Meet the Queer Screen Pitch Off 2026 Finalists

Here are all the fantastic finalists for Queer Screen’s Pitch Off 2026! This initiative gives up-and-coming filmmakers the chance to win $10,000 in funding from Queer Screen for a short film project. You can check out our previous finalists and winners here.

On Saturday 5 September at 11 am, six finalists will take part in a live Pitch Off at Set Bar, Event Cinemas George St, Sydney. Each will present their film proposal to a live audience (yes, you’re welcome to come watch it all unfold) and a panel of experts from the film industry, all hoping to win the chance to bring their short film to life.

SMOOTHER

Director: Brandon Bentley
Writer: Brandon Bentley
Producer: Andelys Aragon, Michelle St Claire

A young queer person’s desperation to be as hairless as their peers sends them spiralling into a mad, bloody daze to remove every follicle.

FLOODCAM

Director: Sam Carson
Writer: Sam Carson
Producer: Sam Carson

When a trans porn addict discovers his idol is fundraising for her upcoming bottom surgery, he tries everything he can to stop her.

RIFF RAFF

Writer/Co-Director: Liam Coleman
Co-Director: Nicola Sercombe
Producer: Chhayly Moek

Two boys on the edge of adolescence, Kai and Fraser, navigate a world of rules, risk, and love.

THE DILDO

Director: Cameron Manion
Writer: Cameron Manion
Producer: Grace Stevenson

Wild, chaotic and grieving Lux clings to their recently deceased best friend’s last remaining object – a bright pink dildo – to help replace them, spiralling into an unhinged, barely coping whirlwind.

LINGER

Director: Angie Kilsby
Writer: Angie Kilsby, Jon Bellebono, Matisse Laida
Producer: Angie Kilsby, Matisse Laida

Following the death of her best friend, Aria returns to the queer club where they met. As the night unfolds around her, she searches for a place to hold her grief, only to find herself colliding with the hedonism of a night out.

LITTLE LIME

Director: Caris Bizzaca
Writer: Caris Bizzaca
Producer: Caris Bizzaca, Melissa Lee Speyer

What does it mean to ‘move on’ after the death of a parent – especially when the surviving parent is a whirlwind of chaos? It’s a question recently pregnant Cate will have to address when her grieving mother gate-crashes a dinner party, not knowing their ‘news’.

Andrew Undi Lee

Andrew Undi Lee is an AWGIE Award-winning Korean Australian writer and director. He created the horror series Night Bloomers (SBS) and has worked on major projects like The Newsreader and Apple Cider Vinegar. He is currently adapting the Korean horror hit Death Bell.

Zaina Ahmed

Zaina Ahmed is the Scripted Development Executive at SBS working across TV series like The Airport Chaplain and Homebodies, bringing a strong commitment to industry equity in her work across SBS’ content initiatives and as a former member of the Screen Australia Gender Matters Taskforce.

Pearl Tan

Dr. Pearl Tan is a multidisciplinary creator and the Directing Lead at AFTRS. Named one of the 100 Women of Influence, her work includes the award-winning podcast “Diversity Work.” She holds a PhD focused on diversity in the screen industry and has served on boards for the ADG and MEAA.