Monster Fest 2025 | Award Winners
With Monster Fest having wrapped at Cinema Nova over the weekend, that brings a close to this year’s Melbourne flagship festival and with that, we’re thrilled to reveal the recipients of the Monster Fest 2025 Awards.
A huge thank you to this year’s feature film jury, Emma Westwood, Kate Fitzpatrick, Simon Foster, Stephen A. Russell and Spiro Economopoulos for their time, insight and passion in selecting our Monster Fest 2025 Award Winners.
Monster Fest continues to be Australia’s home for bold, original and uncompromising genre cinema, and this year was no exception.
Best Student Short
THE PILL
Written & Directed by Isabella Josey
Produced by Himanshu Hotchandani
Griffith Film School
Best Australian Short
THE PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEW
Written, Produced & Directed by Ben Knight
Best International Short
PARIAH
Directed by AJ Lutsky
Produced by Kimi Alexander and Alan MacFarlane
Best Australian Feature
DIABOLIC
Directed by Daniel J. Phillips
Written by Daniel J. Phillips, Mike Harding and Ticia Madsen
Produced by Vasili Papanicolou, Mark Patterson, Daniel J. Phillips,
Silvio Salom and Grant Hardie
Film Source: Monster Pictures Distribution
Best International Feature
DEATHSTALKER
Written & Directed by Steven Kostanski
Produced by Avi Federgreen, Michael Paszt and Pasha Patriki
Film Source: Shout! Studios
The Golden Monster – Best Feature
MOTHER OF FLIES
Written & Directed by John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser
Produced by Toby Poser
Film Source: Yellow Veil Pictures
Monster Fest continues onto QLD & WA from October 17 to 19 at Event Cinemas Brisbane City & Event Cinemas Innaloo followed by October 24 to 26 at Event Cinemas Burwood (NSW) & Event Cinemas Marion (SA).