Saturday, 16 May, Leichhardt Town Hall, 1pm - 5pm - Free Entry
Join us for Town Halls Alive: Leichhardt Town Hall Film Showcase, celebrating local creativity and storytelling on screen.
Showcasing Leichhardt Town Hall as the new home of film, this event presents some of the Inner West's best in an exciting film showcase. Enjoy screenings of new works and a panel discussion focused on exploring some of the benefits and challenges of shooting in the Inner West. This is an opportunity to see this venue in action and engage with the future of filmmaking.
It is open to community members, filmmakers, creatives and film lovers of all ages. Whether you’re passionate about screen culture or simply looking for an inspiring night out, we’d love to see you there.
Program
Welcome to Country by Deborah Lennis
The Young Creatives films showcase the incredible breadth of talent emerging from the Inner West. From brave self-reflection to bold animation, music videos, documentaries, and comedy, these works capture a vibrant community alive with creativity and deeply engaged in the art of filmmaking.
This Best of Young Creatives Film Showcase brings together standout entries from the past three years of the Awards. Featuring films from all age groups, 12–15, 16–18, and 19–25 the program celebrates the diversity, originality, and powerful voices of the next generation of filmmakers.
| Title | Filmmaker |
| Dog From Hell | Sharni Lee, Ellen Soffe, Nathan Rathsam |
| Romeo vs Juliet | Niran Chaleunthong |
| Not a Documentary About Jorts | Beatrice Nell, Jake Frazer |
| Body | Sara Lacanale |
| River | Alec Compton, Maud Destoop |
| Habbit the Rabbit | Niran Chaleunthong, Joshua Danger Cresp, Finn Carly Garbett, Morgan Booth, Peter Edney, Dominic Fleming |
| Ego | Jack Moran, Ruby Blinkhorn, Euan Hart |
| Sandwich | Dutch Young |
| Communication | Indianna Thompson, Lily Stoll |
| Hottest Day on Planet Earth | Ira Friedberg, score by Joel Wilkonson |
| Anthems For a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl | Anoushka Keswani, Yevin Yung |
| Rescues | Yarno Rohling, Matt Shepherd, Tom O’Meara |
Mayoral Speech from Darcy Byrne
The CineFlux 2026 program presentation will consist of two short films, shot and produced in the Inner West to be screened and discussed live at Leichhardt town hall. ‘Mates’ by Rory Pearson and ‘Lay Down and Rot’ by Sean Burns will be presented - followed by an in depth discussion, exploring some of the benefits and challenges of shooting in the Inner West.
Sean Burns
Sean Burns is a Sydney born Filmmaker. Developing an admiration for filmmakers from a young age, Sean fostered much of his interest in film from his father, who ran a bootleg tape company in the 90s. Since the early incarnations of Sean’s creativity, he has contributed several short films, documentaries and music videos through his production company, Treason Flowers.
@treasonflowers
www.treasonflowers.com
Rory Pearson
Rory is a director working across drama, comedy, and documentary, with projects spanning Australia, the UK, and the US. Drawn to misfits and character-driven stories, he blends humour with emotional precision, finding vulnerability in unexpected places. His most recent short, MATES, earned the Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director and the Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award for Screenwriting at the Sydney Film Festival 2025. Recognised for its raw performances and unflinching take on the fragility of Australian male friendships, the film has since screened at Dublin International Film Festival, Adelaide, St Kilda, and Byron Bay film festivals, where it has continued to resonate with audiences.
This collection of short films brings together just some of the Sydney-based LGBTIQ+ productions that screened at the Mardi Gras Film Festival in 2026, showcasing the diversity of the filmmaking the local community has to offer. (One of these films contains discussions of transphobia and eating disorders, and suicide themes)
| Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
| Billie and Jesse | AP Pobjoy | Sayuri Kawamura, MahVeen Shahraki | Ziggy Resnick, AP Pobjoy |
| Baby Talk | Lizzie Cater | Alex Cook | Lizzie Cater |
| If/When | Courtney Westbrook | Courtney Westbrook, Anna Dvorak, Jasmine Hair, Chris Shapones, Emma Vranjes | Richie Black |
| Dance Like Everyone's Watching | Ashlea Hingston | Ashlea Hingston | Ashlea Hingston |
| Ladies Night | Lucy Bubalo, Shayla Nguyen | Shayla Nguyen | Lucy Bubalo, Shayla Nguyen |
