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Yesterday Island / MIFF

Fiona Crombie is Ruby in Yesterday Island / MIFF

In this award-winning Australian indie comedy, an unsuccessful writer, stuck living the same day on repeat on a subantarctic island, must find another unwitting victim to take his place.

Amos, a failed novelist with a failed marriage, arrives on a remote southern island in full midlife-crisis mode. But his escape soon becomes a prison: he discovers he’s trapped infinitely reliving the same day, complete with the same dead birds, weird board games, tinned spaghetti and unexplained murders. The only way to get off this hamster wheel is to trick someone else into replacing you, and Amos’s estranged ex-wife, Gemma, seems like the perfect candidate – but her arrival complicates things, and Amos is forced to confront his past.

Having landed a veritable alphabet of international film festival prizes – an Audience Award at Austin, Critics’ Prize at Brussels and Best Feature at Cleveland – Yesterday Island is a true crowdpleaser, a small-budget but exceptionally shot achievement in inventive worldbuilding. It also functions as a blackly funny parable about moral responsibility, evoking Greek myth to put its own unique spin on classic time-loop films like Groundhog Day, Palm Springs and One More Shot (MIFF 2025). Boosted by a game cast including acclaimed stand-up Ivan Aristeguieta, up-and-coming comic performer Florence Noble, and veteran character actors David Fane (Eagle vs Shark, MIFF 2007) and Francis Greenslade, Yesterday Island is a film you’ll want to revisit over and over again.

Digital Originals continues to demonstrate its role as a platform for fresh Australian storytelling and emerging creative talent.

Designed and delivered in partnership with Screen Australia to uncover original and compelling stories for SBS and NITV, the initiative provides a structured pathway into the screen industry, equipping emerging creators with skills, industry connections and resources to develop bold ideas into audience-ready, short-form scripted series. 

Five teams from the 2025 cohort (Digital Originals 6) have moved through to the next phase of the initiative and have been selected to receive development funding for their projects.

Include: • Bump Into You: After a steamy encounter with Deaf British traveller Frankie, hard of hearing James begins to explore a romantic connection that challenges his identity and family expectations. Team: Nathan Borg, Sam Martin, Scarlett Koehne and Jessica Smith.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream / Sport For Jove

Larissa Turton is Hermia-Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream/ Sport For Jove.

Here is the scroll of every man’s name which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude…” 📣

Meet the magical cast of our brand new production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. We can’t wait for you to see them at work, bringing to life some of Shakespeare’s most beloved characters.

Directed by Sydney Theatre Award nominee, Miranda Middleton (Bright Star, 2025), this uniquely Australian production is filled with whimsy, wit and wily bush magic. 🧚

A perfect first encounter with the Bard —
or a fresh adventure for the already enchanted.

Louis Prandolini is in Dear Life / Stan

A woman, struggling to get over the death of her fiancé, finds comfort in seeking out the recipients of his organs, triggering a tangled chain of connection. Starring Brooke Satchwell, Ryan Johnson, Eleanor Matsuura and Ben Lawson, The Stan Original Series Dear Life premieres New Year’s Day, only on Stan.

Jamie Lynch is in The People vs Robodebt / SBS

Powerful and unflinching, The People vs Robodebt is an emotionally charged political thriller which unravels the devastating human story behind one of Australia’s greatest political scandals. The full three-part docu-drama series will be available to stream on SBS on Demand on 24 September, airing weekly on SBS. In the long hot summer of 2016, the federal government’s new Online Compliance Intervention scheme roared like a bushfire through Australian society. This automated welfare system soon became known as “Robodebt” and over the next three years, almost half a million Australians were hounded to pay back debts they did not owe. The system was later found to be inaccurate, unethical and illegal. Some people lost their savings, their homes, their marriages and a few lost their lives. A brave handful of Australians witnessed what was happening and took a stand. In The People vs Robodebt many of these people tell their full story for the first time.

AACTA Young Stars- Top 50 Finalist / Sienna Iaria

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), in collaboration with Casting Networks® and the Casting Guild of Australia (CGA), today announce the top 50 finalists for AACTA Young Stars: National Youth Casting Call. The Australian-wide initiative aims to uncover the next acting talent and provide tangible opportunities to help the next generation of performers realise their dream.

The initiative attracted an exceptional pool of aspiring actors from across the country with a number of high calibre submissions received, highlighting the eagerness of young Australians to make their way into the industry. After a competitive selection process, the AACTA Young Stars judging panel narrowed down the list to the top 50 who have demonstrated outstanding potential and promise in their respective performances. The finalists were determined by an esteemed panel of judges which includes top international Casting Directors, Thea McLeod, Anousha Zarkesh, and Nikki Barrett.

Seth Kannof is in Goolagong / ABC

Goolagong is based on the inspiring true-life story of world champion tennis player Evonne Goolagong, one of Australia’s most revered sporting heroes. From her Wimbledon debut in 1970, to becoming the first mother to win Wimbledon in the modern era in 1980, Evonne’s story is one of family, love, loss, and an unwavering spirit. In the time of burgeoning black rights and women’s lib, Evonne proved to herself, her people, and the world that she was a true champion. Stream Goolagong from Sunday 4 January 8:20pm on ABC iview and ABC TV.

Patrick Phillips is in Madama Butterfly / Sydney Opera House

Fire. Water. Beauty. Darkness. When love is lost, what is left behind?

Cio-Cio-San dreams of a bigger life. Pinkerton is a man who sees only a butterfly, something he can capture and keep. His callous pursuit ripples into sweeping tragedy.

Puccini’s eternally popular Madama Butterfly is a profoundly moving experience. The yearning score soars to incredible heights (Cio-Cio-San’s dazzling ‘Un bel di’) and offers moments of exquisite stillness (the ‘Humming Chorus’).

Moffatt Oxenbould’s award-winning production is timeless. Tiny candles glimmer among floating flowers in a real onstage moat. Sliding paper panels reveal and conceal the secrets everyone is keeping. Sumptuous, colourful costumes are inspired by Japanese traditional dress. It’s a serene, stunning backdrop for the unfolding emotional turmoil.

Val Athanassiou is in Dear Life / Stan

A woman, struggling to get over the death of her fiancé, finds comfort in seeking out the recipients of his organs, triggering a tangled chain of connection. Starring Brooke Satchwell, Ryan Johnson, Eleanor Matsuura and Ben Lawson, The Stan Original Series Dear Life premieres New Year’s Day, only on Stan.

Cheng Tang is Liam in Sunny Nights / Stan

SPRAY TANS, BLACKMAIL AND EXPLODING CROCODILES, ​
​WATCH THE TRAILER FOR THE
​​ STAN ORIGINAL SUNNY NIGHTS,
​PREMIERING BOXING DAY

Alongside Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden, supporting cast includes Rachel House, Jessica De Gouw, former professional rugby league footballer Willie Mason in his debut role, and a special appearance from Patrick Brammall.