Australian stories and talent appearing at Sydney Film Festival
Screen Australia is delighted to have funded a stellar array of titles screening at this year's Sydney Film Festival. Find out more about the films below and go behind-the-scenes with Australian filmmakers at SFF!
Top (L-R): Songs Inside, Somersault
Bottom (L-R): Birthright, Emily: I am Kam
This year’s Sydney Film Festival showcases vibrant Australian films, both new and newly restored, and the creative minds who shape them. Featuring a bumper selection of documentaries, debut films and nostalgia trips, dark comedies to powerful documentaries, trailblazers and misfits alike, explore these fantastic Screen Australia-funded titles appearing at Sydney’s celebration of cinema. Read about the films below!
The Sydney Film Festival runs from 4–15 June 2025. To find out more, explore the program here.
TRUE STORIES THAT WILL MOVE YOU
Compelling untold stories and captivating figures from Australia and around the world.
In a remote part of New Zealand’s South Island, the hero of the 2018 Thai cave rescue, Dr. Richard “Harry” Harris challenges the limits of human experience in one of the deepest regions of the globe. Directed by the award-winning Jennifer Peedom (Mountain, River) and co-director Alex Barry, and a moving score by multi-award-winning composer Antony Partos.
Warren Ellis, the brilliant Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds musician, reveals his life’s ups and downs as well as his dedication to wildlife in Justin Kurzel’s (The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Nitram) documentary debut. As he shares his life story, Ellis draws a bow between his hedonistic years and his redemption in a Sumatran wildlife sanctuary.
As one of Australia’s most celebrated figures, trailblazing artist Emily Kam Kngwarray found global fame in the late ’80s and reshaped the international contemporary art world through Country, culture and community to become the highest-selling woman artist in national history. Discover her strength, wit and radiant presence in her own words through rare archival footage of the Anmatyerr Elder herself. Nominated for the First Nations Award.
A deeply moving story of love and loss set in the northern NSW town of Lismore, Australia’s most flooded postcode and site of the nation’s most costly climate disaster. Filmed over three years, this compelling documentary navigates the social and cultural politics of natural emergencies as lived by three very different residents.
Hope you’re hungry. A crowd-pleaser set in a picturesque Scottish village where contestants from around the globe have gathered for the annual World Porridge Making Championship. This whimsical documentary delves into the idiosyncrasies of the sleepy Highlands community of Carrbridge, and the profound significance of the quirky competition.
A captivating and cautionary portrait of one of Australia’s most controversial politicians, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, whose career can be seen as a playbook for the Trump era. Directed by Kriv Stenders (The Correspondent), this biographical documentary digs deep into the psyche of one of Australia’s most controversial leaders and examines how power and corruption can change a nation's legacy.
A powerful record of grief, community and ceremony in which the renowned Indigenous actor is laid to rest on his Homeland of Gupulul in Arnhem Land, NT. The remarkable final chapter of his incredible story, narrated by Hugh Jackman and cultural storyteller Baker Boy, and skillfully chronicled by co-directors Maggie Miles (Trailblazers) and Trisha Morton-Thomas (Occupation: Native).
For the first time on screen, witness the important work of an intimacy coordinator, one of the most discussed film industry jobs today. Follow internationally in-demand intimacy coordinator Claire Warden (Dying for Sex, Three Women) as she navigates the nuances and challenges to create safer workspaces on a real-life production.
In 1973, 12 men gathered in Ecuador at the start of a seemingly impossible mission – to cross the South Pacific – roughly 14,500 kilometers, non-stop. Fifty years on, revisit the ripping high-seas yarn of these adventure-mad misfits who pursued a perilous attempt to sail from South America towards Australia on mere log rafts.
Witness the healing power of song and musicianship as a group of women prisoners pursue a unique music program in this inspiring documentary. Beyond just learning how to sing and play the ukulele, these 10 women are writing their own songs – in preparation for a prison community performance with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
A Mongolian family must leave their nomadic desert life after a devastating storm in Gabrielle Brady’s stunning, TIFF-selected follow-up to her multi-award-winning debut, Brady crafts an inventive hybrid of documentary and fiction in telling the poignant story of co-writers Davaa and Zaya, their four children and the numerous animals in their care.
The breathtaking red landscape of Wittenoom in WA’s Pilbara region is scarred by millions of tons of toxic waste from asbestos mines that once operated there. In this panoramic yet intimate portrait, Aboriginal Elder Maitland Parker fights to heal his mining-impacted homeland and preserve his culture for future generations.
SCRIPTED FEATURES FROM EXCITING NEW VOICES
Laugh and fall in love with these debut feature films from award-winning filmmakers.
Strap on your space boots for a bubblegum adventure in what Indiewire called a “heartfelt candy-coloured love letter to lesbians in a galaxy far, far away.” Introverted lesbian space princess Saira goes on an inter-gay-lactic mission to rescue her ex from evil incel aliens in this riotous, Berlin Teddy Award-winning Aussie animation.
Join filmmakers Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese (I'm the Most Racist Person I Know) for the out-of-this-world Lesbian Space Princess Premiere Party on Thursday 5 June – BYO spacesuits.
Newly evicted and jobless, a son and his pregnant wife refuse to leave his parents’ home, leading to absurd and ludicrous consequences. This breakthrough Aussie dark comedy debut from Western Australian director Zoe Pepper (Lift) is a twisted take on privilege, the housing crisis and a disillusioned generation.
FANTASTIC RETROSPECTIVES, LOVINGLY RESTORED IN 4K
Celebrate Australia’s cinematic history with these exclusive Q&A screenings.
You can dance, you can jive, you can have the time of your life. Thirty years since Muriel Heslop walked down the aisle, she remains one of Australian cinema’s most unforgettable heroines. Brimming with iconic moments and tremendous heart, rediscover this ode to dreamers alongside writer/director P.J. Hogan.
Brush up on your Murielisms with our Top 10 Muriel’s Wedding Quotes.
Rediscover director Cate Shortland’s feature directorial debut, starring an unforgettable Abbie Cornish as a young woman in search of connection. Premiering at Cannes, this hypnotic and tactile film went on to sweep the 2004 AFI Awards, winning all 13 feature categories, and will seep under your skin.
When the loveable, but not always likeable, Mullet returns to his South Coast, NSW hometown after three long years away, he disrupts the harmonious balance of the small town. Directed by David Caesear and featuring a stellar cast of Australian talent including Ben Mendelsohn as Mullet, Susie Porter, Andrew S Gilbert, Kris McQuade, Tony Barry and Wayne Blair.
What to read next
Screen Australia’s First Nations Department, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and National Indigenous Television (NITV) have announced the recipients selected for Stage One of Proper Loved Up – a new romantic comedy initiative for mid-career First Nations producers collaborating with emerging writer/director teams.
15 May 2025
Screen Australia