LOCALS 2026 + After Party

LOCALS | REGIONAL VICTORIA | 2026 | 90'

A cornerstone of the festival, LOCALS returns for its fifth year to celebrate homegrown storytelling and champion grassroots creative voices from across the region. From heartfelt to hilarious, this vibrant collection of short-form documentaries offers a window into the people, places, and stories that make our community unlike any other.

Our annual celebration of homegrown storytelling returns! LOCALS brings together a vibrant collection of short-form documentaries by central Victorian filmmakers. From heartfelt to hilarious, these films offer a window into the people, places, and stories that make our community unlike any other.

Every year, the LOCALS session packs out with applause, laughter, awe, and the occasional “Wait, isn’t that my neighbour?”

This year promises no less. Bursting with creativity and heart, the judges’ selection celebrates the eccentricities, questions, memories, and momentum of regional life. From hand-held reflections to high-vis heroes, this is the heartbeat of our community on screen.

Prizes

All films selected to screen at LOCALS are in the running for an award: Audience Choice Award, Judges’ Choice Award, and an Encouragement Award. Winners receive a Black Magic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio, worth $500.