The first 16 films to be presented as part of this year’s Sydney Film Festival have landed.
It’s a bold offering of films to tease the full line-up, set for early May.
“This first look offers a cross-section of the bold storytelling and distinctive voices that can be found at this year’s festival,” Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley says. “From inventive new Australian work to major prize-winners from the international circuit, these films reflect the ingenuity and diversity of cinema today, and offer a glimpse of the rich and rewarding programme to come.”
Two new Australian features will enjoy premieres at this year’s event. First up is ‘Fwends’, the debut feature from Sophie Somerville (two-time Dendy Award winner). It’s a fast-talking buddy comedy about modern female friendship. Then there’s ‘Lesbian Space Princess’, a Berlin Teddy Award-winning animated feature where an heir to the throne goes on a mission to rescue her ex-girlfriend, from evil incel aliens.
Next up is ‘Make It Look Real’, a layered documentary from SFF alum Kate Blackmore. It follows internationally in-demand intimacy coordinator Claire Warden, as she works with actors and filmmakers on the set of an Australian feature.
There are a few award-winners hitting the big screen in 2025, like ‘The Blue Trail’ about a 77-year-old woman who embarks on a mind-altering journey through the Amazon. . . And ‘DJ Ahmet’, telling the story of a 15-year-old boy in a remote North Macedonian village who discovers electronic dance music, first love, and the liberating power of art.
Then there are documentaries like ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’, and ‘Farming The Revolution’, as well as star-driven international features including ‘Bring Them Down’ starring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott, plus ‘The End’, where director Joshua Oppenheimer makes his narrative debut with a post-apocalyptic musical.
Speaking of music, music lovers can enjoy two music-focused documentaries. First one, ‘One To One: John & Yoko’ is Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald’s new film built around John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s historic 1972 Madison Square Garden benefit concert, and ‘Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao e Rua – Two Worlds’, a portrait of the beloved Aotearoa musician connecting with his roots and recording his first album in te reo Māori.
A number of titles which have made waves on the international festival circuit at SFF this year, include ‘Stranger Eyes’ the first Singaporean film to screen in competition at Venice, and ‘On Becoming A Guinea Fowl’, where a Zambian family confront hard truths following the death of a relative.
From Sundance, documentary ‘Speak.’ follows five US high school orators as they prepare for the country’s most prestigious public speaking competition. Also from Sundance is ‘Obex’, a lo-fi, ‘80s-set genre-blend.
Finally there’s ‘Exergue – on documenta 14’. . . An unprecedented, 14-hour documentary filmed over several years, charting one of the most major and politically-charged art exhibitions in recent history.
Learn more about the first films.
Sydney Film Festival is on from 4-15 June.
