Shortwave x Awesome Black

An evening of new and recent short films.

Curated in collaboration with Awesome Black – a creative consultancy and studio committed to transforming contemporary culture through a First Nations perspective.

Shortwave x Awesome Black will include the premiere of the new Shortwave commission by Travis De Vries In the Forest, I Found Myself, alongside a program of films, curated by Awesome Black.

Shortwave is an annual commissioning program from Sydney Opera House, which invites Australian artists to explore their relationship with the screen. Since 2021, Shortwave has commissioned over twenty short films, each centred on the interplay between art, performance and screen, showcasing radical, innovative and experimental approaches to filmmaking.

For the 2026 Shortwave season, Sydney Opera House is collaborating with organisations from across the Australian independent arts sector to both commission films, and to curate special screenings of short films in the Playhouse. Each screening will feature the premiere of a new Shortwave commission alongside a selection of short films, highlighting the ways in which a new breed of Australian artists is reimagining their creative relationship with the screen.

Presented by Sydney Opera House and Awesome Black

Thank you to our Idealist donors, Dr Eileen Ong, Professor Ross Steele AM and The Skrzynski Foundation for their support of New Work Now commissions at the Sydney Opera House.