Daring, unconventional, cutting-edge cinema is returning to Melbourne and Sydney with the 2023 edition of the Fantastic Film Festival Australia (FFFA). Running from April 14-30, FFFA has a panoramic celebration of new and provocative films locked in place for the more courageous filmgoer.

With a line-up of 27 features, the Festival is offering its biggest program yet. From animated cowboys to queer magical realism, s**t-stained deathtraps to outback horrors, this year's program of often weird, occasionally wonderful screening options will unfold alongside Q&A panels, live performances, a scratch-and-sniff movie experience, music video blind dates, and the bold and bawdy ‘nude session’.

According to Festival Director, Hudson Sowada, "This year's program pushes the limits of storytelling and challenges conventional notions of reality. We're excited to showcase such an eclectic range of films, and we encourage audiences to take risks and embrace the strange."

Opening Night honours go to writer/director Nida Manzoor’s Polite Society, a distinctive genre mash-up that premiered earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival. The crowd pleasing film follows Ria Khan (Priya Kansara, in a star-making performance), a martial artist-in-training on a mission to save her sister Lena from an arranged marriage.

International features set for Australian Premieres include the biggest grossing film in Belgium last year, Zillion (pictured, above), chronicling the odyssey undertaken by a computer genius who creates the biggest discotheque in the world; Holy Shit!, a gross-out comedy and survival thriller set entirely in a Portaloo packed with explosives; and, the latest in the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Rise, which will unfurl at a midnight showing.

Australian films in the 2023 line include The Survival of Kindness, an allegorical journey across a plague-ravaged wilderness by legendary filmmaker Rolf de Heer, who will be in attendance for a Q&A at the first Sydney screening; Sam Curtain’s Beaten to Death, a savage cat-and-mouse game set in remote Tasmania; Blur, a Giallo-style psycho-horror with supernatural mystery and ghastly practical effects from filmmaker Andrew Miles Broughton; and, Zac Cooper’s The End of History, which follows Australian techno producers Darcy and Pat's pursuit of creative greatness in changing and challenging Berlin.

Venturing beyond the traditional cinema experience is the world's first scratch and sniff session, called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Stink-O-Vision. Audiences are taken on a olfactory journey through the sewers of New York City, accompanied by a menu of bespoke scents; simply scratch the corresponding number on the scent card when the icon flashes on screen. The other key retro screening on the roster is Audition, cult director Takashi Miike's 1999 classic starring the unforgettable frightening Eihi Shiina (pictured, right).

 And while details are remaining understandably vague, FFFA is rumoured to be screening a work, direct from its Toronto Film Festival premiere, that is so courted in controversy it can’t even be named in the program.  This secret presentation of what FFFA is calling ‘An Untitled and Perfectly-Legal Coming-Of-Age Parody Film’ will give audiences a rare chance to be among the few people in the world to watch this film. The director will be joining for a series of in-person Q&As.

Closing the Festival in showstopping style is the modern exploitation film LION-GIRL, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film about the last defender of humanity against the ANOROC, a new species that emerged after a tsunami of meteors. Featuring character design by the legendary Manga artist Go Nagai, the film promises an outrageous and unhinged story, along with practical effects and gratuitous nudity.

FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA runs Friday, 14 April to Sunday 30 April 2023 at the Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn in Melbourne and the Ritz Cinemas, Randwick in Sydney.

Visit the event’s Official Website for session and ticketing details.

From May 27 at sites in Sydney and Melbourne, the Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) returns for its fifth year, showcasing a program filled with family friendly films. In 2023, all-age audiences will enjoy cinematic adventures high in the Himalayas, amongst the fascinating world of art, with friends old and new, and in both vivid live-action and stunning animation.

Screening at Ritz Cinemas, Randwick and in Melbourne at the Classic Cinemas, Lido Cinemas and Cameo Cinemas until June 12, the CHIFF program features 21 Australian premiere titles and one retrospective feature tailored to young filmgoers aged from 3 years old and up. The 2023 festival line-up includes films in English, as well as two French films with English subtitles.

"The high quality of contemporary cinema and television for kids these days is a huge motivating force behind the Children's International Film Festival,” said Festival Director Thomas Caldwell, “We are back with delights from all around the world to entertain, engage, and mesmerise children from 3-years-old to young teens. Australian children no longer have to miss out on amazing stories of alien visitors, fairies and trolls, and our old friends the Moomins."

Among the many highlights in this year's program is The Tiger's Nest, directed by Brando Quilici from Italy. This epic adventure, set and shot in the majestic Himalayas, tells the story of a young orphan boy, Balmani, who rescues a tiger cub from ruthless poachers.

Moominvalley: Lonely Mountain, directed by Darren Robbie from Finland and the UK, is another standout in the 2023 program. Based on Tove Jansson's beloved works, this Australian Premiere features three brand new episodes from the acclaimed series. With the voices of Rosamund Pike, Matt Berry, and Jennifer Saunders, Moomintroll and his daring companions take the audience on a series of exciting adventures.

Icarus and the Minotaur is a beautifully animated retelling of the myth of Icarus that was Luxembourg’s submission for the Best International Feature Film category of the 95th Academy Awards in 2023. Other noteworthy films in the festival include Maika: The Girl from Another Galaxy, a Vietnamese science-fiction comedy; Billy and the Cowboy Hamster, a series based on the popular books by Catharina Valck; and, Alma's Way, a U.S./Canadian animated series created by Sonia Manzano, who positively impacted the lives of generations as Maria on Sesame Street.

The program caters to kindy-age tots with fun international animations. In Hug Me-The Movie (pictured, top), Teddy and Papa Bear embrace change on a quest for honey in the Golden Land; in Rosa and the Stone Troll, fearful flower fairy Rosa overcomes her fears to rescue her adventurous butterfly friend Silk; and, Pim & Pom at the Museum (pictured, right) is a playful animation series consisting of 13 episodes that take children on a discovery journey through the fascinating world of art.

And back in cinemas after 25 years is George Miller’s Babe: Pig in the City. Upon its initial release, the sequel to the Oscar-nominated global blockbuster was considered a bit of a  misfire. But subsequent generations have turned the film into a stand-alone beloved film with critical opinion now firmly on its side.   

Ticketing and session details can be found at the 2023 Children’s International Film Festival Official Website.

The 2023 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival programme has unveiled a specially curated programme of the best new cinema from the Nordic region, featuring films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Recognising the festival’s status as a major cultural event is the announcement of Saxo Markets, the leading Danish trading and investment specialists, as the 2023 naming rights partner.

Opening the festival is the Australian Premiere of LET THE RIVER FLOW (Ellos eatnu – La elva leve; pictured, above), Audience Award winner at the 2023 Göteborg Film Festival, and starring proud Sámi, Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen. Based on events that have inspired a generation of young Norwegians, writer/director Ole Giæver’s elegant drama follows a young woman drawn into a protest against a dam that may flood Indigenous Sámi land.

Program highlights include GODLAND (Volaða land; pictured, right), Icelandic writer/director Hlynur Pálmason’s follow-up to his breakout hit A White, White Day, a stunning historical drama that follows a Danish priest’s pilgrimage across a largely unexplored Iceland in the late 1800s; Finland’s leading auteur Aki Kaurismäki new tragicomedy FALLEN LEAVES (Kuolleet lehdet) starring Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen, is the tale of two lonely strangers who meet by chance one Helsinki night, in search of the love of their lives.

The ever-popular Scandi neo-Noir, thrillers and psychological dramas are repped by Danish director Fenar Ahmad’s highly anticipated sequel to box office smash Darkland, DARKLAND: THE RETURN (Underverden II) starring Dar Salim as an anti-hero re-entering the Copenhagen underworld undercover; Karoline Lyngbye’s SUPERPOSITION, a supernatural-tinged thriller in which a couple tree-change from Copenhagen to the Swedish forest, hoping to reignite their relationship; and COPENHAGEN DOES NOT EXIST (København findes ikke), Martin Skovbjerg’s complex psychological drama, in which a young man agrees to be locked in an apartment and interrogated by his missing girlfriends’ father. 

From Sweden comes Johan Storm’s SHADOW ISLAND (pictured, right), a thriller about an aspiring meteorologist in search of the truth about his father's passing, resulting in an intense maelstrom of paranoia and mystery; Karin af Klintberg’s fascinating documentary THE KING (Kungen), a thought-provoking and poetic film about Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, who became the world’s youngest monarch.

Crowned best Nordic film at the 2023 Göteborg Film Festival, UNRULY (Ustyrlig) is Malou Reymann’s unsettling 1930s-set drama inspired by real-life events from the notorious women’s institution on the Danish Island of Sprogø that taught compliance to ‘morally deficient’ girls. And Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken’s MUNCH gripping, sumptuous dramatisation of Edvard Munch's life, depicts four defining periods in the Norwegian artist’s life, providing an intimate insight into a distinctive and unique artistic mind.

Scandi cinema hits include Icelandic smash WILD GAME (Villibráð) featuring Aníta Briem, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Hilmar Guðjónsson in Elsa Maria Jakobsdóttir’s entertaining comedy of manners; the newest instalment in the highly popular Grump films from Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki, THE GRUMP: IN SEARCH OF AN ESCORT (Mielensäpahoittaja Eskorttia etsimässä) in which an ageing widower travels to Germany to buy a 1972 Ford Escort but ends up settling accounts with his past; and, Danish director Paprika Steen’s ensemble laffer FATHERS & MOTHERS (Fædre & mødre) about the challenges of parenting school-aged children.

An impressive roster of retrospective classics, presented in a strand called ‘Scandi Screams’, is led by a 15th anniversary screening of Tomas Alfredson’s LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Låt den rätte komma in); Ali Abbasi’s Oscar-nominated BORDER (Gräns), featuring the extraordinary Eva Melander as customs officer ‘Tina’; the director's cut of Ari Aster’s MIDSOMMAR, featuring a breakout performance from Florence Pugh; Nicolas Winding Refn’s subversive Viking epic VALHALLA RISING, starring Mads Mikkelsen (pictured, right) as a pagan warrior who joins a group of Crusaders; RARE EXPORTS, Jalmari Helander’s inventively macabre dark Christmas fantasy; and, André Øvredal’s adventurous fusion of folklore and found-footage fantasy, TROLL HUNTER (Trolljegeren), which follows a government employed troll hunter, responsible for maintaining the troll population.

The 2023 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival will take place from 13 July to 9 August. Session and ticketing information can be found at the event’s official website.

A darkly comic dystopian vision of family dynamics in an underground society has taken out The Ron Cobb Best Film Award at the 2023 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival.

Hailing from Turkiye, Once Upon a Time in the Future: 2121 (Bir Zamanlar Gelecek: 2121), which previously won Best Film at Sci-Fi London, can now add Australia’s leading sci-fi trophy to its award cabinet. The bracingly original concept was brought to life by Serpil Altin, the first Turkish woman to direct a genre feature in her homeland.

The award love was spread across several country’s genre sectors, exemplifying the global reach of the festival, now in its fourth year. Niamh Carolan took Best Actress honours for her angst-ridden turn in John Barnard’s Canadian thriller, Wintertide; Seann Walsh just pipped his co-star Scott Haran in the Best Actor category for his charismatic bad-guy turn in The Bystanders; and, Bulgarian auteur Theodore Ushev took directing honours for his wildly-inventive, Gilliam-esque vision, Φ1.618.

Two Special Festival awards were bestowed for features of unique originality and artistry. Iranian actor/director Shahab Hosseini’s Residents of Nowhere, an adaptation of the afterlife text Hote des deux mondes by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt, and Takayuki Ohashi’s Distant Thunder, the story of three sisters reuniting during Earth’s final hours, were both recognised for profoundly representing mortality and humanity within the fantasy genre.  

Simon Öster’s Lost in the Sky took home the Best International Short Film, with several patrons commenting post-screening on the emotional impact of the Swedish film; Stephanie Begg’s well-travelled detective story Echo Pines finally found some hometown love, with the X-Files-like thriller taking Best Australian Short; Julia Vyshnevska (Best Actress for The Orb), Blair Redford (Best Actor for The Many Worlds of George Goodwin) and Lia Tsalta (Best Director for Magma) rounded out the short narrative categories.

Best Animated Film was won by Sydney-based FX maestro Christian Debney for his moving space travel drama, Starship. Best Student Film went to the Chinese sector, for Jiamin Jiao’s The Deep Love, shot as part of her studies at the Communication University of China.    

FULL LIST OF WINNERS, RUNNERS-UP AND NOMINEES:

2023 RON COBB BEST FILM AWARD: Named in honour of the late Ron Cobb, an adopted son of Sydney and iconic conceptual artist on such films as Dark Star, Alien, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Conan the Barbarian and The Abyss.
RESIDENTS OF NOWHERE (D: Shahab Hosseini; Iran)
DISTANT THUNDER (D: Takayuki Ohashi; Japan)
**WINNER** ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE FUTURE: 2121 (D: Serpil Altin; Turkiye)
WINTERTIDE (D: John Barnard)
*Runner-Up* MEMORY OF WATER (D: Saara Saarela; Finland)
PHI 1.618 (D: Theodore Ushev; Bulgaria)
THE BYSTANDERS (D: Gabriel Foster Prior; UK)

SPECIAL MENTIONS: FOR PROFOUNDLY REPRESENTING MORTALITY AND HUMANITY WITHIN THE FANTASY GENRE
RESIDENTS OF NOWHERE (D: Shahab Hosseini; Iran)
DISTANT THUNDER (D: Takayuki Ohashi; Japan) 

BEST SHORT FILM (International)
*Runner-Up* MAGMA (D: Lia Tsalta; Greece)
THE DRAFT (D: Raphaela Wagner; UK)
**WINNER** LOST IN THE SKY (D: Simon Öster; Sweden)
THE WISE OLD OWL (D: Quentin Porte; France)
ASSIMILATED (D: Vance Crofoot; USA)
THE BALLAD OF MADDOG QUINN (D: Matt Inns; New Zealand)

2023 BEST SHORT FILM (Australian)
WHITE NOISE (D: Bryce McLellan)
SALVATION (D: Kitty Moroney)
**WINNER** ECHO PINES (D: Stephanie Begg)
EXO-226 (D: Denai Grace)
FIRST-ISH CONTACT (D: Kai Smythe)
*Runner-Up* RETURN CHUTE: SURVIVAL OF A SMALL TOWN VIDEO STORE (D: Simone Attallah)

2023 BEST ACTRESS (Short Film)
DANIELLE KING (Echo Pines; Australia)
**WINNER** JULIA VYSHNEVSKA (The Orb; Ireland)
ANN WILSON (White Noise; Australia)
*Runner-Up* MAGGIE PIRIE (The Ballad of Maddog Quinn; New Zealand)
ANKE SABRINA BEERMAN (The Draft; UK)
CASSIE STIRIES (Pinwheel Horizon; USA)

2023 BEST ACTOR (Short Film)
HERMAN GABHIR (The Traveler; USA)
**WINNER** BLAIR REDFORD (The Many Worlds of George Goodman; USA)
YEONGPYO KIM (Sentence; Republic of Korea)
KAI SMYTHE (First-ish Contact; Australia)
**Runner-Up** ROERD TOCE (Erik; Albania)
GRADY ROSEVEAR-FERRICKS (Beam Me Up; Australia)

2023 BEST ACTRESS (Feature Film)
SELEN OZTURK (Once Upon a Time in the Future; Turkiye)
**WINNER** NIAMH CAROLAN (Wintertide; Canada)
*Runner-Up* SAGA SARKOLA (Memory of Water; Finland)
ANDREA TRAPET (The Antares Paradox; Spain)
MARTINA APOSTOLOVA (Phi 1.618; Bulgaria)
ZOSIA MAMET (Molli and Max in the Future; USA)

2023 BEST ACTOR (Feature Film) 
**WINNER** SEANN WALSH (The Bystanders; UK)
SCOTT HARAN (The Bystanders; UK)
BEN KINGSLEY (Jules; USA)
*Runner-Up* ABE GOLDFARB (First Time Caller; USA)
DEYAN DONKOV (Phi 1.618 Bulgaria)
ARISTOTLE ATHARI (Molli and Max in the Future; USA)

2023 BEST DIRECTOR (Feature Film)
*Runner-Up* SAARA SAARELA (Memory of Water; Finland)
JOHN BARNARD (Wintertide; Canada)
**WINNER** THEODORE USHEV (Phi 1.618; Bulgaria)
TAKAYUKI OHASHI (Distant Thunder; Japan)
SERPIL ALTIN (Once Upon a Time in the Future; Turkiye)
MICHAEL LUKK LITWAK (Molli and Max in the Future; USA)

2023 BEST DIRECTOR (Short Film) 
**WINNER** LIA TSALTA (Magma; Greece)
DENAI GRACE (EXO-226; Australia)
SIMON ÖSTER (Lost in the Sky; Sweden)
IAN SWEENEY (Time Tourists; New Zealand)
KITTY MORONEY (Salvation; Australia)
*Runner-Up* FRANCESCO PABLO CORDARO and ANDREA CORDARO (Awake; USA)

2023 BEST STUDENT FILM
RECORD. PLAY. STOP (D: Neeraj Bhattacharjee; India)
*Runner-Up* OBELISK (D: Sida Xie; Australia)
**WINNER** THE DEEP LOVE (D: Jiamin Jiao; China)
ECHO PINES (D: Stephanie Begg; Australia)
PROTOTYPE (D: Abril Ruzmed; Germany)
THE STAR TO EVERY WANDERING BARK (D: Patrick Traynor; Australia)

2023 BEST ANIMATED FILM
A ROBOT'S DREAM (D: Morteza Halimi; Australia)
*Runner-Up* SILEO (D: Demeter Lorent; Hungary)
INNERMOST (D: Maing Caochong; China)
**WINNER** STARSHIP (D: Christian Debney; Australia)
FLITE (D: Tim Webber; UK)
MIRA (D: Francesca Armstrong; New Zealand)

Veteran cinematographer John Bailey, whose skill in finding the most beautiful, evocative shot composition in often everyday settings made him a much sought-after studio ally, passed away on Friday November 9. He was 81.

Amassing 86 credits as D.O.P./Cinematographer since his debut in 1972 on Alan Rudolph’s hippy-horror indie Premonition, Bailey very quickly found himself in demand. Lensing Michael Pressman’s Boulevard Nights in 1979 opened the door for Bailey, who next entered into a creative partnership with Paul Schrader on American Gigolo (1980), followed by Cat People (1982); Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985, for which he earned a ‘Best Artistic Contribution’ honour at the Cannes Film Festival); and, the Michael J. Fox starrer, Light of Day (1987).

ORDINARY PEOPLE (Dir: Robert Redford; Paramount Pictures, 1980)

Bailey earned his stripes as camera assistant and operator on such iconic works as Pierre Aldridge’s concert-doc Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1971),  Monte Hellman’s Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) and, later, Robert Altman’s 3 Women (1977) and Terence Malick’s masterpiece Days of Heaven (1978).

GROUNDHOG DAY (Dir: Harold Ramis; Columbia Pictures 1993)

It would be Robert Redford’s Oscar-winner Ordinary People (1980) - only Bailey’s 10th credit as D.O.P. - that solidified his status as one of Hollywood’s elite artisans. Over the next four decades, he would shoot alongside such names as Walter Hill (Crossroads, 1986); Robert Benton (Nobody’s Fool, 1994); James L. Brooks (As Good As It Gets, 1997); Wolfgang Peterson (In The Line of Fire, 1993); and Ken Kwapis (Vibes, 1988; The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, 2005; A Walk in the Woods, 2015).

THE LAWRENCE KASDAN FILMS - CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, 1981; THE BIG CHILL, 1983; SILVERADO, 1985; THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, 1988.

In the latter stage of his career, his lightness of touch visually and experience on set made him the go-to cameraman for romance and comedy. His buoyant colours and composition enlivened such hits as The Out-of-Towners (1999), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), How to Lose a Guy in 10 days (2003), Must Love Dogs (2005), The Producers (2005); He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), Romona and Beezus (2010), The Way Way Back (2013) and How to Be  a Latin Lover (2017). His final film was Richard Pagano’s Ten Tricks in 2022, a two-hander drama starring Lea Thompson shot in evocative black-&-white.

CYNDI LAUPER: TRUE COLOURS (Dir: Patricia Birch, 1986)

His vast body-of-work earned him unparalleled respect amongst his peers, a following that led to him being elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 2017 to 2019 (the organisation that, ironically, never nominated him for an Oscar). Bailey is survived by his wife, Oscar-nominated editor and former Academy governor Carol Littleton.

THE DOCUMENTARIES - SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA (Dir: Jonathan Demme, 1987); THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (which he also directed, in 1991); A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (Dir: Errol Morris, 1991); THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE (Dirs: Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen; 2002)

ANTENNA, Australia’s leading international non-fiction film festival, has unveiled the 52 creative, thought-provoking documentaries from around the globe that will screen over the course of 11 days, from 9–19 February 2024.

“I am very proud of this lineup as a whole,” said Festival Director Dudi Rokach. “Each documentary is imaginative, cinematic and provocative and I believe together they demonstrate the endless potential of documentary cinema in the hands of a great filmmaker”. 

Opening the festival is the Tribeca Film Festival winner The Gullspång Miracle (pictured, above), from director Maria Fredriksson. The stranger-than-fiction mystery-drama follows two pious sisters who buy an apartment after having witnessed a divine sign – only to realise that the seller looks identical to their other sister, who committed suicide some thirty years before.

Antenna will close the festival with the highly anticipated Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus (pictured, right), a concert film announces an exciting new partnership with the Sydney Opera House. In capturing Sakamoto's last performance, filmmaker Neo Sora’s celebration of an artist's life is the definitive swan song of the beloved maestro.

Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan will attend the festival as a special guest to present his film The World is Family, an exploration of social and political life in which he paints a portrait of his parents, whose families were intertwined with Gandhi and India’s independence movement. Other Australian Premieres by celebrated directors include Wang Bing’s Youth (Spring), Werner Herzog’s Theatre of Thought, Claire Simon’s Our Body and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney’s new film In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.

Lina Soualem’s Bye Bye Tiberias takes us on an intimate journey through Palestine, where actress Hiam Abbass navigates the fragmented memories of generations of resilient Palestinian women. Oscar-frontrunner 20 Days in Mariupol by Mstyslav Chernov presents a firsthand account of the siege in Ukraine, capturing the unyielding spirit of those caught in the crossfire. Complementing these narratives, Vanessa Hope’s Invisible Nation (pictured, below) investigates the election and tenure of Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of Taiwan.

Three Australian feature documentaries and 12 Australian shorts will also screen at the festival, including Rosie Jones’ Abebe - Butterfly Song, about the musical legacy and enduring friendship between celebrated Papuan musician George Telek and Australian musician David Bridie and Annette Basile's Isla's Way, a tender, richly humorous portrait of an 87-year-old horse carriage driving champion. 

In a major coup, Antenna will host John Wilson, the young filmmaker behind the hit HBO show How To With John Wilson, one of the most genuinely inspired, oddball, and sneakily affecting works in contemporary television. In 2023, Wilson was invited by the prestigious Anthology Film Archives in New York to guest-curate a special series of films that have influenced or inspired him and he will present a version of this series at Antenna, as well as hosting a masterclass discussing his unique approach to filmmaking. 

The 12th edition of the Antenna Documentary Film Festival opens Friday February 9th in Sydney and runs until Monday February 19th. For complete program information and to purchase tickets and festival passes, go to www.antennafestival.org

April marks 30 years since the first democratic election in South Africa when for the first time in the country’s history, all citizens could vote for their future. To mark this auspicious anniversary, the 2024 South African Film Festival will feature some of the nation's most iconic films from the past 30 years when it unfolds from May 2-30 for audiences in Australia and New Zealand.

These include the classic documentaries 1994: The Bloody Miracle, co-directors Bert Haitsma and Meg Rickards chilling account of a nation’s democracy under siege; and The 16th Man, the story of how South Africa’s 1995 Rugby World Cup win galvanised and united the nation (pictured, top; Tumelo Lekena's Father's Day)

A highlight of this year’s festival is the 4K restoration of Oliver Schmitz’s masterpiece, Mapantsula (pictured, right), the gritty gangster film set against the backdrop of apartheid rebellion. Upon its release in 1987, the film was banned after just one screening for inciting violence, but would be honoured by a screening in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in 1988. Mapantsula is recognised as having a seminal influence on public opinion against apartheid.

Festival Co-Director Programming & Events, Ricky Human, said, “This year is truly special as we reflect on [this] anniversary of the first democratic elections in South Africa, and honour exceptional filmmakers like Oliver Schmitz, and heroic figures like George Bizos. We’re excited to be joined by George Bizos’ son, Alexi, and the Producer of the film, George Georgiou, who will be attending select screenings in Australia and New Zealand and participating in panel discussions.”

The South African Film Festival opens with John Barker’s The Umbrella Men, a rollicking crowdpleaser that follows  a ragtag bunch of musicians forced to rob a bank during the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival.

Feature documentaries include George Bizos Icon, a fascinating juxtaposition of the personal and political sides of the iconic anti-apartheid human rights lawyer; The Radical, an intimate portrait of the world’s first openly gay Imam from filmmaker Richard Finn Gregory; and, Gareth Whittaker’s Down: A Comrades Story, a chronicle of the pain and the glory that is the gruelling Comrades Ultra Marathon, a 90 km race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

There are five exceptional feature films on offer, including Seconds, a gripping tale of crime, deceit, and betrayal set in the dark world of underground boxing; Hans Steek die Rubicon Oor (Hans Crosses the Rubicon; pictured, above), a light-hearted comedy that tackles the subject of aging and stars luminaries of South African screen and stage, including Tobie Cronje and Sandra Prinsloo; and, Soccer Season: Playmaker, starring the beloved entertainer Desmond Dube.

The 71st Sydney Film Festival program has launched with a blockbuster roster of talent and international titles - Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness, starring Emma Stone, fresh from the Cannes Competition; the World Premiere of Aussie boxing drama Kid Snow; the first Indian film to appear in the Cannes Competition in 30 years, Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light; Lee Tamahori’s intense drama The Convert with Guy Pearce; The Bikeriders (pictured, below) starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy; and, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Sujo.

In 2024, the Festival will present 197 films from 69 countries including 28 World Premieres and 133 Australian Premieres, bringing together hundreds of new international and local stories, with more to be announced. The program is made up of 92 narrative feature films, including prestigious international festival prize-winners and 54 documentaries tackling crucial contemporary issues, from established and upcoming documentarians.

Opening the festivities will be the World Premiere of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line (pictured, right). Featuring unheard interviews with every band member, unseen live and studio footage, alongside signature moments like the outback tour with Warumpi Band, their Exxon protest gig in New York and those famous “Sorry” suits at the Sydney Olympics, this film traces the singular journey of Australia’s quintessential rock band across their 45-year career.

Direct from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival will be Grand Tour, the latest from Miguel Gomes, about a romantic pursuit across Asia; Christophe Honoré’s Marcello Mio, featuring an all-star French cast playing themselves in a meta comedy paying homage to the great Marcello Mastroianni; acclaimed actor Ariane Labed’s directorial debut September Says, a Gothic psychological drama in which the closeness of two sisters becomes increasingly disruptive; and Cannes Un Certain Regard contender Việt And Nam, which tells the love story of two gay mineworkers.

Internationally awarded films in competition include Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear honouree Dying, a multi-generational epic about a conductor and his turbulent family and Rich Peppiatt’s raucous and rude comedy Kneecap stars three real-life Belfast rappers, Audience Award winner in the Sundance NEXT strand.

Italian box office juggernaut There’s Still Tomorrow (trailer, above) is a melodrama directed and starring Paola Cortellesi about an industrious woman in post-WWII Rome. It screens in competition at SFF alongside Puan, an incisive comedy about a philosophy professor at a Buenos Aires university who is threatened by a charismatic rival.

Ten documentaries (including seven World Premieres) will contest the 2024 Documentary Australia Prize, amongst them Dale Frank – Nobody’s Sweetie, an intimate portrait of artist Dale Frank; Aquarius, documenting a 1973 gathering embraced by activists, hippies, and radicals that changed the town of Nimbin forever; The Blind Sea (pictured, right), following professional athlete Matt Formston as he takes on the challenge of surfing the biggest wave ever tackled by a blind surfer; and, Sally Aitken’s Sundance Selected Every Little Thing, a story of a woman finding herself as she cares for injured hummingbirds.

Special Presentations at the iconic State Theatre include Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy in The Bikeriders, Jeff Nichols’ take on the rise and menacing transformation of an iconic American motorcycle club; Lee, featuring Oscar winner Kate Winslet alongside Alexander Skarsgård in the true story of model turned WWII correspondent Lee Miller; My Old Ass, a comedy-love story starring Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella, produced by Margot Robbie; and, Viggo Mortensen opposite Vicky Krieps in The Dead Don’t Hurt, a feminist western about a romance in a time of corruption and war.

Two presentations are set to leave audiences reeling with their visual inventiveness. Choi Dong-hoon's Alienoid (trailer, above) and its sequel Alienoid: Return to the Future are mind-bending sci-fi thrillers that masterfully intertwine the fates of alien prisoners trapped in human bodies with 15th-century magicians, brought to life by an all-star Korean cast. And Skywalkers: A Love Story follows two hardcore daredevils as they scale the world’s highest buildings to capture footage for social media and ignite passion in the process - which audiences can also experience at a stomach-dropping screening at IMAX.

Always a stand-out is the Freak Me Out Program, curated by Richard Kuipers, which returns with six features, six shorts and a special live event. These include Cuckoo (pictured, right), starring Hunter Schafer as a troubled teen working at a holiday resort where very strange goings-on start to take place; Annick Blanc’s debut, Hunting Daze (Jour de Chasse), a SXSW Midnighters hit centred on a woman stranded at a buck’s party in the Quebec wilderness; Yannis Veslemes’ She Loved Blossoms More, a Greek Weird Wave fever dream about time travel and family ties; and, Michael Duignan’s The Paragon, the story of a tennis coach who team up with a mysterious psychic tutor to seek revenge on a hit-and-run driver.

A special film and live music event not to be missed is Hear My Eyes: Hellraiser which will give audiences the opportunity to experience Clive Barker’s 1987 extra-dimensional horror classic, re-scored live by EBM explorers Hieroglyphic Being and Robin Fox, and a synched laser-art show at City Recital Hall.

Sydney Film Festival runs from 5-16 June 2024. Tickets and Flexipasses to Sydney Film Festival 2024 are on sale now. Please call 1300 733 733 or visit sff.org.au for more information or to book.

Ushering in Sydney’s springtime film festival season is the 11th Queer Screen Film Festival, set to warm our hearts with 35 fresh films. Tickets for the one of the largest LGBTIQ+ film events globally are available now at queerscreen.org.au for 28 August to 1 September in Sydney and for the on-demand program, which streams nationally from 2 to 8 September.

“We’re bookending the festival with two fabulously fun and romantic films, on opening and closing nights,” Festival Director Lisa Rose reveals. “And we’re continuing that theme with the one incredible documentary feature. Queer love, in its many forms, flows through every film in the program.”

Setting the sizzling tone on opening night is Marco Berger’s new feature THE ASTRONAUT LOVERS (pictured, right), which follows two men – one gay, the other swaggering and seemingly straight – who connect in Buenos Aires one steamy summer. Also bringing the palpable chemistry, yet without any dialogue whatsoever, is closing night film GONDOLA, about two young, female cable-car conductors who find ingenious ways to communicate their burgeoning feelings, every time they pass by in the sky. 

Love is laid bare in FRAGMENTS OF A LIFE LOVED, as filmmaker Chloé Barreau revisits past loves, and lovers. This captivating film won Outstanding Documentary Feature at Frameline last month and was lauded for its unique approach to storytelling.

A film about first love seems only fitting and CLOSE TO YOU, featuring Elliot Page in his first film role since transitioning, is QSFF’s first ever narrative centrepiece. Page’s character Sam, visiting family after delaying a trip home for a long time, runs into high school crush Katherine, along the way. 

“Queer films and filmmakers are taking up their rightful space on what is a very competitive and commercial global stage,” she said. “The fact Queer Screen has been invited to the Marché du Film for two years running is also a reflection of the significance of LGBTIQ+ storytelling.” 

2024 Queer Screen Goes to Cannes selection STRANGE CREATURES has its World Premiere during the Festival and 2024 Queer Screen Completion Fund recipient VIDEOLAND (pictured, top) has its Australian Premiere, following its win in the Comedy Series Competition at the prestigious 2024 Series Mania Festival in Lille, France in March. 

STRANGE CREATURES filmmaker Henry Boffin will be in attendance for a Q&A on his touching comedy-drama film, which sees two feuding brothers set out on a road trip – in a hearse – to scatter their ashes at the old family home in remote Narrabri. Writer-director of VIDEOLAND Jessica Smith and producer Scarlett Koehne will also be guests of the Festival, together with lead actor Emmanuelle Mattana, who plays hapless video store clerk Hailey. Serving 1990s nostalgia at every turn, the series sees Hailey watching every Sapphic film ever made in a bid to research ‘how to be a lesbian’. When she develops a crush on a customer, it’s time to put her research to the test.

In ALL SHALL BE WELL, a lesbian relationship is left devastated when her partner of 30 years dies, and the acceptance she thought they had earned fades as legal and financial matters enter the frame. Filmmaker Ray Yeung received the 2024 Teddy Award at Berlinale 2024 and Frameline’s Audience Award for Narrative for this restrained yet powerful film. 

Also exploring long-term love is TURTLES, a poignant comedy-drama about an older gay couple – one of whom is withdrawing, and the other is going all-out to bring him back. A must-see gem that offers a refreshing and authentic story of queer love and self-discovery.

In BACKSPOT, Riley (Devery Jacobs) is given the opportunity to join an elite cheerleading squad, face new pressures from a demanding head coach (Evan Rachel Wood; pictured, above right) and confront her own pursuit of perfection, causing her world to spiral.

The festival will celebrate Wear It Purple Day on 31 August with a special screening of BIG BOYS (pictured, right), in which teenaged Jamie starts to develop some complicated feelings towards his cousin’s new boyfriend during a camping trip. This heartfelt crowd-pleaser is free to see for those under 26, and just $10 for everyone else. 

And the organisers have upped the ante on Queer Screen Pitch Off, where six Australian filmmakers pitch their film proposals to a panel of expert assessors, competing for funding to produce their short film. The prize pool has doubled to $20,000, with a $10,000 prize for the winning pitch. Eligible female and gender-diverse practitioners can vie for a best screenwriter prize and a professional development grant, each worth $5,000, following a generous contribution from Screen Australia’s Gender Matters Taskforce.

Tickets and session details for the 2024 QUEER SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL program can be found here.

Canberra’s premiere international film event, The Capital Film Festival returns Wednesday October 30 boasting a roster of Cannes and Toronto festival titles that strengthen its reputation as one of Australia’s prestige cinema gatherings.

Andrew Perkin, Festival Director, said: “While the program covers a diverse range of genres from first-time filmmakers to established auteurs, there is a recurring theme of isolation and its many forms. This may reflect the effects caused by the worldwide shutdowns of 2020 and the internal conflicts many artists looked to explore.”

Opening night honours have been bestowed upon French director Jacques Audiard’s EMILIA PÉREZ, a surrealistic meditation on gender and a bold hybrid of narratives, including but not limited to cartel thriller, latina-pop musical, Mexican melodrama and redemption parable. The film created history at this year’s Cannes Film Festival where it took the prestigious Grand Jury Prize and, in a festival first, split the Best Actress Prize amongst the female ensemble of Zoe Saldaña (pictured, top), Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofía Gascón. 

A major coup for the programming team is the acquisition of MENUS-PLAISIRS – LES TROIGROS (pictured, right), the latest from 94-year-old iconic documentarian Frederick Wiseman. A breathtaking study of the inner-workings of a French restaurant that's held three Michelin stars for more than 50 years, the screening will be accompanied by a selection of fine cheeses and premium French wine.

An in-person Q&A with the Chinese-Australian artist Jiawei Shen will follow the screening of WELCOME TO BABEL, director James Bradley’s fascinating documentary that uncovers Jiawei's incredible journey from growing up in Mao’s China and surviving the Cultural Revolution to his resettlement in Australia and establishing his reputation as one of the most important figures in the art world.

Other must-see movies in the 2024 program include writer/director Jesse Eisenberg’s A REAL PAIN, in which he co-stars with Kieran Culkin as mismatched cousins who reunite for a tour through Poland; Cannes Grand Prix prize winner, ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT, an intoxicatingly romantic drama from writer/director Payal Kapadia; and, Palme d’Or honouree ANORA (pictured, right), the latest from auteur Sean Baker, whose latest underdog story introduces the world to Mikey Madison as a sex worker who meets and marries the son of an oligarch.

The genre film community has much to celebrate in the line-up representing horror, manga and….Lego. Tilman Singer’s follow-up to his auspicious debut Luz stars Euphoria breakout Hunter Schaffer in CUCKOO, a sinister horror pic centred on the unsettling occurrences at a resort in the German Alps; Takashi Imashiro’s popular manga, GHOST CAT ANZU is an eccentric anime, shot live on location and rotoscoped to melt the real world into Japan’s fantastical kami realm; and, Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville’s exuberant PIECE BY PIECE utilises Lego animation to celebrate the life of music and cultural icon Pharrell Williams.

Closing the festival will be the critically acclaimed winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, THE ROOM NEXT DOOR. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Academy Award® winners Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, the Spanish great’s latest is a visually exquisite and intimate drama centred on the relationship between two fascinating, complex, and flawed women.

The full program, including session and ticket details, can be found at the 2024 Capital Film Festival official website.

The 2024 Russell Hobbs British Film Festival returns to Palace Cinemas nationwide this November with a line up that includes such notable names as Saoirse Ronan, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law and Tim Roth.

The event opens with the Australian Premiere of BLITZ, Steve McQueen's period drama depicting pivotal moments of World War II in London and starring Saoirse Ronan (pictured, below), Paul Weller and highly-touted newcomer Elliot Heffernan. The Oscar-nominated Ronan also fronts THE OUTRUN, as a woman who returns to Scotland's Orkney Islands, seeking to reconcile with her troubled past.

Closing the festival is the premiere of WE LIVE IN TIME (pictured, top), starring Oscar nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield in a romance that delves into the profound question of how to make the most of the time we have in this world.

The 2024 Festival Centrepiece is Mike Leigh’s HARD TRUTHS, a darkly humorous examination of a hypersensitive woman’s impact on her family, blending compassion with Leigh’s signature attention to detail. Family dynamics are also explored in Andrea Arnold’s BIRD, the story of 12-year-old Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams), who seeks solace in nature as her distracted father remarries.

Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche star in THE RETURN, an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, a distinctly British spin on the classical work with an all-star cast. Another  British/French co-production is WIDOW CLICQUOT, the rousing true story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the “Grande Dame of Champagne,” otherwise known as Veuve Clicquot.

Attending the festival is Aylin Tezel, whose directorial debut FALLING INTO PLACE follows Kira (played by Tezel) and Ian, each fleeing their own personal struggles, who cross paths during a winter weekend on the Isle of Skye. One of the U.K.'s rising talents, Tezel will be joining audiences in person in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for a series of Q&A events.

Alicia Vikander and Jude Law star in the historical drama FIREBRAND, set during the final months of King Henry VIII's reign who, alongside his sixth wife, Katherine Parr, faces the perilous challenges of the Tudor court. The adaptation of the best-selling novel CONCLAVE stars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal entrusted with the secretive task of selecting a new Pope, but in the Vatican's sacred halls, uncovers secrets that could destabilize the Roman Catholic Church.

Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter lead an ensemble cast in FOUR LETTERS OF LOVE, Polly Steele’s tender story of Nicholas and Isabel who seem destined for each other, but whose path to true love is anything but straightforward. And romantics will also enjoy THE SALT PATH starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs as a couple who embark on a 630-mile coastal walk after losing their home and facing a terminal diagnosis. 

Unconventional rom-coms abound, including AND MRS, the bittersweet tale of a bride-to-be (Aisling Bea) who, after losing her fiancé unexpectedly, is determined to proceed with the wedding; THE RADLEYS, which depicts an ordinary family hiding a dark secret - they’re vampires; and, CHUCK CHUCK BABY, a musical comedy set in a Welsh chicken processing plant.

In the music-themed sidebar ‘Brit Rock to Brit Pop’, documentarian Nick Broomfield uncovers the true story of the creative force behind what would become the world’s greatest rock band in THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES; iconic rock band Led Zeppelin’s electrifying 1973 Madison Square Garden performances are captured in THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME (pictured, right); and a feast for Blur fans, with the epic concert film BLUR: LIVE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM, and the doco BLUR: TO THE END.

Retrospective screenings of some of the U.K.’s most adored films pepper the 2024 title roster. Marking its 25th anniversary and presented in restored 4K is Lynne Ramsay’s debut feature RATCATCHER, a haunting portrayal of a troubled childhood. In tribute to the late Dame Maggie Smith, James Ivory’s A ROOM WITH A VIEW will be screened, alongside the documentary MERCHANT IVORY, a celebration of the 44-film collaboration of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.

And a strand entitled ‘History Restored’ features classic British dramas, many on the bigscreen for the first time in decades. In a new 4K restoration, winner of six Academy Awards A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS examines Sir Thomas More's moral stand against King Henry VIII's divorce; based on the novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, James Ivory’s epic melodrama HEAT AND DUST features parallel stories of love and cultural clash in 1920’s India; Kenneth Branagh's gritty, blood-soaked 1989 rendition of HENRY V; Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn in THE LION IN WINTER, the grand tale of King Henry II's family power struggles; and Ken Russel’s THE MUSIC LOVERS, a biography of composer Tchaikovsky's tumultuous life, with career-best performances from Richard Chamberlain and Glenda Jackson.

The 2024 RUSSELL HOBBS BRITISH FILM FESTIVAL opens on Wednesday 6 November in Melbourne, Ballarat, Adelaide, Perth Byron Bay, Canberra and Brisbane and Thursday 7 November in Sydney, concluding on Sunday 8 December in all cities.

In the long history of the entertainment sector in its many forms - theatre, film, radio, the internet - few technological developments have flown so high and plummeted so uniquely as the VCR. 

                                                                                     (Credit: Alex Ross Perry / Instagram)

The legacy left behind from the boom years of VHS domination (and, early on, the fleeting companion format, Betamax) is only just now coming into a sharper focus; what has long been dismissed as an artefact of ‘80s ephemera is now being reconsidered as a vital and complex piece of film culture history.

The changing attitudes to the impact of the home video decades can be found in the announcement that the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will be dedicating a strand in the 2025 program to the VHS heyday. As conversations evolve around streaming platforms and their impact on cinema going, IFFR presents HOLD VIDEO IN YOUR HANDS, a timely exploration of VHS culture, deeply rooted in community, creativity and unique viewing practices.

Central to the sidebar will be the World Premiere of Alex Ross Perry’s documentary Videoheaven (pictured, top), a three-hour voiceover meditation on the history of video stores in Hollywood cinema that has been a decade in the making. 

In a 2023 interview with website Cinema Scope, Perry (pictured, above), who worked at the iconic Kim’s Video Store in New York, said “Social relationships in video stores as depicted on-screen show that for about ten years, basically the entire ’90s, the video store was an inherently social space. Pre-internet, pre–message boards, like the record store or whatever, you had to go to learn and discuss, with employees, customers, friends.”

Rotterdam filmmaker Gyz La Rivière (pictured, left) returns to the IFFR with the World Premiere of his video store love letter, Videotheek Marco, a rose-coloured recollection into local video store history and connected audiovisual activities like community television. 

In a similar vein is Jagannathan Krishnan cinema-verite documentary Videokaaran (2011; pictured, right), which will have a retrospective screening at IFFR. The acclaimed feature is a handheld odyssey through the world of underground video parlours, where audiences would gather in makeshift cinemas to watch videos projected on whatever flat, upright wall was available. 

Confirmed for the sidebar is The Shrouds, the latest from celebrated Canadian auteur David Cronenberg. Starring Vincent Cassell, Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce, the narrative utilises home video technologies in its depiction of an industry that offers customers unique in-coffin coverage of their late loved ones. 

Also a vital element of the ‘Hold Video in Your Hands’ initiative, the IFFR will launch interactive projects inviting Rotterdam citizens to share their personal home video stories, creating a communal cinematic experience.

The 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam will run Thursday 30 January to Sunday 9 February. Program details and official announcements will be posted at the event's official website. 

The Sydney Film Festival in partnership with Vivid Sydney will present two film events that go beyond the screen, featuring live performances and unique artistry.

Planet City: Live is a speculative fiction experience from designer, director, and BAFTA-nominated producer Liam Young, which envisions a future where the entire global population resides in one hyper-dense metropolis, allowing the rest of the planet to rewild. This immersive event features live narration by Young himself and a live score performed by Forest Swords.

The second event will see the New South Wales premiere screening of Justin Kurzel’s (Snow Town) documentary debut Ellis Park, followed by a conversation and short musical performance with the film’s subject, celebrated musician Warren Ellis.

One of the world’s longest-running and most prestigious film festivals, the 72nd edition of the Sydney Film Festival will run 4 to 15 June 2025, showcasing the very best in contemporary cinema across several Sydney venues. Running 23 May-14 June, Vivid Sydney is the Southern Hemisphere’s leading multi-artform festival, transforming Sydney into a vibrant hub of creativity, innovation and community connection. Over 23 nights, light installations, music, ideas and food inspire global audiences and drive cultural exchange.

“Sydney Film Festival has always been a place for bold and innovative storytelling, and we are delighted to join forces with Vivid Sydney to present these two unique cinematic experiences,” said SFF Festival Director Nashen Moodley. “These events push the limits of film, sound, and imagination, offering audiences something truly unforgettable.”

Vivid Sydney Festival Director, Gill Minervini said, "The partnership between Vivid Sydney and Sydney Film Festival represents an artistic fusion that embodies the spirit of creative innovation we champion. These immersive film events perfectly amplify our 2025 theme of 'Dream' by inviting audiences to explore alternative realities through the intersection of cinema, music, and live performance."

PLANET CITY: LIVE is set to dazzle Sydney audiences on Tuesday 10 June from 7pm at the City Recital Hall. The NSW Premiere Screening of ELLIS PARK is scheduled for Sunday 8 June at 4pm at the iconic State Theatre, followed by the live component at the City Recital Hall from 7pm.

The South African Film Festival (SAFF) returns from May 4-31, with a packed program of compelling contemporary films, issue-based discussions, and an organisational support network that includes the learning initiative Education Without Borders. With both in-cinema and online screenings, SAFF brings South Africa's rich storytelling tradition to audiences across Australia and New Zealand.

This year, some of South Africa’s most acclaimed and talked-about films will attract discerning filmgoers, including South Africa’s official Oscar selection, Old Righteous Blues, and the Oscar-nominated short film, The Last Ranger. Films in the 2025 program each shed light on the nation’s cultural diversity, social complexity, and creative heartbeat.

Every film watched helps fund programs in literacy, mathematics, leadership, and mentorship for young South Africans through the South African charity, Education Without Borders. Established in 2002, the EwB program is delivered to over 300 learners across all school grades by 50 university-based tutors, many of whom are EwB graduates. It is based at five sites (schools and community centres) in three townships on the Cape Flats outside Cape Town.

Festival Director, Collins Rex said, “SAFF truly represents the soul of a nation. And in our 7th year we’re doing it with a larger lineup of films than ever before. We can’t wait to share the gems, and a selection of accompanying bonus content, with you.”

These sentiments were echoed by Festival Director, Ricky Human, who said, “Every year, we take great pride in celebrating the inspiring stories of some of the most prestigious South African filmmakers, as well as the fresh and exciting new voices that emerge. We also have some surprises in store, including visits by filmmakers and film subjects.”

SAFF this year includes a total of nine feature films, 11 documentaries, and 13 short films. Old Righteous Blues, directed by Muneera Sallies, is a soulful drama that follows a young man's efforts to reunite his town’s estranged Christmas Choir Band, confronting two decades of pain and division.

The Showerhead (pictured; above, right) examines the work of cartoonist Zapiro, from his period as an anti-apartheid struggle-artist to his enduring role as a progressive commentator and freedom-of-expression champion. Zapiro, aka Jonathan Shapiro, will be in Australia to support the film at select cinema screenings.

A hilarious coming-of-age story, Spud is based on the bestselling novel by John van de Ruit. Set in a boys’ boarding school in the early 1990s, and starring a young Troye Sivan and comedy legend John Cleese, the film has become a cult favourite, celebrated for its charm and poignant look at adolescence in a changing South Africa.

The heartwarming and insightful documentary, The Friendship Bench, tracks the implementation of a unique mental health program:  the deployment of gogos (grandmothers) to counsel those in need of support.  The Sydney in-cinema screening of this film will be followed by a Q & A organised by Corrective Services NSW, who are implementing the program.

For the first time, SAFF is this year supporting the work of a young South African-born Australian filmmaker, Kgomotso Sekhur. Shap Shap (pictured; above, right) tells the story of 13-year-old Mmusi who sets off to the township in search of his father. Along the way, unexpected friendships teach him resilience and hope. And in Kwiksilwers, four elderly friends head off on a road trip to experience a meteor shower in Sutherland, with hilarious consequences and no small measure of pathos.

For Tickets and Venue information, visit the festicial's official website