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A Musical Short Film / Comedy

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Gazers is a joyful, song-filled, rebellion against sexist and racist stereotypes.
A fairytale about three women of colour forced into absurd caricatures by a magical curse infecting men — “the male gaze” — until one man’s transformation offers a different way of seeing.
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2026 finalist

OFFICIAL TOP 15 FINALIST

from over 700 entries across 17 countries.


Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival. On Sunday 22 Feb, 16 films (Top 15 + 1 Wildcard) were judged by a line-up of celebrity judges including Margot Robbie (Jury President) & James Cameron. Tropfest 2026 had an audience of over 35,000 attendees. It took place in Sydney's Centennial Park, and was a spectacular come back for the festival after a 7 year haitus.

WORLD PREMIERE

 

Gazers world premiered at Tropfest 2026

Sunday Feb 22nd

Centennial Park

Sydney, Australia

Watch online: Gazers

gazers

Co-Written, Co-Directed & Co-Produced

by Sze Lok Ho & Veialu Aila-Unsworth

When Sze Lok brought the idea of Tropfest to Veialu for their creative collaboration, the stars aligned. Sze Lok’s boundless source of creative vision and intuitive storytelling made a perfect dream team in crafting the film’s development, leading to the fairytale style of the final script. 

 

In addition to co-directing and co-producing alongside Veialu across all aspects of the production, Sze Lok took on the major role of Art Director, sourcing and creating props, and leading the costume design — notably crafting costumes for all of the women from her own wardrobe. While performing the lead female role, she also developed the cast choreography for the musical sequences, drawing on her deep passion for dance and movement exploration.

 

Sze Lok’s extensive post-production experience brought the final visual cohesion to the film. From refining edits in collaboration with Veialu, to creating all visual effects and motion graphics, as well as graphic design for promotional media, her creative imprint is present in every frame.

 

Sze Lok poured her heart into this project, tirelessly embodying multiple roles throughout the production. Her profound desire for women to feel safe and free in this world is the driving force behind the emotional potency of Gazers.

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cast

Sze Lok Ho

Ashley Hawkes

Manny Katts

Veialu Aila-Unsworth

Teniola Komolafe

Benjamin Cremen

crew

Art Direction, Wardrobe, Visual FX, Graphic Design and Choreography:

Sze Lok Ho

Editing and Audio Mixing:

Veialu Aila-Unsworth

Camera:

Veialu Aila-Unsworth, Sze Lok Ho, and Rose Valenzisi

Production Assistants:

Bridie Read, Belinda Liu,

and Brian Kanzaki

Running time: 7 mins

Country: Australia

Languages: English​

Year of Production: 2026

More info at tropfest.com

press

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