
A Musical Short Film / Comedy


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.


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.

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
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