Freshly Squeezed Shorts

Aquaphobe is the story of Miriam, a young woman who used to be a cat. After unexpectedly turning into a human one night, Miriam is suddenly faced with the challenges of the human world. When she embarks on a romance with Alex, her former owner and an aspiring pro swimmer, she's forced to confront her paralysing fear of water or risk losing her relationship.

Patricia, AKA ‘Honey’, a timid, Canadian backpacker tries her luck dancing in an Australian strip club. Struggling to find a friend, let alone a fortune, opportunity presents itself when she least expects it.

A long-married couple heads to the beach to spend some time together. But what should be a nice day out connecting to each other only amplifies just how little they now share in common. What can you do when the doubt starts to creep in?

A young girl struggling to connect answers the call of a phone box and finds friendship in the mysterious voice on the other end of the line.

There's just one person standing between June Clearwater and becoming a Pony Club horse riding champion.

A gothic allegory about the way we treat victims and survivors of violence and abuse.

A young woman who is plagued with intrusive thoughts must decide what will ultimately cost her more: following the often self-abusive made-up “rules” or the imaginary but detrimental consequences of ignoring them?

Two sisters deal with the death of their mother, conflicted by overwhelming feelings. The colours of grief are visually represented on screen as the characters come together in an attempt for closure.

Mariana, a Portuguese woman who migrated to New Zealand, finds her life woven with Tui, her Māori neighbour. Upstream is a film about leaving and living, and all the threads in between.

English, Māori and Portuguese with English subtitles

Aíma has a dark secret & debilitating agoraphobia. To alleviate her loneliness she immerses herself in a tantalising online world where she meets and connects with a like-minded stranger. She's not afraid of what the outside world could do to her, but rather, what she might do to it.

The film plays out in the fascinating space between 'dead' and 'alive' as a young woman is haunted by someone she once knew. In this subtle exploration of grief, sadness comes with moments of light - fragile flickers that can renew hopes in the world, even if just for a moment.

A girl must leave her home town, her family, her friends. Everything she remembers that was horrible -- how the town was so small, everyone knew everyone – becomes the things she will miss the most.

Stage 4 deals with the feelings we experience in many situations in life: the intolerance for the unknown. As the COVID-19 pandemic brings fear, anxiety, and stress, the days and times become confusing, the spaces smaller, darker, and routines heavier.

Awkward small talk and lost love, Niamh meets up with her ex-boyfriend to give his belongings back, only to realise some things mean more to her than they do to him.

A girl says goodbye to a friend, in space.

A crafty granny faces off the zombie apocalypse with nothing but her wits and knitting skills.

Tâm wakes up in a strange hotel room. As she pieces together the night before, she realizes she is not alone.

Note: Contains a depiction of sexual violence

Determined to be as sexually experienced as her friends, a teenage girl takes matters into her own hands.

In this devastating depiction of the complexities of relationships, objects are both lines in the sand and triggers for memory as a woman wrestles with suburban normalcy post-breakup. Using mixed media to capture its protagonist’s fragmented mental state, and bolstered by a frenetic, clanging score, this film is a raw and unhinged ride inside a woman's mind.