Red Poppy Awards Jury President Michael Petroni announced My Husband The Child Soldier from the UK as the winner of the prestigious *Frank Van Norton Award for Best Film among a cluster of Red Poppy Awards. Two Australian films were awarded with the Best Short Film Award going to Dylan Nicholls for his moving documentary Bringing His Spirit Home and the Best Animated Film award went to Mark Russel Bernard for New Life. The coveted Red Poppy Awards, titled after the war poem ‘In Flanders Field’, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, saw films from across Europe, the USA and Australia in competition across the 3-day festival. The Festival, which has been held since 2016, is dedicated to films made by veterans and filmmakers who explore the experiences of war, service, and their profound effects on individuals, families, and communities. This year it is coinciding with the 125th Anniversary of the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Navy and will acknowledge service and sacrifice while supporting the Veterans Film Foundation’s mission to promote storytelling around military service and to advance meaningful post-service employment pathways for Australian veterans within the arts and film industry through the Screen Warrior program.
The Gala Awards night at the Art Gallery of NSW was attended by leaders in the Defence Forces and Veterans community with a Black-Tie cocktail celebration following the trophy presentations and screenings, to acknowledge the outstanding finalist entries from around the world. The Red Poppy Awards received submissions from across the world resulting in a selection of films from France, Belgium, Italy, UK, USA and Australia to be screened over the weekend, March 7 & 8. Tickets for veterans and their families are free with daily combined session of features, documentaries and shorts which will culminate in the closing night feature film Lee starring Kate Winslet. Chairman of the Veterans Film Foundation, Warwick Young, both a veteran and award-winning filmmaker, said by showcasing films by and about veterans, the festival challenges assumptions and invites audiences to engage with the human realities of service and transition.
“Film has a unique ability to create empathy, and that’s what Red Poppy Film Festival is about — helping audiences better understand the lived experiences of veterans through powerful storytelling.” Young commented.
The move in 2026 to the Art Gallery of NSW also sees the program support a veteran art exhibition.
- BEST FILM
My Husband the Child Soldier is a Documentary Feature from the United Kingdom directed and produced by Tom Peppiatt. In Cambodia, former Khmer Rouge child soldier Aki Ra and his wife Hout help communities reclaim their land by undertaking the potentially lethal task of clearing unexploded landmines left over from years of war. Along the way they adopt unwanted kids whose childhoods and limbs have been destroyed by landmines and open a war museum that soon becomes world famous. Aki Ra fights to break free of shadows cast by his role in the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime and rebuild his shattered family. But in a country grappling to come to terms with its history, the past always has a way of catching up.
- BEST SHORT FILM
Bringing His Spirit Home is a 14-minute Documentary Short by Australian Director/Writer Dylan Nicholls. Gomeroi man, Peter Milliken, travels to France to visit the grave of his great-uncle, an Aboriginal WWI soldier. He performs a traditional ceremony to bring his spirit back home to his family and Country.
- BEST ANIMATED FILM
New Life, a 3 minute Animation by Australian Director MarkRussel Bernard. Life following a young person navigating the hardships of war and personal adversity. Having experienced more hurt than love, the protagonist learns to cope by looking away rather than confronting the pain – a new life is what’s needed to change this perspective.
The Red Poppy Festival weekend:
Two sessions on Saturday, March 7 feature the films Decoding Jean: Secrets of WWII,
The Gift of a Second Wind and The Sessions: I’m Good at 6pm and from 8.30pm Peace Wilderness Man, Cassino: Then and Now and The Comfort Dogs of Uganda.
On Sunday, March 8 a short film showcase at 6.30pm will screen Signalman,
Long Tan, Decoding Jean: Secrets of WWII, New Life, The Comfort Dogs of Uganda, Wet Soil, Sound of the Somme and Bringing His Spirit Home.