What better way to survive winter than by stuffing your face with popcorn in a dark room?
Celebrating its 70th outing, the 2023 Sydney Film Festival is as diverse and exciting as ever. From homegrown talent to hotly anticipated international offerings – you won’t be disappointed with this year’s 200+ lineup!
Let’s whet your appetite with some feature films…
Biosphere by Mel Eslyn is a quirky end-of-world comedy rife with twists, laughs, and leading performances by Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) and Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us).
Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps is a powerful semi-autobiographical drama about a Korean single mother (played by Choi Seung-yoon) and her young son (Ethan Hwang) starting a new life in 1990s Canada. And flying the flag for Australian cinema is the psychological thriller Run Rabbit Run directed by Daina Reid and starring Sarah Snook (Succession).
Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is also coming to Sydney straight after its Cannes Film Festival premiere along with Kennedy (Anurag Kashyap), Perfect Days (Wim Wenders), and tense Mexican thriller Lost In The Night (Amat Escalante).
On the documentary side, the festival will host the world premiere of The Defenders by Matthew Bate. Following the fight to save Australian refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi from extradition to Bahrain, it uncovers an unbelievable revenge plot involving three countries, two royal families, and the world’s most powerful sporting organisation.
Other highly anticipated documentaries include The Carnival by Isabel Darling and Queendom by Agniia Galdanova.
Queendom chronicles queer artist and activist Gena Marvin’s life in Putin’s Russia while The Carnival follows a sixth-generation carnival family as they fight to keep their show on the road through pandemics, bushfires, and more.
Meanwhile, The Last Daughter is a powerful film co-directed by Wiradjuri woman Brenda Matthews as the search for her white family uncovers the truth about her government-ordered abduction.
This is just a teeny tiny fraction of the jam-packed schedule at this year’s festival. There are also several competitions and programs that celebrate filmmaking at its most powerful.
Screenability showcases the talents of filmmakers identifying with disability. Jane Campion – Her Way celebrates works by the only two-time female Oscar-nominated Director. Amitabh Bachchan: Back To The Beginning is a retrospective of the Indian icon’s classics. Meanwhile, Europe! Voices of Women in Film does exactly what it says on the tin.
And, of course, there are plenty of parties and events. The Hub in Sydney’s Town Hall will be open every night throughout the festival. With happy hour pop-up bars and a mix of free and ticketed events, it’s the place to be and be seen.
So whether you prefer keeping it low-key in local cinemas, want to geek out over panels and talks, or fancy getting dolled up and hobnobbing with the artsy film crowd – you do you, babes!
Tickets go fast so we recommend getting them well in advance. If you – like me – plan to see several films, a Flexipass is definitely worth it. You can even share it with friends for extra value!
Sydney Film Festival runs in cinemas across Sydney from 7-18 June
Check out the full Sydney Film Festival 2023 program: https://www.sff.org.au/
Tickets are on sale now!
Stay tuned for updates and Daily Addict film reviews…
