Sydney Film Festival returns between June 3 and 14. This year’s line-up is jampacked with 19 films straight from Cannes Film Festival, 19 world premieres, three international premieres and 140 Australian premieres.
Films will be screened at the State Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, the Art Gallery of NSW, the State Library and in boutique cinemas like the Randwick Ritz, Hayden Orpheum, Dendy Newtown and several Palace Cinema locations.
When a festival has this much heft, it’s hard to know where to start. These are the flicks the Broadsheet Sydney team have on their watchlist.
I am an unapologetic Hugh Jackman stan. But even I didn’t know he’d taken the titular role in this brutal retelling of the Robin Hood story. It’s giving shades of Logan (Jackman’s best portrayal of Marvel’s Wolverine by anyone’s measure), but with some medieval madness thrown in. I think the boy from Oz can pretty much do anything, but I love it when aging stars take late-career risks. I don’t have high hopes for Tom Cruise and Iñárritu’s Digger, but I reckon Jackman might be on to something here. – Dan Cunningham, features editor (food and drink)
Scrolling has shot my attention span, so I’m looking for a movie that’s going to grip me from start to finish. Dead Man’s Wire is sure to do just that. It’s a pacey new film from Gus Van Sant based on the true story of a 1977 hostage stand-off. The cast is absolutely stacked: Bill Skårsgard, Al Pacino, Colman Domingo and our very own Dacre Montgomery. And, of course, reviews aren’t everything but it’s currently sitting at 91 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, so I’m feeling pretty good about my choice. – Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor
The History of Concrete & Leviticus
High on my list is The History of Concrete, the debut film from those behind How To With John Wilson. It’s a gloriously absurd documentary that starts with a Hallmark movie workshop and somehow ends up exploring urbanism, celebrity and civic life. It instantly reminded me of that Gilmore Girls episode where Rory is tasked with writing a story about a parking lot being repaved, only to produce something unexpectedly profound about obsolescence (take that Paris). I hope that, like Rory’s article, this film will be proof that the most mundane subjects, handled with the right curiosity, can be the most revealing. I also can’t wait for Leviticus, Aussie director Adrian Chiarella’s Sundance hit about two teenage boys whose forbidden love in a God-fearing Victorian town unleashes a supernatural force. Two very different films, both unmissable. – Yulia Frolov, sales & partnerships manager
I’m super keen to see French Girls. It’s written and directed by Hyun Lee. It’s her debut feature after her award-winning short film Asian Girls. Dimitri Zaunders – the cinemaphotographer behind The Golden Spurtle – shot it so I’m expecting it to be beautiful. I’m excited to see familiar faces up on screen and to support and all the local talent behind this film. – Gabriella Dolfo, sales and partnerships manager
I’m keen to watch The Invite. It’s Olivia Wilde’s third feature as director and it’s shot on 35mm film. Wilde stars in the film alongside Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton and Seth Rogen, fresh from his Emmy wins for The Studio. The trailer doesn’t give much away but it’s written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (who together wrote Celeste and Jesse Forever) and apparently it takes inspiration from a 2020 Spanish film called The People Upstairs. I can’t wait to find out more. – Taylor Silk, video producer (editorial lead)
Notebook on Cities and Clothes
A fashion film made by someone who didn’t know that much about fashion? I’m intrigued. As someone who loves art and design documentaries, this looks like a great one – a profile of an avant-garde fashion designer, a discussion about creativity in general, set between Tokyo and Paris. Notebook on Cities and Clothes will be an artsy, intellectual treat, to be sure. – Rashmi Mohotti, social media coordinator
The Sydney Film Festival runs between June 3 and 14. The full program is available online.