Australia Stills
3 frames
Part of this film's cast or crew? Let us know to add or correct credits, genres or details. Filmmaker sign-in opens with the claim email at Awards Night, 19 September 2026.
Credits
Produced by
Starring
Synopsis
Taking place over three separate periods of their lives, Henry and Norah share a connection but circumstances draw them apart.
Director's Statement
At its core, this is a story of two people who meet at the wrong time. Then again. And again. And maybe there’s no such thing as “the right time,” only the time we’re given, and what we do with it. This film draws deeply from the emotional honesty and minimalism of films like Linklater’s Before trilogy and Alain Resnais' Hiroshima Mon Amour, but also from my own memories - those long, electric conversations at parties, the weight of a missed opportunity, the way some people drift into your life like fate and leave like nothing. It’s about the ache of possibility. We’ve all had a Norah, or been a Henry. Someone we loved at the wrong time. Someone who got away not because of some dramatic betrayal, but because life simply didn’t line up. This is not a story about grand gestures or neat resolutions. It’s about the small, quiet tragedies that shape us. And, maybe, the hope that even those missed connections still mean something. Maybe especially those.
What makes this one special
- Paul Bird has been here beforeAlso in the 2023 programme
- Nominated for Best Queensland Short Film
From the Judges
From the Judges
Two actors carry this two-hander with a chemistry so charged it holds the frame, their faces banking real emotion behind dialogue that lands as lived-in and true. The panel found the intimacy heightened by warm, considered lighting and shots that lean into the closeness between the pair, all of it building toward a genuine emotional pull. A tragic, heartfelt piece that delivers on exactly the feeling it reaches for.
Director's Biography
Paul Bird Director
Born in Brisbane and having finished a degree in Applied Media, Paul has spent the last few years writing and shooting short films. He has had a screenplay selected as a semi finalist in the comedy category of the Austin Film Festival.
Trailer
Official laurels
Each recognition carries a permanent, verifiable AFIN credential - a link a filmmaker can put on a CV - plus a downloadable laurel for posters and press kits.
Nominee toolkit
Everything you need to share and credit this recognition.
Ready-made announcement
Copy this for your socials, newsletter or press kit.
KICK IN THE TEETH was an official Nominee for Best Queensland Short Film at the AFIN International Film Festival 2025, a Top 100 Best Reviewed and IMDb-qualifying festival.
Add it to IMDb
IMDb adds festival awards from the festival's event page, not from your film's page.
- Open the AFIN International Film Festival event page on IMDb and choose the 2025 edition.
- Choose Edit (contribute), then Awards, and add your film under the category (Best Queensland Short Film) with the outcome shown on your laurel above.
- Submit. IMDb reviews it and publishes it to the event page and to your film's page.
From AFIN members
No comments yet.
AFIN members can rate this film and comment on it. Sign in or see membership.