the Curb

One of the standout films from the 2026 batch of Flickerfest shorts has been Damien Power's docu-drama Return of the Champ. With this excellent hybrid experience, the stand up comedian turned director spins the cameras on his relationship with his brother, Will Power, a world champion and Indy 500 winner, who spins a story about a crash that he once witnessed. It's a story that Damien hadn't heard before, and within Return of the Champ he utilises that story to explore sibling rivalry, masculinity, and what it means to be vulnerable or open with one another.
If I'm painting the film to be a deep experience, the rest assured, it definitely is. What Damien has crafted here is something that will stick with me for quite a while, with the resulting film creating a fascinating and memorable nexus points of the quiet space of ocker comedy, reserved masculinity, loud cars, laughter at stand up comedy gigs, and frustration about fathers. There's a lot going on under the hood of this flick, with the film simmering along at a neat 18-minutes and creating a lasting impact.
Amplifying the vibe of the film is cinematography by Julian Panetta which is both immersive and observational in tone, pulling viewers into the Power's brothers world. Equally amplifying the tone is the score by Adrian Diery which adds a rather chill and contemplative backdrop to the whole experience.
Return of the Champ is the first film by Damien Power, and if this is the style of film we might get from him, then I'm looking forward to seeing where his filmography takes us.
This interview was recorded ahead of the films world premiere at Flickerfest 2026. Keep an eye out for it as it rolls out through the festival circuit. You'll not want to miss this one.
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Lianne Mackessy is a multi-hyphenate creative whose work spans from acting in front of the camera in films like 2025's Smoke, to writing and directing her own work, like her 2026 drama short film Tuesday Tuesday.

Making its world premiere at FlickerFest 2026, Tuesday Tuesday follows a young support worker, played by Jillian Nguyen, who spends a final day with her long-time client, played by Peter Phelps, who lives with younger-onset dementia and will be shifting into a care facility the following day.

Co-written with Emily Sheehan, Tuesday Tuesday is a tender and considered film about what it means to be a support worker, helping someone live a life where they may not even recognise you the very next day.

In the following interview, Lianne talks about her own experience as a support worker, the process of building the characters with Peter Phelps and Jillian Nguyen, while she also talks about her work at Bus Stop Films.

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Addition is the latest film from director Marcelle Lunam and actor Teresa Palmer. It's a screen adaptation of the novel by Toni Jordan, telling the story of Grace, a woman who counts everything because numbers hold her world together. Yet, when she meets Seamus (Joe Dempsie), her world is thrown upside and her ordered life becomes disordered.
In the following interviews, recorded ahead of Addition's release in Australian cinemas, Nadine Whitney talks to both director Marcelle Lunam and Teresa Palmer about making the film and respectfully presenting neurodivergence on screen.
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Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value is a man who is searching for connection with the two daughters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) he effectively abandoned when he split from their just deceased mother.
The once storied director turns up at the funeral for his ex-wife and one of the first things he does is to reclaim a set of speakers from the home (a longstanding character in itself) that has housed members of his family for generations. Gustav is opinionated, arrogant, funny, and awkward. He’s written a screenplay for Nora, who is now a respected theatre actress, to star in but she doesn’t want anything to do with it or him.
The quiet truth is that Nora and Gustav are two similar souls who both struggle with connection and loneliness. Art is their form of expression but it can also be a burden they don’t know how to negotiate.
Nadine Whitney speaks with Stellan about how Gustav sees Nora and longs for her to return the recognition.
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In unison, director Óliver Laxe & composer Kandang Ray have created one of the most intense and heart racing cinematic experiences in recent years with their Cannes award winning film Sirāt (winning the Jury Prize). Playing out like a modern version of Wages of Fear with a missing daughter and a rave in the desert supplanting that films explosive cargo, Sirāt is as intense as experience as any other that follows Luis (Sergi López) and his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) as they ask a swathe of desert ravers where their family member is. Óliver throws viewers into the fray from the first frame, utilising Kandang Ray's thumping electronic music to provide a sonic backbone to the anxiety provoking experience. That's a tone that never lets up throughout the films 114 minute runtime, ensuring that by the time credits role you'll be pushing down an oncoming panic attack.
For some, that sensory experience of tension driven filmmaking isn't exactly fitting with the idea of a 'good time at the movies', but Sirāt isn't a film that intends to make you feel good. Instead, Laxe is looking to expand upon the current state of the world, leaving just enough space for the viewer to draw their own meaning from the metaphor that Laxe and Kandang Ray are spinning.
In the following interviews, Nadine Whitney talks to director Óliver Laxe about the landscape and use of music in the film, while in the second interview, Andrew F Peirce talks to composer Kandang Ray about building that sonic profile for the film. Both interviews were recorded ahead of the film receiving two nominations at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, picking up noms for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Score.
Sirāt arrives at Perth Festival's Lotterywest Films from 19 January to 25 January 2026. It will receive a wider release thanks to Madman Entertainment from 26 February 2026.
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