On this page - Five Films for Freedom 2025:
DRAGFOX | IF I MAKE IT TO THE MORNING | NGGAK!!! | WAIT, WAIT, NOW! | WE'LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY


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With gorgeously textured stop-motion animation and a fabulous fairy tale story, this short is beautifully designed in bright colours. It's buoyant and funny, and it also has a very serious thematic undercurrent that feels unusually timely for the world at this moment in time. It's such a lovely little film that we never want it to end.

It opens as the young Sam (voiced by Gale) is sneaking around in his house at night, stealing a dress from his sister room. A fox is watching this through the window, leaps in and steals the dress, leading a chase to the attic where he introduces himself as Dragfox (McKellen). He then gives a full-on musical performance extolling the joys of "being free just being me" (sung by de Campo). As Sam begins to understand, the song becomes an epic duet.

McKellen brings a terrific mischief to Dragfox, noting that "I've never been too fussed about what I can or cannot do". And the script also notes that this has nothing to do with dressing up as a girl; it's about eliminating barriers to let your hidden inner diva go wild. This is a wonderful reminder that we should never hide the truest versions of ourselves. And if we're worried that this might be a mistake, or we might get it all wrong, Dragfox reminds us that you can't get being happy wrong.

30.Mar.25

Writer-director Andre Shen has a sharp attention to detail in this short, which is beautifully shot from a teen's perspective. Set around Chinese women in the United States, the film spends a lot of time on meal preparation, with a delicious array of dishes. And while the story is understated and a little enigmatic, it's also very clear about how these women feel.

As she travels across America touring universities, teen Ziyi (Hu) is struggling under the shadow of her larger-than-life mother. Their last stop is New York, where they are staying with her super-cool aunt. Thinking that living here might allow her the freedom to be herself, she works up the nerve to speak to her aunt about her sexuality, but ends up saying she was joking.

The film is gentle and subtle, with skilful direction and cinematography that's warm and observant. It's performed with plenty of personality by actors who create remarkably vivid characters as the story heads in a direction we don't expect. This is a thoughtful, moving reminder that compassion and support often come from where we least expect them.

30.Mar.25

Offhanded and funny, this short is presented as it plays out on a mobile phone screen. And while it's lively and often very funny, it's also important and thoughtful, cleverly assembled to convey a real-life situation in a strikingly effective way. The theme is parental pressure and the collision between religion and sexuality, and because this film comes from Indonesia it has an extra strong kick. The title is Indonesian for "Not!"

On the screen, we can see two friends playing a videogame as a loved up couple getting married on a dreamy tropical island. Then a call comes in, and Sekar (Hamadi) answers. It's her mother Amak (Siregar) informing the 28-year-old that she has arranged a husband. Sekar lives away from home in the city, openly gay to her friends, but she tells her mother that she needs more time to get her career going. She is also questioning whether this is actually God's will, since her mum and dad are separated.

Amak admits that she knows that Sekar is a "rainbow person", and she's disgusted that she wants to do unnatural things. She also tries to apply guilt that she gave birth to her and is now too embarrassed to go to a mosque. But while Sekar is visibly upset by this, she genuinely wants to make her family proud. And she does have support from her father (Filisa). The way this plays out is so naturalistic that the actors never seem to be performing. And the quick pace, sparky humour and big emotions ring very true wherever you live.

30.Mar.25

From New Zealand, this short has a lively, witty tone that's colourful and broadly comical. It's also unusually joyous, with its likeable characters, sparky dialog and more serious themes playing out through the narrative. Based on an autobiographical experience, writer-director Ramon Te Wake has a terrific eye for detail, filling the screen with personality, music and engaging energy.

In 1992, the nerdy-cute Sam (Aitchison) is visiting best pal Alex (Lyon-Elzen), whose parents (Hoto and Cotton) are getting dressed up to go out for the night. Watching the Miss International competition on TV, the teens can't wait to have the house to themselves. And once they do, they change into glittery outfits for their own lipsync competition. But as they are living their biggest fantasy, Alex's parents return home early and catch them. And as Alex struggles to explain, they simply say, "Actually, show us."

Amusingly, Alex's parents essentially get into drag to go out, from mum's curlers to dad's Maori king outfit. And their loving, cool attitude infuses the film. Meanwhile, Alex and Sam dream of one day when all of this could be real, and they could stand up to the haters outside ("I'll lipsync them to death!") and feel free. The film is a blast of positive energy, and it's an important reminder that if parents accept their kids, they won't have to merely fantasise about living their best lives.

30.Mar.25

Filmed over two years, this documentary explores how a group of footballers finally found people like them who accepted them. It's the story of TRUK United, the pioneering a transgendered football club that has become a safe haven at a time when bigotry is on the rise. The film is briskly paced and full of life, echoing a group that proudly proclaims: "We are people, not an ideology. We just want to live our authentic selves."

This is a mix of fly-on-the-wall documentary footage and interviews with people who have larger-than-life personalities, so it fairly bursts with their passion as they prepare for the first match the TRUK teams play against men's and women's league teams on Transgender Day of Visibility. Led by Lucy, the teammates are full of life, and they believe that finding each other and being happy about themselves is far more important than winning a game. Their joy is infectious.

As Lucy says, this team is about no longer being invisible. Each person on the teak has experienced pain, rejection and violence just for being trans. They note that the press and social media are particularly bad about attacking trans people, so children are bullied out of school. But as the young Emily and her mother Emma note, this team provides a place where she belongs. And all of the teammates are delighted to get a chance to play, regardless of age or gender. So while it's a bit rough around the edges, the film is remarkably urgent and life-affirming.

30.Mar.25