Short Film (Surreal Drama)
Aus | 2023 | 10'21“ | Colour | Dolby Atmos (and 5.1) | English
Under the Water
When an eleven-year-old girl is confronted with misogynistic taunts and violence from the boys in her town, a series of strange happenings lead to her revisit a storybook about the sirens of the sea. Inspired by these creatures, she finds the power in herself to push back.
SCREENINGS
Official Selection, Female Voices Rock Film Festival, 2025
Official Selection, Vierte Welle Film Festival, 2025
Official Selection, Sydney Women’s International Film Festival, 2025
Official Selection, Wench Film Festival, 2025
Official Selection, Dunedin International Film Festival, 2025
Official Selection, Chicago Women’s Film Fest, 2024
Official Selection, Milan Indie Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Women in Film and Television, Cyprus, 2024
Official Selection, Australia Independent Film Festival, 2024 (Nomination: Best Student Film)
Official Selection, The Bay International Film Festival, 2024 (Winner: Best Student Film, Nomination: Best Music)
Official Selection, Cyprus International Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Atlanta Women’s Film Festival, 2024 (Nomination: Best Cinematography)
Official Selection, Los Angeles Women in Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Toronto International Women Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Montreal Women Film Festival, 2024
Official Selection, Flickerfest 33rd International Short Film Festival, 2024 (Premiere)
Semi-Finalist, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2023
AWARDS
Nomination: Best Student Film, Australian Directors Guild, 2024
Winner: Best Student Film, Nomination: Best Music, The Bay International Film Festival, 2024
Nomination: Best Cinematography, Atlanta Women’s Film Festival, 2024
Nomination: Best Student Film, Australia Independent Film Festival, 2024
On Under the Water, 51% of the cast and crew identified as female, non-binary or gender diverse.
CAST + CREW
Olivia: Tahlia Sturzaker
Father: Ben Brock
Mother: Stephanie Begg
Boys at the kiosk: Jack Ruwald, Nile Sturzaker
Kiosk vendor: Brendan Miles
Boys in the car: Michael Hawkins, Jeremi Campese, Noah Sturzaker
Mother on the beach: Payal Patel
Daughter on the beach: Sophie Patel
Voice: Eleanor Stankiewicz
Director: Isabella Andronos
Writers: Isabella Andronos, Rebecca Thompson
Producers: Katherine Shearer, Sasha Dyer, Isabella Andronos
Cinematographer: Meredith Williams
Production & Costume Designer: Roberto Manzini
Editor: Amy Dunn
Music: Hamish Francis
Sound Supervisor: Samuel Turner
First Assistant Camera: James Blackley
Second Assistant Camera: Tom Cheetham
Underwater Cinematographer: Caleb Graham
First Assistant Director: David Burrowes
Second Assistant Director: Nadine Torney
Production Manager: Bianca Sappey
Sound Recordist: Martin Demian
Boom Operator: Dante Florez
Script Editor: Sarah Emery
Continuity: Evie Allison
Gaffer: Josh Wiggins
Grip: Lester Bishop, Morgan Bishop
Best Person: Max Norington, Felix Maude, Joe Finsterer
Grip Assistant: Jonathan Le Grice
Runner: Joe Finsterer
Standby Props: Ara Nuri Steel, Courtney Westbrook, Luka Yates
Art Department Assistants: Jacqueline Chapman, Miranda Daughtry, Ruby Swain, Ricky James, Emily Bull, Madison Hegarty
Storybook Illustrator: Isabella Andronos
Storybook Cover Design: Jacqueline Chapman
Digital Artist: Roberto Manzini
Storybook Writers: Fabia Andronos, Joshua Krone
Hair and Make Up Artist: Miabella Enriquez
Risk Assessment: Jon Heaney
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Jon Heaney
Safety Officer: Jon Heaney
Water Safety Advisor: Jemma Craig
Lifeguard: North Curl Curl SLSC
Stills Photographer: Lauren Orrell
VFX: Anthony McGann, Joel Goodman, Elliot Goodman
Colourist: Yanni Kronenberg
Titles and Graphics: Elle Williams
Foley Artist: Samuel Turner, Jayden Whitbread
Re-Recording Mixer: Samuel Turner
Music Recording Engineer: Greg Wise
Music Mix Engineer: Rose Mackenzie-Peterson
Atmos Mix Technician: Alexander Roberts
Vocalist: Naomi Geste
Director’s Statement
UNDER THE WATER is a strange tale focused on the exploration of female empowerment. When an eleven-year-old girl is confronted with misogynistic taunts and violence from the boys in her town, a series of strange happenings lead to her revisit a storybook about the sirens of the sea. Inspired by these creatures, she finds the power in herself to push back.
Through the making of this film, I wanted focus on an important contemporary issue - violence against women. Our society is rife with learned assumptions and habits that are normalised; cat-calling, stalking and aggression, for example. In 2025 we have seen terrifying evidence that violence against women is still an issue globally. With the film as a transformative force for social change, my creative process was guided by a desire to provoke reflection and resonance; I wanted focus on the types of behaviours that have been normalised within my own experience, in the hope that it may ring true for others.
The film is intended as a lyrical exploration of the insidious undercurrent of misogyny that many women are faced with in everyday life. The work is framed through a series of interactions between a young girl and men of different ages. Fascinated by the power of myths to conceal the horrors of the real world through metaphor, I drew on the symbolism of the sirens to reflect our protagonist’s own journey to empowerment.
We worked with a diverse team to bring UNDER THE WATER to life. 51% of the cast and crew identified as female, non-binary or gender diverse. Many of our team members identified as part of the LGBTQIA+ community also.
UNDER THE WATER premiered at the Flickerfest 33rd International Film Festival in January 2024, selected from 3400 entries. It has gone on to screen at The Bay International Film Festival (2024), Australia Independent Film Festival (2024), Cyprus International Film Festival (2024), Montreal Women Film Festival (2024), Atlanta Women Film Festival (2024), Toronto Women Film Festival and Los Angeles Women in Film Festival (2024), as well as receiving semi-finalist status at Rhode Island Film Festival (2023). It was nominated for Best Student Film by Australian Director's Guild (2024), and won Best Student Film at the Bay International Film Festival (2024).
Isabella Andronos, writer/director