Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 COscars

Published on 02 December 2025

Mount Alexander Shire Council celebrated the fifth COscars Youth Film Festival last week at Theatre Royal in Castlemaine.

The competition celebrates the talent and creativity of young filmmakers across the shire.

With its biggest attendance to date, the audience was treated to a vast range of short films from young filmmakers.

Congratulations to the 2025 winners:

Snapshot (10-14 years)
Life’s Short by Leonard Prior

Snapshot (15-20 years)
The Walk to School by Cosmo Adams

Short (1-5 min) 10-14 years
The Battle of Hamel by Orrin Isaac-Gersch

Short (1-5 min) 14-20 years
Days Without Incident by Zak Westcott

Short Film (5-10 min) 15-20 years
One of the Last Wizards on Earth by Inny Shears

Judges’ special mention to Jiya Pandya.

The films were judged by local film and theatre industry professionals Kyla Brettle, John Roebuck, Lisa Mills, Bryan Sieber and Youth Advisory Member Albie Henderson.

The judges praised the high standard of quality and creativity seen this year.

"I'm lucky to have been in a position to watch the COscas grow and I'm super impressed with the range and quality of the films submitted to the festival this year,” said judge Kyla Brettle.

“It's so great to see young people exploring, having fun and also pushing the boundaries of what they can do with this medium.

“This is an awesome program for people of all ages – giving us a fresh perspective on the world and the things that matter."

The COscars Youth Film Festival is coordinated by Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and Amplify Committee which include local volunteers aged 12 to 25 years.

The event is an initiative of Council, supported by Theatre Royal Castlemaine, the Victorian Government through the Engage! and Amplify programs, and Youth Fest.

View the films online on the Mount Alexander Shire Youth YouTube channel or on Council’s youth website at www.mountalexandershireyouth.com.au/events.

COscars winning filmmakers received an award and a cash prize of up to $150.