A one-day festival celebrating animation from Lutruwita/Tasmania and around the world.
Watch films, attend talks or participate in the student competition.
Check out our 2025 trailer!
Featuring Lesbian Space Princess (2025), After All (2025), films from our panorama session (more details in full program) and finalists from the student animation competition.
Check out our 2025 poster!
Design by Ben Stephenson
Generously supported by the City of Hobart, Auspicious Arts Projects, Apple Box Studio, the State Cinema and Area 52. Lutruwita Animation Festival is supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania.
FESTIVAL PROGRAM 2025
Saturday 25th October
STATE CINEMA
375 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart
Schedule at a glance (download)
ANIMATION WORKSHOPS
STATE CINEMA, 375 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart
Session 1
Masterclass: Voice Performance for Animation with David Gurney and Aleks Crossan 10.00am to 11:30am (90 mins)
Join producer-director-writer David Gurney and performer-artist Aleks Crossan for a 90-minute dive into the art of voice performance for animation. Designed for both performers and directors, this creative and technical class offers insights into character development, vocal direction, and voice performance for animation. Whether you're looking to enhance your vocal technique or deepen your understanding of directing voice performances, this hands-on session provides valuable expertise.
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With a media career spanning over two decades, David Gurney has worked in various roles including producer, creator, director and writer on more than 20 animated television series, and his programs have sold into over 100 countries worldwide.Aleks Crossan has worked as an actor, choreographer, composer and visual artist for 30 years beginning with commercial voiceovers in Switzerland. After moving to Tasmania 13 years ago, she has performed with Blue Cow Theatre, Loud Mouth Theatre Company, and joined the team at Blue Rocket for her most favourite job to date: voicing cartoons.
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Tickets $35 / $30 Concession
Part of the Masterclass + Screening Pass (excluding student competition) $50
SCREENINGS AND TALKS
STATE CINEMA, 375 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart
Session 2
Student Animation Competition Screening
12:00 pm to 12:45 pm
Student Animation Competition Screening (45 mins)Short Films
Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
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Experience the unique vision and creativity of young people in Lutruwita/Tasmania with this program of work made for this year’s student competition, which was open to anyone aged under 25. This year’s line-up includes filmmakers aged from 5 to 16.
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Tickets $8 / $6 Concession
Session 3
Panorama: Animated Short Films Made in Lutruwita/Tasmania
12:50 pm to 1:35 pm
Panorama: Animated Short Films Made in Lutruwita/Tasmania (45 mins)
Short Films
Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.—
Get inspired by this showcase of fresh new work from Lutruwita/Tasmania. From emerging talents to established artists, journey through the rich diversity of our local animation scene, including traditional animation, sand animation, stop motion animation, 2D and 3D animation. The collection includes Screen Australia funded shorts, beautifully animated commercial commissions and deeply personal artistic shorts. These films all have local creators or performers and some will be premiering at this exciting showcase.Session includes filmmaker Q&A.—
Tickets $10 / $8 Concession
Part of the Screening Pass (excluding masterclass and student competition) $40
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Featuring work from:@AdamWalkerFilm, @angeboxall with @liamakro.illustrations, Tom Smith, @secondechoensembleyes, @swamphaar, @lavalodgeI,@zwyxz, @abbey.artss featuring James Belts, @anglicaretas with @showponyadvertising @dirtypuppetSound @abesaudio, @karukaru.studio with @anamariaart, @1924us, @vivienmadethis, @truedaat with @lutruwitaartorchestra.and more...
Session 4
After All
1:50 pm to 2:20 pm
Tas Launch Event (30 mins)
Comedy / Web Series
Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
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Film buffs Flynn and Marshall venture out of their doomsday bunker into the irradiated wasteland beyond to make the ‘greatest movie ever made’.Join us for a special event to celebrate the new 6 x 5-minute comedy series, After All. View the first two episodes and then hear from creator Jess Murray and members of the production team Stefan Le Mottee (animation supervisor) and Joshua Malone (animator) about the inspiration and challenges of creating this delightfully deadpan post-apocalyptic tale.Turbo Chook is a Hobart-based production company with a focus on strange and heartfelt storytelling. After All was animated in Nipaluna/Hobart with the involvement of writers and selected crew from around Australia. With a voice cast of Australian comedic talent including Luke McGregor and Zachary Ruane, the production was supported by Screen Tasmania and Screen Australia.
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Tickets $10 / $8 Concession
Part of the Screening Pass (excluding masterclass and student competition) $40
Session 5
Time Capsules
2:30 pm to 3:00 pm
World Premiere (30 mins)
Documentary / Series
Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
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Time Capsules is an intimate and moving collection of animated short documentaries telling true stories of young people's gender, sexual identity, and their journeys to being themselves, out and proud.Made from 2021-23, these films are based on interviews with young people in Lutruwita/Tasmania from the LGBTQI+ community. The participants' words have been brought to life by emerging animators from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, with each piece adopting its own unique approach.This project was curated by Xris Reardon with Third-Way Theatre and Takin’ Up Space Project and support from Wear It Purple, a not-for-profit organisation which strives to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people.The post-screening discussion with the curators and selected participants in Time Capsules, touching on the power of animation to communicate unique and deeply personal stories.
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Tickets $10 / $8 Concession
Part of the Screening Pass (excluding masterclass and student competition) $40
“A colourful and life-affirming crowd pleaser.“—Screen Daily“A little jewel of queer joy that promises a less fraught future.”—The Guardian
Session 6
Lesbian Space Princess + In Conversation with Producer Tom Phillips
3:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Gala Screening + Q&A (150 mins)
Feature FilmPresented by Apple Box Studio and Lutruwita Animation FestivalIn conversation hosted by Ella Watkins
Rated MA15+An introverted space princess is forced to leave her home planet on an inter-gay-lactic mission to save her ex-girlfriend from the Straight White Maliens.Lesbian Space Princess won the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival in 2025 and the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2025 and screened to acclaim at Annecy International Animation Festival.A laugh-out-loud adventure through the far reaches of queer outer space, Lesbian Space Princess showcases the incredible talents of South Australian writers/directors, Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs.
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Join us after the film for an inspiring discussion with producer Tom Phillips, hosted by Tasmanian filmmaker and social media star, Ella Watkins. Find out about Tom’s comedy ethos and journey from short-form to feature film success as well as getting the lowdown on the film’s production and release strategy. This is a unique opportunity for Tasmanian practitioners to gain practical insights into developing and distributing original work from a regional base to a global audience.In 2018 Tom Phillips was selected for the Screen Producers Australia’s Ones to Watch scheme for emerging producers. In 2019 he wrote and produced the online series Lucy And DiC, which has more than 4 million views across social media and was nominated for Best Online Series at the SPA Awards. Lesbian Space Princess is his first feature film producing credit. It was the second film to come out of the Film Lab New Voices initiative run by the South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Australia, and Adelaide Film Festival.
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Tickets $20 / $16 Concession / $16 Apple Box Studio Members
Part of the Screening Pass (excluding masterclass and student competition) $40
Networking drinks
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Angelika Bar, State Cinema
373 Elizabeth St, North Hobart
Generously supported by the City of Hobart, Auspicious Arts Projects, Apple Box Studio, the State Cinema and Area 52. Lutruwita Animation Festival is supported by the Tasmanian Government through Events Tasmania.
Lutruwita Animation Festival 2025
Student Animation Competition
Make your own animation and win great PRIZES, plus the chance to see your film play on the BIG SCREEN!
REGISTER FOR UPDATES and to access a selection of VIDEO TUTORIALS, WORKSHEETS and FURTHER RESOURCES. We will provide all the info you need to help a beginner make their first animation using free apps for mobile or desktop.
The competition is generously supported by Area 52 and our tutorials were made with support from Creative Hobart.
Entries will close at midnight on OCTOBER 5TH 2025 and entry is FREE. Students of any age residing in Lutruwita/Tasmania can participate, plus non-students aged 25 and under. The screening of finalists will be part of LUTAF 2025 in nipaluna/Hobart. Download our printable competition poster and share it with your friends.
Please read the ENTRY GUIDELINES below before starting your film.
If you need help registering interest or recieving access to tutorials please email [email protected].
ENTRY GUIDELINES
LUTAF Student Competition 2025Understanding these important points will help you make a film that can be screened publicly.
Copyright in your film
- The film must be the original work of the entrant.- The copyright of the film belongs to the student(s).- Music and sound effects in films must be both composed by and recorded by students or sourced from a website of copyright free music or sound effects (register for student competition updates to access Workshop 3/"Further Resources" page for more information). If you have included music with a license from the musician please email a copy of the license to [email protected] at the time you submit your entry and include a credit to the musician. eg. "Track Name with permission from Artist Name".- We accept that students may choose to use AI tools, however we prefer to see unique creativity and age appropriate artwork. Any use of AI will need explaining in a note to the judges so they can understand your process and why AI was an appropriate tool.Content of films
- We will be unable to screen explicit material or hate speech.- Your film must be suitable for showing in a public space that includes primary school students. Films with adult themes or frightening images may be moved out of the student session to an open screening of LUTAF at the discretion of the judges.Eligibility of students- Entries can only be accepted from residents of lutruwita / Tasmania aged 25 and under. Students from Primary, Secondary, College, TAFE and University can participate. Non-students aged 25 and under are also eligible. If you are unclear if you are eligible please email [email protected]. Professional films can be submitted to the open section of Lutruwita Animation Festival, contact [email protected] for more information.- There is no fee to participate. Entry and access to support tutorials is free.- The same student can submit multiple entries.- Entries will be accepted from teams and individuals.- Any style of animation is accepted.- Films can be of any duration and can include live action footage, but must include animated elements in most shots.- Films can have been made across multiple years but must not have been entered in the student competition before.Permissions and usuage of your work at the festival- By submitting your film you agree that in may be screened at our 2025 festival and that the organisers can include the names of the student filmmaker(s) in the program and at the screening of finalists.- The organisers cannot guarantee every film will be screened depending on the volume of entries and other unforeseen circumstances.- Very short clips or stills from the films submitted may be used by LUTAF to promote the festival and the student competition.Judging and the deadline
- A team of two independent professionals will decide the finalists and prizewinners and their opinions must be respected.- Entries will close at midnight on Sunday 5th October 2025. Subscribers will be emailed more information about submitting entries in Term 3. You can register for competition updates and free tutorials here. If you have special circumstances that mean you need a deadline extension please email [email protected] - all entries must be received before the judges meet to be considered for prizes.- Finalists will be notified via email by 17th October 2025.- We may add more entry guidelines as queries from educators come up across the year.
The Student Animation Competition 2025 has a fabulous poster!Please do print, download, share on social media and put it up on the wall in your school or community space.Help us share this opportunity with lots of local students!
FREE YOUTH WORKSHOPS JULY 2025
We are excited to announce four FREE events for people aged 12 to 25 at Youth Arts & Recreation (1 Market Place, Hobart).
ABOUT Learn stop-motion animation and make your own film! Tasmanian animators Alex Machin and Vivien Mason will share their award-winning skills in this short workshop series. Learn how to construct characters, bring them to life and tell a story for the screen —no experience needed!
WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Anyone aged 12 to 25 interested in learning to animate or make films.
Attend one or more:
WED 9th JULY 4-5pm - Show and tell Check out Alex and Vivien's puppets, models and props and ask them anything about animation.WED 16th JULY 10-2pm Half day animation workshop (all skill levels).WED 23rd JULY 4-6pm Two hour animation workshop (all skill levels) or project support to finish your film.WED 30th JULY 4-6pm Two hour animation workshop (all skill levels) or project support to finish your film.
All materials are provided. Participants need to bring a phone or tablet with the free app version of Stop Motion Studio.If you don’t have access to a device but would like to participate, don't hesitate to get in touch with [email protected].Thank you to Creative Hobart and Area 52 for their support of Lutruwita Animation Festival.
FESTIVAL PROGRAM 2024
Saturday 9th November
Theatre Royal, Hobart
ANIMATION WORKSHOPS
Theatre Royal, Vanessa Goodwin City Room, LEVEL 4
PROCREATE DREAMS Workshop - 11.00am to 12:30pm
Tickets Free. Bookings Essential.
This event is supported by the Spring Animation Forum
Introduction to Procreate Dreams sponsored by ProcreateLearn to animate using the award-winning iPad App Procreate Dreams. This workshop is open to both spectators and participants with their own iPad.
SCREENINGS AND TALKS
Theatre Royal, Studio Theatre LEVEL 4
Session 1 - 1.30pm to 2.30 pm
Move Me Student Animation Competition Screening and
Animation Careers Q&A (1hr)
Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.Discover the competition winners and celebrate the work of Tasmanian animation students. The session will include a Q & A with professional animators, who will speak about their work and how they got started.Tickets Free. Bookings Essential.
This event is supported by the Spring Animation Forum
Lutruwita Animation Festival Launch - 2:45PM
Session 2 - 2:45pm to 3:45pm
Little J and Big Cuz Screening and Q&A with Tony Thorne (1hr)
Rated GDirector and designer Tony Thorne presents a newly released episode and a behind the scenes look at the groundbreaking NITV / ABC series, winner of the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Children's Program.Tickets Free. Bookings Essential.
This event is supported by the Spring Animation Forum
Session 3 - 4.00pm to 5.00pm
Panorama: Animated Short Films Made in Tas (1hr)
Unclassified. Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.Explore the diverse films of animators working in Tasmania.Tickets Free. Bookings Essential.
This event is supported by the Spring Animation Forum..........Featuring films by: @nocturnalanimals.art, @thisisgracechia, @TurboChookTV, @alexmachinanimator, @vivienmadethis, Sally McAteer, @ianchia, @sadattahouri, @adamwalkerstudio, @olddogpictures, Roar Film, @magiekhameneh, Huni Bolliger, Procreate.
Networking drinks - 5.00pm to 5.30pm
Theatre royal studio bar (Level 4)
Session 4 - 5.30pm to 7.30pm
Feature Film – The Secret Kingdom (2hrs)
Rated PGPeter, an anxious twelve-year-old, and his sister, Verity, find themselves in a strange, new world when the floor of their bedroom breaks away. Now, Peter must summon his courage when an ancient prophecy believes him to be the vanquisher of an ancient evil enveloping this secret kingdom.This cinematic adventure, animated in Launceston, will inspire animators young and old.Tickets Free. Bookings Essential.
This event is supported by the Spring Animation Forum
Thank you to festival partner the City of Hobart, workshop sponsor Procreate and venue partners the University of Tasmania and The Theatre Royal.
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Program announcements, ticket releases
and more!
trailer 2024!
We are thrilled to present a whole program of films animated by or collaborating with artists living in lutruwita / Tasmania.
If you’re a professional, enthusiast or student animator living in
lutruwita/Tasmania you might like to join the local community in the Tasmanian Animator's Facebook Group.
Can't find the information you need? Email [email protected].
The Lutruwita Animation Festival respectfully acknowledges the Tasmanian Aboriginal People, the original owners and cultural custodians of all the lands and waters across Lutruwita/Tasmania.
ⓒ Lutruwita Animation Festival