Australia’s best feature films on show in the South West as prestigious film festival comes to region

Some of Australia’s best feature films will be on show in the South West later this year with a prestigious film festival coming to the region. The 2025 CinefestOZ Film Festival will be making its way through Busselton, Bunbury and Margaret River from August 30 to September 7, showcasing four Australian films all in the running to win $100,000. Two of the films were shot in Western Australia, with crews made up of South West talent, with Zac Hilditch’s horror flick We Bury the Dead, filmed in Albany and featuring Daisy Ridley, Brenton Thwaites and Mark Coles Smith, and Zoe Pepper’s comedy Birthright featuring Travis Jeffery, Maria Angelico and Linda Cropper, which was filmed in Mundaring. Shalom Almond’s documentary, Songs Inside is also in the running, exploring the story of a group of incarcerated women who have signed up to learn an instrument and write their own songs as part of a music program inside the Adelaide Women’s Prison. Lastly, Nicholas Clifford’s time travelling comedy One More Shot has Busselton’s own Sean Keenan on the screen and will be in the running. Alongside the star studded cast, We Bury the Dead and Birthright showcase more local South West talent. We Bury The Dead has Dunsborough’s Scott Mills fill the role of on set production assistant and Susie Opie the art department coordinator, with Collie’s Chelsea Solomon the production office assistant and Margaret River’s Mark Boskell the films first assistant director, Imogen Elliott with the art department attachment and Riely Stammers-Hozier as the casual production runner. Birthright’s crew hosted Balingup’s Sophia Armstrong as production coordinator, Bunbury’s Blake Thomson the art casual, Collie’s Carmel Fox the film’s production assistant and Margaret River’s Kylie Clifford the art director and Tyler Whitcombe was the costume assistant. CinefestOZ board chair Margaret Buswell said she was thrilled to share the four finalists for the 2025 Film Prize recognising the excellence of Australian feature films. “Each of the films showcase distinctive Australian stories brought to life through clever and compelling storytelling and exceptional talent, both in front of and behind the camera,” she said. “We are delighted that these standout films will have their WA premiere at CinefestOZ, where audiences can enjoy them alongside visiting film talent and the official Film Prize Jury.” Early Bird tickets are already on sale, including exclusive access to screenings at the new Reading Cinemas in Busselton, filmmaker Q&As, after-parties at the Busselton Pavilion and the festival’s highly anticipated In Conversation dining events. Those will be at at the Hilton Garden Inn, and the Film Prize Jury Brunch will take place at Shelter Brewing Co while the Film Prize Celebration is on September 6. The full festival program will be unveiled on July 17.