Today’s guests are the 2025 AIFF Official Selection filmmakers, including Travis Jeffery (writer, producer, actor) and Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (director) for Dusty, Luke Neher (director, writer) and Sam Gill (director, writer) for Sisters, Rebecca Parker (director, writer) for Bear, Cate Commisso (director) for Choice, Dominic Campanella (director, writer) for The Moon Has Come to Lead Me, Jada Zilm (director, producer) for The Crease of this Couch, Marco Noé (director, producer) for Mia, Newman Sorensen (director, writer, producer) for Milestones, Mertcan Damoglu (director, writer) and Caleb Keyte (director, producer) for Once a Year, Fletcher Turale (director, writer, producer) for The Line We Walk, Ollie Ivin-Poole (director) for White Lines, Alistair Schmidt (director, writers, producer) for Chloe’s Palette, Crystal Tai (director, animator) for My Monthly Struggle, and Harley Wellman (producer) for Fig Wasps. 

In this episode, filmmakers share the inspirations behind their films, explain why patience is important for writers, and reveal the most challenging moments they faced during production.

If you would like to hear each filmmaker’s full conversation, please visit their film’s profile on our website. Not all filmmakers from the Official Selection were available at the time of recording. To read their interviews, please also visit the film’s profile. 

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

00:20 - DUSTY - Advice for Writers

03:05 - SISTERS - First Narrative Short Film

05:21 - BEAR - The Most Challenging Moment 

07:33 - CHOICE - The Most Challenging Moment

08:48 - THE MOON HAS COME TO LEAD ME - The Most Challenging Moment

10:42 - THE CREASE OF THIS COUCH - Navigating the Safety Aspects of the Sinking Couch

12:45 - MIA - Inspiration

13:53 - MILESTONES - Inspiration

15:14 - ONCE A YEAR - Inspiration

17:05 - THE LINE WE WALK - Inspiration

18:03 - WHITE LINES - Inspiration

18:54 - CHLOE’S PALETTE - Returning to University

19:57 - MY MONTHLY STRUGGLE - Challenging Moments Conveying the Menstrual Cycle Through Animation

21:59 - FIG WASPS - Opening Scene Challenges

23:35 - Wrap Up

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If you’d like to get involved and have specific questions for our guests, feel free to send us your questions, and we’ll look to include them in future episodes. 

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Submissions for AIFF26 are currently open. Enter SOFTSTICKS for 30% off the entry fee. 

The Soft Sticks Podcast is presented by the Adelaide Independent Film Festival and is hosted by Tom Kerby.

This episode was edited and mixed by Melissa Pons. You can find her latest work here. 

For more information, please visit our website or follow us on Instagram and Facebook. 

This conversation was recorded in The Mercury’s Sound Lab via Riverside. 

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About AIFF

The Adelaide Independent Film Festival (AIFF) is an annual celebration of short films, proudly presented in two beloved cinemas in the festival state of South Australia. 

The 2026 Adelaide Independent Film Festival will take place between 3 - 4 October at the heritage-listed Capri Theatre and The Mercury.