The world-first screening of What If The Future Never Happened?, the highly anticipated short film from Silverchair’s Daniel Johns, has been revealed as part of the ARIA Awards Presents program for 2025.
ARIA will again host the annual program, giving opportunities for aspiring artists and industry folk to celebrate Australia’s best established and up-and-coming talent. The program hopes to facilitate important conversations that will shape the future of Australian music.
Directed by James Medlam, Johns’ sci-fi inspired film serves as a cinematic portal to the ’90s, following a teenage rockstar called Daniel on an ordinary day in regional Australia before his global conquest. Actor Rasmus King portrays the young Johns, while the narrative explores a chance interaction with a mysterious figure from the future.
The featurette was shot in Newcastle on Awabakal land in 2022, though Johns held its release to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Silverchair’s debut album frogstomp.
Johns will also be making live appearances in Newcastle, Brisbane, and Melbourne with an ‘In Conversation’ event series promoting the short film. You can check out more details here.
Also on the ARIA Award Presents program are live concerts, panel discussions, and partner events, designed to spotlight the vibrancy and diversity of the Australian music scene, including the Night at the Barracks series and On The Steps at the Sydney Opera House. It will also feature the Ridin’ Hearts festival and the Pass the Mic Grand Final.
The program includes Ausmusic T-Shirt Day, taking place on November 27th, where music lovers across Australia wear their favourite band tee, snap a pic, and flood timelines with support for the artists and crews who make live music possible. Every shirt worn and every dollar donated fuels Support Act, the music industry’s charity, and their vital programs.
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ARIA will host various industry events, including a party for artists with Spotify, a barbecue for producers and engineers, wider networking evenings for industry professionals, workshops for independent artists, and more.
“The ARIA Awards Presents program is an important opportunity to highlight the diversity and strength of Australian music by creating more stages and more opportunities for our artists to connect with communities outside of the ARIA Awards themselves,” ARIA’s CEO, Annabelle Herd, said.
“Each event is another chance to showcase the creativity that is pushing Australian music further onto the global stage, and to remind Australians why our artists matter so much at home.”
Plus, of course, the ARIA Awards will take place on November 19th, featuring a performance from UK star Olivia Dean. Nominees for the 2025 awards include Ninajirachi, Dom Dolla, RÜFÜS DU SOL, and more.
