Rock The Boat Film Festival award winners revealed
Rock The Boat Film Festival (RTBFF) closed its fifth season with its Awards Night at ACE HOYTS Rockingham on Saturday, October 24.
With increased crowd attendance, including sold-out sessions in September and for Awards Night, independent and emerging WA filmmakers played to their biggest audiences yet.
This year, RTBFF screened 64 short films from independent and emerging Western Australian filmmakers, including students from 12 high schools, every Perth university, and North and South Metropolitan TAFE campuses.
Across four screenings in September, audiences met the filmmakers in Q&As and voted for their favourites, along with a People’s Choice Award winner and runner-up for each of the September sessions. Audiences also saw three films from India as part of RTBFF’s International Short Film Exchange with Yellowstone International Film Festival.
25 awards were presented on the night, along with three WA films selected to screen in India in return for the Rock The Boat Film Festival x Yellowstone International Film Festival Short Film Exchange.
For the main category winners, taking home Best Open Short Film was A Roof on the Head, written and directed by Alok Rao. As seen through the eyes of a six-year-old boy, the film follows a migrant family as their search for housing collapses into conflict, with Ronak Bhalvani awarded Best Performance for his role in the film.
Directed by Peter Renzullo, My Capable Hands won Best Open Documentary. Artist and sculptor Len Zuks reflects on ageing, creativity and legacy and how he hopes to guide the next generation of artists taking their first steps.
Best Student Short Film (Under 18s) went to The Body. Written and directed by Cohen Grbavac, the film centres around a duo of hitmen who are hired to bury two bodies—but wait, dude, where’s the second body?
Each main category winner received the title, trophy and a $1,000 cash prize.
Steven J. Mihaljevich‘s An Artist Curse was the night’s double winner among the Awards of Recognition, taking Best Cinematography and Best Original Soundtrack.
Oliver Turner, creator of The Painter, received the RTBFF 2026 Rising Star award, selected by founder and festival director Renae Hardie Braovich.
The Judges’ Encouragement Award went to Lincoln Morgan for The Ocean’s Voice.
Year 11 Media students at Iona Presentation College won Best Secondary Student Documentary for Ben Rocks, and the Year 9 Film Class at South Coast Baptist College won Best School Project for Beneath the Surface.
All main category winners and awards of recognition apart from the Rising Star were judged by an independent panel from the Western Australian screen community.
“Seeing full cinemas for local stories shows how much our community wants to celebrate WA filmmakers on the big screen,” said RTBFF founder and festival director Renae Hardie Braovich.
“We even had a waiting list for Awards Night. I’m proud of every filmmaker in this year’s program, from the high school students through to our open category winners, and I can’t wait to hear how audiences in India respond to the three WA films heading there for the exchange.”
Check out the full list of winners below:
MAIN CATEGORY AWARDS
Best Open Short Film
Written and directed by Alok Rao
A Roof on the Head
Best Open Documentary
Directed by Peter Renzullo
My Capable Hands
Best Student Short Film
Written and directed by Cohen Grbavac
The Body
AWARDS OF RECOGNITION
Best Cinematography
An Artist’s Curse by Steven J. Mihaljevich
Best Comedy
Chicken of Men by Léonore Lacaze
Best Editing
Out of Service by Jasmine Formato
Best Original Soundtrack
An Artist’s Curse by Steven J. Mihaljevich
Best Performance
Ronak Bhalvani in A Roof on the Head
Best Production Design
Magic Bibs by Hannah Roxby
Best School Project
Beneath the Surface by the Year 9 Film Class at South Coast Baptist College
Best Secondary Student Documentary
Ben Rocks by Iona Presentation College Year 11 Media Students
Best Super Short
The Minstrel by Hessa Jamel
Best Tertiary Student Short Film
Eat The Meat by Jacob Kemp
Best Tertiary Student Documentary
Invisible Difference by Emma Shadbolt
Best Visual Effects
To the Last Slice by Henry Peters
Judges’ Encouragement
Lincoln Morgan, creator of The Ocean’s Voice
RTBFF 2026 Rising Star
Oliver Turner, creator of The Painter
PEOPLE’S CHOICE RUNNER-UP AND WINNERS
Opening Night winner
At Great Cost by Mariquiel Gonzales Factor, Alice Guidetti, Benjamin Gianny Payet, Alyssa Kamal Zaharin, Cate Lowry, Isabella Ovalle Quiroga and Tara Shore
Opening Night runner-up
Pandora by General Mamoun Bashir
Student Session winner
Ben Rocks by Iona Presentation College Year 11 Media Students, with the assistance of Brigette Downes
Student Session runner-up
Wet Treasure by Kieran Robinson
Session 3 (Connection) winner
Kick Ons by Luka Botha
Session 3 (Connection) runner-up
Pain is Truth by Ash Turnbridge
Session 4 (Resilience) winner
Alien Echo by Mark Regan
Session 4 (Resilience) runner-up
Dandelion by Amy Tulk
Rock The Boat Film Festival x Yellowstone International Film Festival Short Film Exchange Selection
Pain is Truth by Ash Turnbridge
Reaper 32 by Kian Martinus and Rick Roy Anderson
The Skeleton Tree by Michael McCall
The winners of the Rock The Boat Film Festival Awards Night have been announced. For more info head to rocktheboatfilmfestival.com.au
Photo by David Cheng