wright
Underwater Cinematography – Sarah Han-de-Beaux and Sam Blandy
Additional Underwater Footage – Jemma Craig
Additional Cinematography – Anneke De Bruin and David Priestly
Colourist – Liam Coleman
Music Mix Engineer – Greg Wise
Re-Recording Mixer – Nathan Turnbull
Don’t Call it a Comeback
A masked wrestler fights to reinvent himself and reclaim his place in the ring before time runs out on his career.
Featuring – Matthew Stewart
Director/Producer – Lucien Jones
Cinematographers – Sarah Whyte, Yordan Yankov and Lucien Jones
Editor – Eduardo Castro
Music – Alexandra Farr
Colourist – Yordan Yankov
Re-Recording Mixer – Nathan Turnbull
Empress
An intimate exploration of a Sydney-based Asian artist’s journey to create and celebrate queer spaces through the transformative power of their art.
Featuring – Dyan Tai, Emma Wong and Wen Pei Low
Director – Lucien Jones
Producer – Chhayly Moek
Cinematographer – Sarah Whyte
Editor – Zac Loy
Music – Darcy Archer
Colourist – Sarah Whyte
Music Mix Engineer – Greg Wise
Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer – Nathan Turnbull
Performance Music – Dyan Tai
Red Spice
A brother and sister duo cook up their father’s traditional recipes to reconnect to their heritage and unite the local Hungarian community in Australia.
Writer/Director – Michelle Kaldy
Producer – Ricky James
Cinematographer – Anna McGirr
Editors – Chimene Khoo and Sophie Daulby
Sound Supervisor – Sharay Armfield
Music – Christina Bowden
Colourist – Anna McGirr
Re recording Mixer – Sharay Armfield
Music Recording and Mix Engineer – Greg Wise
Solo Violin – Charlie Landy
Messenger of the Bees
An urban beekeeper’s mission to reconnect the corporate world with nature through her rooftop hives.
Featuring – Renata Gilbert
Producer/Director – Anneke de Bruin
Cinematographers – Georgia Connick and Liam Coleman
Editor – Waseem Iqbal
Music – Luke Horsley
Additional Cinematography – Anneke de Bruin
First Assistant Camera – Yordan Yankov
Colourist – Georgia Connick
Music Mix Engineer – Greg Wise
Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer – Nathan Turnbull
Shane
A dazzling individual from Western Sydney defies gender norms, addiction and loss to shine in his bold, wild and insightful existence.
Featuring – Shane Inskipp and Michelle Large
Director – Alex Vaughan
DOP/Editor/Colourist – Annapurna Disha Mukherjee
Editor – Andy Finn
Composer – Genevieve Patrick
Music Mixer / Re-recording Mixer – Greg Wise
