Sydney Film Festival returns between June 3 and 14. This year\u2019s line-up is jampacked with 19 films straight from Cannes Film Festival, 19 world premieres, three international premieres and 140 Australian premieres.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
When a festival has this much heft, it\u2019s hard to know where to start. These are the flicks the Broadsheet Sydney team have on their watchlist.<\/p>\n
I am an unapologetic Hugh Jackman stan. But even I didn\u2019t know he\u2019d taken the titular role in this brutal retelling of the Robin Hood story. It\u2019s giving shades of Logan<\/a> (Jackman\u2019s best portrayal of Marvel\u2019s Wolverine by anyone\u2019s 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\u2019t have high hopes for Tom Cruise and I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s Digger<\/a>, but I reckon Jackman might be on to something here. \u2013 Dan Cunningham, features editor (food and drink)<\/p>\n Scrolling has shot my attention span, so I\u2019m looking for a movie that\u2019s going to grip me from start to finish. Dead Man\u2019s Wire is sure to do just that. It\u2019s 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 Sk\u00e5rsgard, Al Pacino, Colman Domingo and our very own Dacre Montgomery. And, of course, reviews aren\u2019t everything but it\u2019s currently sitting at 91 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, so I\u2019m feeling pretty good about my choice. \u2013 Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor<\/p>\n The History of Concrete<\/a> & Leviticus<\/a><\/p>\n High on my list is The History of Concrete<\/a>, the debut film from those behind How To With John Wilson. It\u2019s 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\u2019s article, this film will be proof that the most mundane subjects, handled with the right curiosity, can be the most revealing. I also can\u2019t wait for Leviticus<\/a>, Aussie director Adrian Chiarella\u2019s 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. \u2013 Yulia Frolov, sales & partnerships manager<\/p>\n French Girls<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019m super keen to see French Girls. It\u2019s written and directed by Hyun Lee. It\u2019s her debut feature after her award-winning short film Asian Girls. Dimitri Zaunders \u2013 the cinemaphotographer behind The Golden Spurtle \u2013 shot it so I\u2019m expecting it to be beautiful. I\u2019m excited to see familiar faces up on screen and to support and all the local talent behind this film. \u2013 Gabriella Dolfo, sales and partnerships manager<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Invite<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019m keen to watch The Invite. It\u2019s Olivia Wilde\u2019s third feature as director and it\u2019s 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\u2019t give much away but it\u2019s 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\u2019t wait to find out more.\u00a0 \u2013 Taylor Silk, video producer (editorial lead)<\/p>\n Notebook on Cities and Clothes<\/a><\/p>\n A fashion film made by someone who didn\u2019t know that much about fashion? I\u2019m intrigued. As someone who loves art and design documentaries, this looks like a great one \u2013 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. \u2013 Rashmi Mohotti, social media coordinator<\/p>\n The Sydney Film Festival runs between June 3 and 14. The full program is available online<\/a>.<\/p>\n