Multicultural Film Festival 2026 - Screening Event

In partnership with the Victorian Multicultural Commission and Swinburne University of Technology, Bunjil Place presents the Multicultural Film Festival 2025 Screening Event - an inspiring celebration of community, culture, and the powerful stories that bring us together.
The Multicultural Film Festival honours the talent of diverse artists through showcasing short films that explore stories of cultural diversity and living in multicultural Australia, the home of the world’s oldest continuous cultures and people who identify with more than 300 ancestries worldwide.

What to Expect at the Film Event
•    FREE Entry – No tickets required! Just show up and enjoy.
•    Seating – Some seating is provided, but you are encouraged to bring your own chair, blanket, or beanbag for a cozy setup.
•    Food & Drink –
         - The café will be open until 7:00 PM.
         - You're welcome to bring your own picnic, no alcohol is allowed.
         - This is an alcohol free event.
•    Weather – In the case of extreme weather the event will be brought indoors.

Film Program

Everyone gets bored of everything
_{^{Directed and written by: Andrea Mudbidri, Produced by: Andrea Mudbidri and Juliet Lochrin, Key cast: Andrea Mudbidri, Julianna Caballero, Juan Bianchi, Mason Phoumirath and Rosanna Spiers, New South Wales, Australia}} 
This exuberant slice-of-life dramedy follows a young girl who loses her job, prompting a day of mundane and surprisingly deep conversations. She learns to celebrate her heritage, appreciate her family’s quirks, and finds solace in the familiar amid life’s unpredictable twists and turns. An ode to Latino resilience, growth and the importance of familial love and support.

From no voice to big voice
_{^{Directed and written by: Deng Achieu, Produced by: Jesse Matthew, Key cast: Debra (Yar Majok) John and The Hon. Ayor Makur Chuot, Victoria, Australia}}
This powerful film follows Deborah, a young Sudanese woman who has escaped the fate of more than 50 percent of Sudanese girls sold into prearranged marriages. The film traces her journey as she carves out her own destiny as a criminal lawyer and proud mother. Juxtaposed against the story of the Hon Ayor Makur Chuot MLC, the first South Sudanese woman admitted into the Australian Parliament.

Huí jiā
_{^{Directed by: Alex Nesic, Produced by: Alex Nesic and Madison Murphy, Written by: Alex Nesic, Renge Chen and Dennis Li, Key cast: Lili Bai, Victoria, Australia}} 
An aging restaurant owner reflects on an old letter she once sent to her father in her homeland. This film explores fractured memories of home, identity and migration, highlighting the weight of what has been lost and what remains.

I came from there
_{^{Directed by: Abhishek Singh, Written by: Sargon Boulus, Produced by: Masar Smari, Key cast: Masar Smari and El Sarafandi, Iraq}}
A poetic documentary based on the Arabic poem of Sargon Boulus. This film explores alienation and reconciliation. A dedication to exiles both inside and outside their homelands.

Maksym & milana
_{^{Directed and written by: Students from C.E.I.P. Serrería School, Produced by: C.E.I.P. Serrería School, Key cast: Students from C.E.I.P. Serrería School, Valencia, Spain}} 
Told through the eyes of children, this charming narrative tells the story of Maksym, a 10-year-old Ukrainian boy, who flees the war arrives in Valencia and meets a Russian girl named Milana.

Squata locks
_{^{Directed by: Jeremiah Puni, Written by: Annidette Puni, Produced by: Chhayly Moek, Key cast: Lucy Dunning and Paul Talbot, New South Wales, Australia}} 
This confronting film explores the timely issue of secondary homelessness that affects young women. Tali, a student, secretly lives out of her car. She encounters a recently divorced security guard - and both their lives are changed forever.

Tabbeh
_{^{Directed and written by: Sarah Ghassali, Produced by: Grace Hird , Key cast: Mira Fares and 
Cedra Barrini , Victoria, Australia}}
A narrative exploring memory and friendship, as best friends catch up over two cups of chai to play a round of Tabbeh. Pushing the limits of Arabic storytelling, the film celebrates childhood, innocence the power of play.

The sun comes up
_{^{Directed, written and produced by: Suzhen Williams, Key cast: Shona Tan, Victoria, Australia}}  
Set in a prolonged COVID lockdown, this poetic film explores motherhood and isolation through the journey of Caitlin, a single mother who struggles to find hope amid the isolation.

With love, nouria
_{^{Directed by: Mona Uehara, Produced by: Lucy Gallen, Key cast: Nouria Salehi, Victoria, Australia}} 
After four decades of food, culture and support, Dr Nouria Salehi reflects on the closing of the Afghan Gallery Restaurant and the community it will leave behind. This documentary reveals the legacy of Australia’s first Afghan restaurant and the powerful significance it has had on the Afghan community in Australia.

20 years later
_{^{Directed and written by: Youbi Lee and Taka Takiguchi, Produced by: Youbi Lee, Taka Takiguchi, Ben Noonan, Richard Greenhalgh and Rena Singh, Key cast: Youbi Lee, Taka Takiguchi and Ben Noonan, Victoria, Australia}}
An innovative short film that follows Matsu’s journey from his anxious arrival at Melbourne’s Spencer Street Station to the life he builds in Australia 20 years later. The film reflects on the rite of passage within a multicultural society through episodic memories and puppetry, exploring the intersections of time, memory, place and language.