So I know that backpackers flock to Sydney to experience its awesome beaches during summer; but for those of us lucky enough to call this city home, June (despite the cold weather) is just as exciting. Call me crazy (many have), but June is my favourite month of the year for one huge reason: Sydney Film Festival.
If you, like me, are chomping at the bit to find out what films will be lighting up the screens between the 7th & 18th June this year, you’re in luck. You needn’t wait until the 10th of May for the full list of 200+ films to be revealed because Sydney Film Festival have just released 28 titles that will feature in the 64th instalment of this gloriously jam-packed festival.
From documentaries like Whitney ‘Can I Be Me’ (featuring unseen footage of the late Whitney Houston) to quirky horrors like A Ghost Story (starring Oscar winner Casey Affleck) and Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion winner The Woman Who Left, there’s a broad range of fantastic films on offer.
UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 05: WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of Whitney HOUSTON, Whitney Houston performing on stage (Photo by David Corio/Redferns)
If you’re after home-grown talent, check out That’s Not Me (a comical indie with a strong Australian cast including Isabel Lucas and actor-writer-producer Alice Foulcher) or Mountain by Australian director Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa – SFF 2015). You can also finally see The Opposition – the controversial documentary that was banned from last year’s festival due to a court order.
That’s Not Me
Featuring Belinda Misevski, Alice Foulcher, Lloyd Allison -Young
Photograph by Catharine Neilson
If true stories and biographical movies are your thing, then Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) or Winnie (a portrait of South African first lady Winnie Madikizela-Mandela) might be worth a look.
Fancy something light hearted? My Life as a Zucchini, voiced by Ellen Page (Juno), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and Will Forte (Saturday Night Live) is a delightful family animation. Or if you’re looking for something zany, Malaysia’s answer to Kill Bill, Mrs K, featuring an all-star cast (Hong Kong’s leading lady Kara Wai, Taiwanese rockstar Wu Bai, and martial arts film legend Lau Wing) might be for you.
Mrs K
Featuring Wu Bai and Siow Li Xuan
And it doesn’t end there…
Sydney Film Festival also announced the first of the festival’s 150 guests: Nick Broomfield, director of the hotly anticipated Whitney ‘Can I Be Me’. Broomfield (renowned for iconoclastic documentaries Kurt & Courtney, Biggie and Tupac and Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer) will be presenting an industry masterclass at the Festival.
For the first time, Randwick’s Ritz Cinema (celebrating its 80th birthday this year) will host some of the screenings and Sydney Town Hall will house an expanded virtual reality program.
Photo By Bellnjerry
The full Sydney Film Festival program will be announced on Wednesday 10 May at 11am.
Flexipasses and subscriptions are on sale now. Call 1300 733 733 or visit http://www.sff.org.au for more information.
I don’t know about you, but I’ll be pulling a lot of sickies in June…
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