Ipswich Film Festival for Youth winners take reins of the future

Published on 20 October 2025

A local teenager’s unflinching portrayal of the human psyche has claimed one of the top prizes at the 2025 Ipswich Film Festival for Youth (IFFY).

Ipswich State High School student Lachlan Fielding, 17, directed and starred in short film Kendrick..., which won the Best in Fest (Local) award, while Melbourne-based animator Felicia Xiao was adjudged Best in Fest (Regional) for Bounce Away, the uplifting story of the chaotic life of a tennis ball.

Ipswich City Council Economic and Cultural Development Committee Chairperson Councillor Pye Augustine said the films have been among those shown on the big screen at HOYTS Ipswich in the Nicholas Street Precinct for the first time in IFFY history.

“For the past 12 years, Ipswich Film Festival for Youth has given budding filmmakers like Lachlan and Felicia a platform to showcase their works,” Cr Augustine said.

“This year’s theme ‘Future in Focus’ attracted a staggering 159 nominations, showing young people in Ipswich and beyond are invested in the conversation about the world we live in and enthusiastic to express themselves through original and authentic visual content.

“As a city with a third of residents are under the age of 25, council will always support and nurture our young people with initiatives such as IFFY and our Ipswich Youth Advisory Council, in acknowledgement of their central role in our future.”

The winners were selected by a four-person judging panel of industry professionals and announced at a ceremony on Saturday, 18 October, with each taking home a prize.

IPSWICH FILM FESTIVAL FOR YOUTH 2025 WINNERS:

7 to 11 Years

  • IFFY Filmmaker Award (7-11): Our Future Our Way – Kyran Paul Vlasoff

12 to 17 Years

  • Best Documentary: Wax On Wax Off – Hudson Dyer
  • Best Animation/Stop Motion: Great Yarn Heist – Katie Barrette, Saanvi Sethi
  • Best Music Video: The Masons - Pancakes (Official Music Video) – Dylan Burrows
  • IFFY Filmmaker Award (12-17): Future in Focus – Elliot Cornell

18 to 25 Years

  • Best Documentary: Legacy: A Katie Noonan Story – Mia Congram
  • Best Animation/Stop Motion: Bounce Away – Felicia Xiao
  • Best Music Video: Hashima – Liam Ferguson
  • IFFY Filmmaker Award (18-25): I guess I'll always have you – David Yiyang Liu 

Overall Prizes

  • Best Up and Coming: Before Ur Future – Sreebhadra Nair
  • People's Choice: Into the future – Olivia Thomas, Zafyrah Spencer
  • Best in Fest (Local): Kendrick... – Lachlan Fielding
  • Best in Fest (Regional): Bounce Away – Felicia Xiao
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