Puppetry Shorts

The Melbourne Festival of Puppetry and ACMI present a night of short Puppetry Films. Enjoy a night of innovative and delightful shorts from independent puppet film and theatre makers. Works will transport you to strange lands and introduce magical beings of all shapes and sizes while reflecting on our shared experiences of what is to human. The Wickywock and the Jubjub Berry Dir. Cat Johnson & Joseph Wallace, 2025, United Kingdom, 5 mins. This charming musical comedy draws you into an enchanted forest where the wails of the grumpy forest dweller Wickywock echo through the trees. No man one is an on the island Dir. Astrid Mendez, 2020, Australia, 2 mins. Drawing on John Donne's poem "No man is an island," this stop-motion animation reflects on the individualism COVID-19 exposed. Love Cut to Shape Dir. Astrid Mendez, 2020, Australia, 1 min. Inspired by Frida Kahlo's Girl with Death Mask, this paper cut-out stop-motion animation explores the absurd definitions of love that have been historically normalised by society. It's What's Inside that Counts Dir. Tim Bartley and Josh Van Cuylenburg, 2021, Australia, 10 mins. What begins as a disastrous first date for Vince and Carly quickly improves when they discover the one thing they have in common: a fear of being alone Nanna, A Ghost Story Dir. Theresa O'Connor, 2020, Australia, 5mins. Commissioned by Moonee Valley City's The Clocktower Centre, this shadow puppet film by Theresa O'Connor follows an unforgettable encounter on a final night out in a uni share house. The Ferryman Dir. Lachlan Plain, 2011, Australia, 11 mins. The ferryman and his wife step out of emptiness and into the projectionist’s small earthen room, where he conjures their souls form the darkness and projects them onto his walls. 20 Years Later Dir. Taka Takiguchi & Youbi Lee, 2025, Australia, 6 mins. This digital shadow puppet film traces Youbi Lee and Taka Takiguchi's journeys as migrants in Australia, from alienation and identity to citizenship and connection to First Nations culture. One Bad Day Dir. Hector Hennesey, 2025, Australia, 9 mins. A puppet tries to find solace as a working artist after a particularly taxing day. Overbearing directors, freaks on the train, myki inspectors, doomscrolling, it’s all there, all made of felt, and not without hope.