IPSWICH’S next generation of screen storytellers rolled out the red carpet – and a few surprises – at this year’s Ipswich Film Festival for Youth (IFFY), where teenage talent met movie magic in a celebration of big ideas and even bigger imaginations.
Seventeen-year-old Ipswich State High student Lachlan Fielding wowed the judges with Kendrick … a haunting dive into the human psyche that earned him Best in Fest (Local).
Felicia Xiao bounced her way to Best in Fest (Regional) with her animated short Bounce Away, proving even a tennis ball can have main-character energy.
This year, for the first time in the festival’s 12-year history, IFFY’s winners saw their work hit the HOYTS Ipswich big screen in the Nicholas Street Precinct.
Ipswich City Council’s Economic and Cultural Development Chair, Cr Pye Augustine, said the festival’s theme Future in Focus struck a chord, pulling in a record 159 entries from filmmakers with something to say – and a creative way to say it.
“Ipswich Film Festival for Youth has always been about giving young filmmakers a voice,” Cr Augustine said.
From heart-tugging documentaries to stop-motion heists and pancake-fuelled music videos, the 2025 lineup proved there’s no such thing as too young to make an impact.
Kyran Paul Vlasoff’s Our Future Our Way nabbed the youngest filmmaker award, while Wax On Wax Off by Hudson Dyer polished up Best Documentary in the teen category.
Meanwhile, Legacy: A Katie Noonan Story by Mia Congram won hearts (and the Best Documentary for 18-25s), and I Guess I’ll Always Have You by David Yiyang Liu took home the IFFY Filmmaker Award for its tender storytelling.
Before Ur Future by Srebhadra Nair was crowned Best Up and Coming, while Into the Future by Olivia Thomas and Zafyrah Spencer bagged the People’s Choice with a burst of optimism.
