The 28th Flickerfest International Short Film Festival announces the full list of short films officially selected into the Academy® Accredited and BAFTA recognised competitions for 2019. Held over 10 days, Flickerfest, will once again delight audiences with the very best in short films from Australia and around the world, screened under the stars at the iconic Bondi Pavilion in January.

With 2700 entries from over 100 countries received, Flickerfest is one of the world's leading platforms for short film. From the entries over 200 will be screened at the Festival, across 16 competitive programmes and four showcase programmes.

Key highlights will include the Australian premieres of DESERT DASH, written, directed and starring Gracie Otto, which takes a fun and slightly twisted look at what life would be living in the Aussie outback if it was all just a game, and the Australian premiere of GHOST BEAR, a moving and thought-provoking animation for kids by the legendary Actor/Comedian Paul McDermott a Flickerfest veteran who's previous animations have featured and won at Flickerfest and have gone on to win awards internationally.

The international program will feature the Australian Premiere of French film, RISE OF A STAR, starring legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve, which explores the life of a new Ballerina who's dark secret threatens to undermine what she has spent a whole life on, and Norwegian comedy, TO PLANT A FLAG, starring Jason Schwartzman, known for his frequent collaborations with Wes Anderson, such as Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Flickerfest also screens a vast array of film styles and genres and is proud to be bringing back beloved showcase categories such as FlickerKids - a full day of delightful family programming, Rainbow Shorts, featuring the highest quality LGBTIQ+ shorts from around the world, Short Laughs - a program of pure joy and side-splitting laughs, Love Bites - juicy stories about relationships, as well as the special FlickerUp National Youth Competitions for talented Australian filmmakers under 18. All films officially selected at Flickerfest are competing for a number of awards across various areas of the filmmaking craft, including the Virgin Australia Flickerfest Award for Best International Film, the Yoram Gross Award For Best Animation, and the Virgin Australia Flickerfest Award For Best Australian Film.

Following the Bondi season, Flickerfest will hit the road for a massive, 4-month, national tour of the very best films from the festival. The tour will reach 50+ metro and regional venues across all states.