71st Sydney Film Festival
2024 film festival
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The 71st annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 5 to 16 June 2024.[1] The festival opened with Paul Clarke's documentary film Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line,[2] and closed with Coralie Fargeat's horror film The Substance.[3]
Opening filmMidnight Oil: The Hardest Line by Paul Clarke
Closing filmThe Substance by Coralie Fargeat
LocationSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Founded1954
| Opening film | Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line by Paul Clarke |
|---|---|
| Closing film | The Substance by Coralie Fargeat |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Founded | 1954 |
| No. of films | 197 |
| Festival date | 5–16 June 2024 |
| Website | sff |
Overall the festival screened 197 films, including 28 world premieres and 133 Australian premieres.[4]
Juries
The Sydney Film Prize jury was headed by Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanović.[5]
Official Selection
In competition
The following films were selected for the main international competition:
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| All We Imagine as Light | Payal Kapadia | France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg | |
| Dying | Sterben | Matthias Glasner | Germany |
| Grand Tour | Miguel Gomes | Portugal, France, Italy | |
| Kinds of Kindness | Yorgos Lanthimos | Ireland, United Kingdom, United States | |
| Kneecap | Rich Peppiatt | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
| Marcello Mio | Christophe Honoré | France, Italy | |
| Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line | Paul Clarke | Australia | |
| Puan | María Alché, Benjamín Naishtat | Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil | |
| September Says | Ariane Labed | France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, United Kingdom | |
| Sujo | Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez | Mexico, United States, France | |
| There's Still Tomorrow | C'è ancora domani | Paola Cortellesi | Italy |
| Viet and Nam | Trong lòng đất | Minh Quý Trương | Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, France, Netherlands |
- Highlighted title indicates Sydney Film Prize winner.
Special Presentations
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bikeriders | Jeff Nichols | United States | |
| The Convert | Lee Tamahori | Australia, New Zealand | |
| Dahomey | Mati Diop | France, Senegal, Benin | |
| The Dead Don't Hurt | Viggo Mortensen | Canada, Denmark, Mexico | |
| Despicable Me 4 | Chris Renaud | United States | |
| A Different Man | Aaron Schimberg | United States | |
| Green Border | Zielona granica | Agnieszka Holland | Poland, Czechia, France, Belgium |
| Kid Snow | Paul Goldman | Australia | |
| Lee | Ellen Kuras | United Kingdom | |
| The Monk and the Gun | Pawo Choyning Dorji | Bhutan, Taiwan, France, United States, Hong Kong | |
| My Old Ass | Megan Park | United States | |
| The Outrun | Nora Fingscheidt | United Kingdom, Germany | |
| The Pool | Ian Darling | Australia | |
| Porcelain War | Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev | United States, Ukraine, Australia | |
| Touch | Snerting | Baltasar Kormákur | Iceland, United Kingdom |
Documentary Australia Award
| English title | Director(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Aquarius[6] | Wendy Champagne | |
| The Blind Sea | Daniel Fenech | |
| Dale Frank: Nobody's Sweetie | Jenny Hicks | |
| Every Little Thing | Sally Aitken | |
| Mozart's Sister[6] | Madeleine Hetherton-Miau | |
| Otto by Otto[6] | Gracie Otto | |
| Skategoat[6] | Van Alpert | |
| Welcome to Babel[6] | James Bradley | |
| Welcome to Yiddishland[6] | Ros Horin | |
| You Should Have Been Here Yesterday[6] | Jolyon Hoff | |
Features
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| About Dry Grasses | Kuru Otlar Üstüne | Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Turkey, France, Germany, Sweden |
| Achilles | Farhad Delaram | Iran, Germany, France | |
| Alienoid | Oegye+in 1bu | Choi Dong-hoon | South Korea |
| Alienoid: Return to the Future | Euigye+in 2-bu | Choi Dong-hoon | South Korea |
| All Shall Be Well | 從今以後 | Ray Yeung | Hong Kong |
| Armand | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden | |
| Brief History of a Family | 家庭简史 | Lin Jianjie | China, Denmark |
| City of Wind | Сэр сэр салхи | Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir | France, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar |
| Cottontail | Patrick Dickinson | United Kingdom, Japan | |
| Crossing | Levan Akin | Sweden, Denmark, France, Turkey, Georgia | |
| Daddio | Christy Hall | United States | |
| Death of a Whistleblower | Ian Gabriel | South Africa | |
| Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World | Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii | Radu Jude | Romania |
| Eephus | Carson Lund | United States | |
| Essential Truths of the Lake | Lav Diaz | Philippines | |
| Explanation for Everything | Magyarázat mindenre | Gábor Reisz | Hungary, Slovakia |
| Ezra | Tony Goldwyn | United States | |
| Flathead | Jaydon Martin | Australia | |
| Ghostlight | Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson | United States | |
| He Ain't Heavy | David Vincent Smith | Australia | |
| Hesitation Wound | Tereddüt Çizgisi | Selman Nacar | Turkey, Spain, Romania, France |
| House of the Seasons | Oh Jung-min | South Korea | |
| I Saw the TV Glow | Jane Schoenbrun | United States | |
| In Vitro | Will Howarth, Tom McKeith | Australia | |
| Kneecap | Rich Peppiatt | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
| La cocina | Alonso Ruizpalacios | Mexico, United States | |
| Memory | Michel Franco | United States | |
| The Moon Is Upside Down | Loren Horsley | New Zealand | |
| More Than Strangers | Sylvie Michel | Greece, Germany | |
| Motel Destino | Karim Aïnouz | Brazil, France, Germany | |
| My New Friends | Les gens d’à côté | André Téchiné | France |
| My Sunshine | ぼくのお日さま | Hiroshi Okuyama | Japan |
| One Second Ahead, One Second Behind | Nobuhiro Yamashita | Japan | |
| Paradise | Prasanna Vithanage | Sri Lanka, India | |
| Pepe | Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias | Dominican Republic, Namibia, Germany, France | |
| Problemista | Julio Torres | United States | |
| Rapture | Dominic M. Sangma | India | |
| The Rye Horn | O Corno | Jaione Camborda | Spain, Portugal, Belgium |
| Sasquatch Sunset | David Zellner, Nathan Zellner | United States | |
| Sex | Dag Johan Haugerud | Norway | |
| Shambhala | Min Bahadur Bham | Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, United States, Qatar, Taiwan | |
| Something Like an Autobiography | Mostofa Sarwar Farooki | Bangladesh | |
| Stress Positions | Theda Hammel | United States | |
| Thelma | Josh Margolin | United States | |
| Toll | Pedágio | Carolina Markowicz | Brazil, Portugal |
| Unicorns | Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd | United Kingdom, United States, Sweden | |
| Veni Vidi Vici | Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann | Austria | |
| Woman Of... | Kobieta z... | Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert | Poland, Sweden |
International Documentaries
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent of Happiness | Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó | Hungary, Bhutan | |
| Among the Wolves | Tanguy Dumortier, Olivier Larrey | France, Belgium | |
| Architecton | Viktor Kossakovsky | Germany, France, United States | |
| Balomania | Sissel Dargis Morell | Denmark, Spain | |
| The Battle for Laikipia | Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi | Kenya, United States, Greece | |
| Black Box Diaries | Shiori Itō | United States, United Kingdom, Japan | |
| Black Snow | Alina Simone | Denmark, United States | |
| The Bones | Jeremy Xido | Canada, Germany | |
| The Cats of Gogoku Shrine | Kazuhiro Soda | Japan, United States | |
| Charmian Clift: Life Burns High | Rachel Lane | Australia | |
| The Contestant | Clair Titley | United Kingdom | |
| Copa 71 | Rachel Ramsay, James Erskine | United States | |
| Ernest Cole: Lost and Found | Raoul Peck | United States, France | |
| Federer: Twelve Final Days | Asif Kapadia, Joe Sabia | United Kingdom | |
| The Flats | Alessandra Celesia | France | |
| Flickering Lights | Anupama Srinivasan, Anirban Dutta | India | |
| The Home Game | Heimaleikurinn | Smari Gunn, Logi Sigursveinsson | Iceland |
| A Horse Named Winx | Janine Hosking | Australia | |
| Ibelin | Benjamin Ree | Norway | |
| In the Rearview | Skąd dokąd | Maciek Hamela | Poland, France, Ukraine |
| Life Is Beautiful | Al Haya Helwa | Mohamed Jabaly | Norway, Palestine |
| Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger | David Hinton | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros | Frederick Wiseman | France | |
| My Stolen Planet | Farahnaz Sharifi | Germany, Iran | |
| A New Kind of Wilderness | Silje Evensmo Jacobsen | Norway | |
| No Other Land | Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor | Palestine, Norway | |
| Nocturnes | Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan | India, United States | |
| Occupied City | Steve McQueen | United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States | |
| Rewards for the Tribe | Rhys Graham | Australia | |
| Skywalkers: A Love Story | Jeff Zimbalist, >Maria Bukhonina | United States | |
| Sugarcane | Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie | United States, Canada | |
| Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story | Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Wilding | David Allen | United Kingdom | |
Late Announce
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Dog | 狗阵 | Guan Hu | China |
| Caught by the Tides | 风流一代 | Jia Zhangke | China |
| Ernest Cole: Lost and Found | Raoul Peck | United States, France | |
| Ghost Trail | Les Fantômes | Jonathan Millet | France, Germany, Belgium |
| The Girl with the Needle | Pigen med nålen | Magnus von Horn | Denmark, Poland, Sweden |
| Megalopolis | Francis Ford Coppola | United States | |
| Rumours | Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson | Canada, Germany | |
| The Seed of the Sacred Fig | دانه انجیر مقدس | Mohammad Rasoulof | Iran, Germany, France |
| The Substance | Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom, United States, France | |
Freak Me Out
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuckoo | Tilman Singer | Germany, United States | |
| Hear My Eyes: Hellraiser | Clive Barker | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Hunting Daze | Jour de chasse | Annick Blanc | Canada |
| KILL | Nikhil Nagesh Bhat | India | |
| The Moogai | Jon Bell | Australia | |
| The Paragon | Michael Duignan | New Zealand | |
| She Loved Blossoms More | Yannis Veslemes | Greece, France | |
| Wake Up | RKSS | Canada, France | |
First Nations
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Convert | Lee Tamahori | Australia, New Zealand | |
| Ellogierdu: The Tundra Within Me | Sara Margrethe Oskal | Norway | |
| Je'vida | Katja Gauriloff | Finland | |
| Ka Whawhai Tonu | Michael Jonathan | New Zealand | |
| The Moogai | Jon Bell | Australia | |
| The Mountain | Rachel House | New Zealand | |
| We Were Dangerous | Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu | New Zealand, United States | |
Sustainable Future
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Battle for Laikipia | Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi | Kenya, United States, Greece | |
| Black Snow | Alina Simone | Denmark, United States | |
| The Feast | Rishi Chandna | India | |
| Grove of Giants | Bree Sanders | Australia | |
| The Waiting | Volker Schlecht | Germany | |
| Wilding | David Allen | United Kingdom | |
Europe! Voices of Women in Film
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afterwar | Birgitte Stærmose | Denmark | |
| Excursion | Ekskurzija | Una Gunjak | Bosnia |
| Immortals | Maja Tschumi | Switzerland, Iraq | |
| Je'vida | Katja Gauriloff | Finland | |
| The Lost Children | Michèle Jacob | Belgium | |
| A Postcard from Rome | Elza Gauja | Latvia | |
Sounds on Screen
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blur: To the End | Toby L | United Kingdom | |
| Head South | Jonathan Ogilvie | New Zealand | |
| Resonance | Kate Vinen, Jayden Rathsam Hua | Australia | |
Family
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200% Wolf | Alexs Stadermann | Australia | |
| Despicable Me 4 | Chris Renaud | United States | |
| It's Okay! | 괜찮아 괜찮아 괜찮아! | Kim Hye-young | South Korea |
| The Mountain | Rachel House | New Zealand | |
| My Freaky Family | Mark Gravas | Australia, Ireland | |
| The Sloth Lane | Tania Vincent, Ricard Cussó | Australia | |
Nancy Savoca Retrospective
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Timing | Nancy Savoca | United States | |
| Dogfight | |||
| Household Saints | |||
| Renata | |||
| True Love | |||
Ousmane Sembene Retrospective
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Girl | La noire de... | Ousmane Sembène | Senegal |
| Borom Sarret | |||
| Camp de Thiaroye | |||
| Ceddo | |||
| Emitaï | |||
| Guelwaar | |||
| Mandabi | |||
| Moolaadé | |||
| Niaye | |||
| Tauw | |||
| Xala | |||
Classics Restored
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cars That Ate Paris | Peter Weir | Australia | |
| Mississippi Masala | Mira Nair | United States | |
| Peeping Tom | Michael Powell | United States | |
| Rabbit-Proof Fence | Phillip Noyce | Australia | |
| Ten Canoes | Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr | Australia | |
FLUX
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ballad of Suzanne Cesaire | Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich | United States | |
| Conspiracy | Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, Simone Leigh | United States | |
| The Soldier's Lagoon | La Laguna del Soldado | Pablo Álvarez Mesa | Canada |
| Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat | Johan Grimonprez | Belgium | |
Screenability
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good Bad Things | Shane D. Stranger | United States | |
| Rehabilitating | Inez Playford | Australia | |
| The Ride Ahead | Samuel Habib, Dan Habib | United States | |
| The Stimming Pool | Benjamin Brown, Georgia Bradburn, Sam Chown-Ahern, Robin Elliott-Knowles, Lucy Walker, Steven Eastwood | United Kingdom | |
| Threshold | Sofya Gollan | Australia | |
| Unstoppable | Jack Byrnes, Marcus Porcaro | Australia | |
Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alone | Alex Weight | Australia | |
| Besharam! | Raghav Rampal | ||
| Bong Xi Fa Cai | Johnathan Lo | ||
| Darwin Story | Natasha Tonkin | ||
| Die Bully Die | Nathan Lacey, Nick Lacey | ||
| The Disconnected | Pia Derya | ||
| The Gay | Madeleine Purdy | ||
| The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste | Pernell Marsden | ||
| Say | Chloe Kemp | ||
| This Will Never Last | Julia van Oppen, Katrina Lin, Holly May Fletcher | ||
Shorts airing with features
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dancer | Nomin Gantulga | Australia, Mongolia | |
| Dream Creep | Carlos A.F. Lopez | United States | |
| Earwax | Jasper Martin | Australia | |
| The Feast | Rishi Chandna | India | |
| First Horse | Awanui Simich-Pene | New Zealand | |
| Grove of Giants | Bree Sanders | Australia | |
| It Will Find You | Chris Broadbent, Enzo Tedeschi | Australia | |
| Lullaby | Chi Thai | United Kingdom | |
| Meat Puppet | Eros V | United Kingdom | |
| Mother Tongue | Lea Tupu'anga | Vea Mafile'o | New Zealand |
| Of the Last Reel in Front of You | Yan Geng | Australia | |
| Rehabilitating | Inez Playford | Australia | |
| Tayal Forest Club | Laha Mebow | Taiwan | |
| Threshold | Sofya Gollan | Australia | |
| Transylvanie | Rodrigue Huart | France | |
| Unstoppable | Jack Byrnes, Marcus Porcaro | Australia | |
| The Waiting | Volker Schlecht | Germany | |
| Withered Blossoms | Lionel Seah | Australia | |
Awards
The following awards were presented at the festival:
- Sydney Film Prize: There's Still Tomorrow (C'è ancora domani) — Paola Cortellesi[7]
- Documentary Australia Award for Australian Documentary: Welcome to Babel — James Bradley[7]
- Sustainable Future Award: Black Snow — Alina Simone[7]
- First Nations Award: First Horse — Awanui Simich-Pene[7]
- Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films
- Dendy Live Action Short Award: Die Bully Die — Nathan Lacey, Nick Lacey[7]
- The Rouben Mamoulian Award: The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste — Pernell Marsden[7]
- Yoram Gross Animation Award: Darwin Story — Natasha Tonkin[7]
- AFTRS Craft Award: Say — Chloe Kemp[7]
- Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award: Bridget Morrison, Say[7]
- Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award: Debbie Lee[7]
- GIO Audience Awards
- Best Australian Narrative Feature: The Moogai — Jon Bell[8]
- Best Australian Narrative Feature, Runner Up: In Vitro — Will Howarth, Tom McKeith[8]
- Best Australian Documentary: Skategoat — Van Alpert[8]
- Best Australian Documentary, Runner Up: Every Little Thing — Sally Aitken[8]
- Best International Feature: The Seed of the Sacred Fig — Mohammad Rasoulof[8]
- Best International Feature, Runner Up: Kneecap — Rich Peppiatt[8]
- Best International Documentary: The Home Game (Heimaleikurinn) — Smari Gunn, Logi Sigursveinsson[8]
- Best International Documentary, Runner Up: Porcelain War — Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev[8]