This November, Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) returns – reimagined, revitalised, and ready to reclaim its place as one of Australia’s great celebrations of cinema.
Across four blockbuster days, Brisbane will transform into a city-wide stage for storytelling. . . From Brisbane’s iconic Streets Beach, to The Star Brisbane’s Leisure Deck.
Under the direction of BIFF Festival Director Sophie Mathisen, the 2025 relaunch marks both a homecoming, and a reimagining.
“In reimagining BIFF, we returned to the Festival’s extraordinary legacy of prestige premieres and director delegations,” Mathisen says.
“With over 20 filmmakers arriving in Brisbane, audiences will have the chance to meet and mingle with incredible industry leaders from across the globe, as well as experience both new and treasured works in immersive experiences celebrating the joy, excitement and escapism of film.”
There are five major cinematic events at this year’s BIFF. The festival commences at Howard Smith Wharves with an exclusive, black-tie gala to celebrate the Australian premiere of ‘Agon’, the directorial debut of Italian filmmaker Giulio Bertelli.
Then, audiences can relive the high kicks and spirit fingers of cheerleading classic, ‘Bring It On’, at The Star Brisbane’s Leisure Deck. . . Joined by the film’s original Director Peyton Reed.
Things move to South Bank’s Streets Beach for a floating double bill under the stars, pairing the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ with ‘Beasts Of War, the Brisbane-shot, adrenaline-fuelled thriller from Australia’s Kiah Roache-Turner.
Across the river, BIFF will also host the Australian premiere of ‘A Life Illuminated’ documenting ocean explorer and marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder. The Star’s Leisure Deck will be transformed into a shimmering underwater world for an all-ages Glow Rave.
Then, the festival will come to a close at the South Bank Piazza with the Queensland premiere of ‘It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley’. . . Followed by a live concert performance of Buckley’s iconic ‘Grace’ album with Queensland music legends Jack Carty, Asha Jefferies, Jaguar Jonze, Moreton, Mark Moroney, Katie Noonan, Tyrone Noonan, Sue Ray and Jude York taking to the stage.
Beyond the headline events, film lovers can expect a programme of more than 60 films including 29 Australian premieres, curated to evoke one of six core emotions: Be Delighted, Be Moved, Be Afraid, Be Ignited, Be Challenged and Be Surprised.
Whether it’s Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’, to Takashi Miike’s ‘Blazing Fists’. . . And direct from its Venice premiere Ildiko Enyedi’s ‘Silent Friend’, plus the directorial debut of Ted Evans, ‘Retreat’.
Fans of Europe’s Radu Jude can enjoy not one but two titles – the Berlin Award-winning ‘Kontinental ’25’ and the Australian premiere of ‘Dracula’.
US ‘Veep’ director Stephanie Laing will travel for the first time down under, with the international premiere of her Rose-Byrne starrer, ‘Tow’, while erect from Tribeca is Egyptian filmmaker Sarah Goher’s ‘Happy Birthday’.
BIFF 25 will also of course celebrate works from down under talent. . . Including South-East Queensland local Jayden Martin’s ‘FLATHEAD’, about an ageing man returning to his Queensland hometown, seeking redemption through friendship, faith, and quiet resilience.
Of BIFF’s more than 60 titles in 2025, roughly 42 per cent are directed by women – an important reflection of the festival’s commitment to diversity across its programme. The 2025 programme introduces a new festival legacy, the Patron’s Pick, to help frame and explain the year’s curatorial sense. For its first, Academy Award winner George Miller, Festival Patron, selects Robert Altman’s 1970 black comedy ‘M*A*S*H’.
“This movie, so wildly subversive, had a huge cultural impact. In the same way Kubrick's 'Dr Strangelove' did before it and PTA's 'One Battle After Another' seems to be doing today, it resonated deeply with the zeitgeist,” Miller says. “These interactions are essential to the nourishment of any culture. South Korea, for example, has a very high rate of Cinema attendance - partly because it happens to have so many film festivals. This, in turn, helped fuel the rise of Korean cinema globally.”
View the full programme.
Brisbane International Film Festival 2025 is on from 27-30 November across Palace Centro, Palace Barracks, New Farm Cinemas, Elizabeth Street Picture House, The Star Brisbane, Streets Beach and South Bank Piazza.
