In summary

  • Three Swinburne second year student films have been accepted into the 2025 St Kilda Film Festival
  • Ollie Irvin-Poole, Alyssa Wong, and Rayner Lim and Jun Kai Tan’s short films will be screened in June
  • Swinburne Alum Lucy McKendrick’s co-produced film has been nominated for an international award in the renowned Cannes International Film Festival

Three films by students from Swinburne University of Technology’s Film and Television course have been accepted into the 2025 St Kilda Film Festival, while alum Lucy McKenrick’s co-produced film ‘The Plague’ has recently been accepted into the 2025 Cannes International Film Festival.

Ollie Ivin-Poole’s ‘White Lines’, Alyssa Wong’s ‘Fish Fight’, and Rayner Lim and Jun Kai Tan’s ‘In Human Skin’ have all been accepted into the 2025 St Kilda Film Festival. The St Kilda Film Festival is Australia’s longest-running short film festival and sits as a key annual event on the national screen culture calendar. With the festival receiving hundreds of entries from around the country, it is an incredible honour for films to be included.

Ollie’s film follows Amber, who discovers she is pregnant, hiding the news from her fellow drug-dealing boyfriend Jacob. After a chaotic night at a rave, Amber’s future is left fractured and uncertain.

"I'm incredibly proud to share my film White Lines at the St Kilda Film Festival. The practical experience and guidance I received through my Swinburne classes were instrumental during the shoot, and it's an honour to see that work now being recognised on a wider platform,” said Ollie Ivin-Poole.

“White Lines was such a personal project, and to have it included in the St Kilda Film Festival is incredibly humbling. It’s a reminder of how stories grounded in real emotion can resonate. I’m grateful for how Swinburne encouraged me to find my voice and take creative risks."

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Alyssa’s film explores the story of Bonnie, a teenager working passionately in her father's Chinese restaurant. Bonnie runs off with the most popular girls in school, but when they begin to insult her father, she must fight back and return to the restaurant she calls home.

“We are ecstatic and honoured to have been selected for St Kilda Film Festival’s Under the Radar Competition and to celebrate the hardworking, talented students who brought this film to life. This story would not have been able to be told without the support of our fellow friends and lecturers”, said Alyssa Wong. 

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Rayner and Jun Kai’s film is set in 1950s America, when an alien arrives on Earth and stumbles upon a film premiere of a sci-fi epic, where humanity triumphs over alien invaders. Enchanted by the lead actor Jack Taylor, the alien begins to mimic Jack, but things take a turn for the worst when its imitations grow disturbingly uncanny.

You can see all three of these remarkable films from the 5 - 15 June at St Kilda Town Hall.

As an ARRI-accredited film school, Swinburne’s Film and Television courses are delivered to students with passion and dedication. Lecturers work with their students, coaching them as they adjust to the ever-changing film and television professional world to explore new aesthetics, filmmaking approaches and creatively tell their stories.

“Swinburne course’s are a prototype of global best practice,” said Course Director of Film and TV, Associate Professor Max Schleser. “Our second year students, as associate practitioners, are featured in nationally-renowned festivals such as the St Kilda Film Festival. This demonstrates the success of our approach, with real industry experience, supported by an outstanding academic team.” 

Making a mark at Cannes

Current students aren’t the only ones gaining attention, with one Swinburne graduate making her mark on the global stage. Recent Swinburne alum Lucy McKendrick co-produced her film The Plague, with her husband Charlie Polinger. Their film has been nominated for the international award Un Certain Regard at the famous Cannes International Film Festival taking place this May in France. 

Lucy McKendrick’s film ‘The Plague’.

After graduating from Swinburne, Lucy moved to Los Angeles in the United States to advance her film career. Now back in Australia, Lucy recently presented a masterclass at Swinburne, showing how alumni success and industry engagement are creating a virtuous loop for students. 

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