73rd Sydney Film Festival
2026 film festival
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The 73rd annual Sydney Film Festival took place from 3 to 14 June 2026. This edition of the Sydney Film Festival opened with the documentary film Silenced,[1][2] and closed with the Australian premiere of James Gray's Cannes Competition crime thriller Paper Tiger.[3] Exiled Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev won the Sydney Film Prize for Minotaur.[4]
Opening filmSilenced
by Selina Miles
by Selina Miles
Closing filmPaper Tiger
by James Gray
by James Gray
LocationSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Founded1954
| Opening film | Silenced by Selina Miles |
|---|---|
| Closing film | Paper Tiger by James Gray |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Awards | Sydney Film Prize: Minotaur |
| Festival date | 3–14 June 2026 |
| Website | sff |
Jury
The jury members of the festival's Official Competition include:
- Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazilian film director – Jury President[5]
- Ildikó Enyedi, Hungarian film director and screenwriter
- Boo Junfeng, Singaporean filmmaker
- Ari Wegner, Australian cinematographer
- Sally Riley, Australian filmmaker
Official Selection
In competition
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben'Imana | Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo | Rwanda, Gabon, France, Norway, Ivory Coast | |
| Dao | Alain Gomis | France, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau | |
| The Dreamed Adventure | Das geträumte Abenteuer | Valeska Grisebach | Germany, France, Bulgaria, Austria |
| Fatherland | Vaterland | Paweł Pawlikowski | Poland, Germany, Italy, France |
| Fjord | Cristian Mungiu | Romania, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden | |
| Gentle Monster | Marie Kreutzer | Austria, Germany, France | |
| The Invite | Olivia Wilde | United States | |
| Leviticus | Adrian Chiarella | Australia | |
| Minotaur | Минотавр | Andrey Zvyagintsev | France, Latvia, Germany |
| No Good Men | Shahrbanoo Sadat | Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Afghanistan | |
| Parallel Tales | Histoires Parallèles | Asghar Farhadi | France, United States, Italy, Belgium |
| Shame and Money | Visar Morina | Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium | |
| Sheep in the Box | 箱の中の羊 | Hirokazu Kore-eda | Japan |
Documentary Australia
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mockbuster | Anthony Frith | Australia | |
| Phenomena | Josef Gatti | ||
| The Piano Tuner | Natalia Laska | ||
| Replica | Chouwa Liang | Australia, France | |
| Rodeo Dreams | Rhian Skirving, W.A.M. Bleakley | Australia | |
| Silenced (opening film) | Selina Miles | Australia, United Kingdom | |
| Sukundimi Walks Before Me | Matasila Freshwater, Lachlan McLeod | Australia, New Zealand | |
| Time and Tide | Nicholson Ren, Vee Shi | Australia | |
| Whistle | Christopher Nelius | Australia, United States, Spain, Japan | |
| Yumburra | Grace McKenzie | Australia | |
First Nations Award
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild | Aanikoobijigan | Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil | United States, Denmark |
| Árru | Elle Sofe Sara | Norway, Sweden, Finland | |
| At the Place of Ghosts | Sk+te’kmujue’katik | Bretten Hannam | Canada |
| Ceremony | Banchi Hanuse | ||
| Nika and Madison | Eva Thomas | ||
| Powwow People | Sky Hopinka | United States | |
| Wrong Husband | Uiksaringitara | Zacharias Kunuk | Canada |
Special Presentations
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Árru | Elle Sofe Sara | Norway, Sweden, Finland | |
| The Birthday Party | Histoires de la Nuit | Léa Mysius | France |
| Colony | 군체 | Yeon Sang-ho | South Korea |
| Dead Man's Wire | Gus Van Sant | United States | |
| Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie | Alex Gibney | ||
| The Man I Love | Ira Sachs | United States, France | |
| Pressure | Anthony Maras | United Kingdom, France | |
| Rays and Shadows | Les Rayons et Les Ombres | Xavier Giannoli | France |
| Rose | Markus Schleinzer | Austria, Germany | |
| The Samurai and the Prisoner | 黒牢城 | Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Japan |
| Silent Friend | Stiller Freund | Ildikó Enyedi | Germany, France, Hungary, China |
| Sundays | Los domingos | Alauda Ruiz de Azúa | Spain |
| Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | Jane Schoenbrun | United States | |
| The Valley | Ian Darling | Australia | |
| Yellow Letters | Gelbe Briefe | İlker Çatak | Germany, Turkey, France |
Special Screenings
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of a Sudden | 急に具合が悪くなる | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | France, Japan, Germany, Belgium |
| La bola negra | Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi | Spain, France | |
| Congo Boy | Rafiki Fariala | Central African Republic, France, Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy | |
| Coward | Lukas Dhont | Belgium, France, Netherlands | |
| Jim Queen and the Quest for Chloroqueer | Jim Queen à la recherche de la Chloroqueer | Marco Nguyen, Nicolas Athané | France |
| The Match | El Partido | Juan Cabral, Santiago Franco | Argentina |
| Paper Tiger (closing film) | James Gray | United States | |
| Red Rocks | Les Roches Rouges | Bruno Dumont | France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Qatar |
| Tangles | Leah Nelson | Canada, United States | |
Features
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Sunset | Kunsang Kyirong | Canada | |
| 9 Temples to Heaven | 9 วัด สู่สวรรค์ | Sompot Chidgasornpongse | Thailand, Singapore, France, Norway |
| The American Dream | Le Rêve Américain | Anthony Marciano | France |
| Animol | Ashley Walters | United Kingdom | |
| The Arab | Malek Bensmaïl | Algeria, France | |
| Behind the Palm Trees | Derrière les palmiers | Meryem Benm'Barek-Aloïsi | Morocco, France |
| Black Rabbit, White Rabbit | Харгӯши сиёҳ, харгӯши сафед | Shahram Mokri | Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates |
| The Blood Countess | Die Blutgräfin | Ulrike Ottinger | Austria, Luxembourg, Germany |
| Body Blow | Dean Francis | Australia | |
| Boss Cat | Genevieve Clay-Smith | ||
| The Death of Robin Hood | Michael Sarnoski | United States | |
| Don't Tell Mother | Ammang Haelbeda | Anoop Lokkur | India, Autralia |
| El Sett | Marwan Hamed | Egypt, Saudi Arabia | |
| Erupcja | Pete Ohs | United States, Poland | |
| Everytime | Sandra Wollner | Austria, Germany | |
| Filipiñana | Rafael Manuel | United Kingdom, Philippines, Singapore, France, Netherlands | |
| First Light | James J. Robinson | Philippines, Australia | |
| Flies | Moscas | Fernando Eimbcke | Mexico |
| The Fox | Dario Russo | Australia | |
| French Girls | Hyun Lee | ||
| Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass | David Wain | United States | |
| Good Boy | Jan Komasa | Poland, United Kingdom | |
| Heart of Light – Eleven Songs for Fiji | Cynthia Beatt | Germany, France | |
| Hen | Kota | György Pálfi | Hungary, Germany, Greece |
| I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning | Clio Barnard | United Kingdom, France, United States | |
| I Want Your Sex | Gregg Araki | United States | |
| Isabel | Gabe Klinger | Brazil, France | |
| Julian | Cato Kusters | Belgium, Netherlands | |
| Late Fame | Kent Jones | United States | |
| The Loneliest Man in Town | Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel | Austria | |
| Lost Land | Harà Watan | Akio Fujimoto | Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany |
| Mama | Adi Bar Yossef | Israel, Poland | |
| Master | মাস্টার | Rezwan Shahriar Sumit | Bangladesh |
| Memory of Princess Mumbi | Damien Hauser | Kenya, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia | |
| Mile End Kicks | Chandler Levack | Canada | |
| Morte Cucina | ครัวสาว | Pen-ek Ratanaruang | Thailand |
| Mouse | Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson | United States | |
| The Mutation | 사랑의 탄생 | Shin Su-won | South Korea |
| On the Road | En el camino | David Pablos | Mexico |
| Palestine 36 | Annemarie Jacir | Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan | |
| People and Meat | 사람과 고기 | Yang Jong-hyun | South Korea |
| Queen at Sea | Lance Hammer | United Kingdom, United States | |
| Ripples in the Mist | 霧海微瀾 | Clara Law | Australia |
| Rose of Nevada | Mark Jenkin | United Kingdom | |
| Rosebush Pruning | Karim Aïnouz | United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain | |
| Saccharine | Natalie Erika James | Australia | |
| A Sad and Beautiful World | نجوم الأمل و الألم | Cyril Aris | Lebanon, United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Qatar |
| Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars | Soumsoum, la nuit des astres | Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | France, Chad |
| Strange River | Estrany riu | Jaume Claret Muxart | Spain, Germany |
| Strawberries | La más dulce | Laïla Marrakchi | France, Morocco, Spain, Belgium |
| We Are All Strangers | 我们不是陌生人 | Anthony Chen | Singapore |
| The Wizard of the Kremlin | Le Mage du Kremlin | Olivier Assayas | France |
| The World of Love | 세계의 주인 | Yoon Ga-eun | South Korea |
| Yesterday Island | Sam Voutas | Australia | |
International Documentaries
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32 Meters | Morteza Atabaki | Türkiye, Iran, Qatar | |
| The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist | Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell | United States | |
| American Doctor | Poh Si Teng | United States, Palestine, Malaysia, Qatar | |
| Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava | Nông Nhật Quang | Vietnam, South Korea | |
| Birds of War | Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak | United Kingdom, Syria, Lebanon | |
| A Child of my Own | Un Hijo Propio | Maite Alberdi | Mexico |
| Closure | Michał Marczak | Poland | |
| Crocodile | Pietra Brettkelly, The Critics | New Zealand, Nigeria | |
| The Cycle of Love | Orlando von Einsiedel | United Kingdom, United States, Sweden, India | |
| Daughters of the Forest | Hijas Del Bosque | Otilia Portillo Padua | Mexico |
| Everybody to Kenmure Street | Felipe Bustos Sierra | Scotland | |
| A Fox Under a Pink Moon | Roobah Va Mah Soorati | Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya | Iran, France, United Kingdom, United States, Denmark |
| Give Me the Ball! | Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff | United States | |
| Hanging by a Wire | Mohammed Ali Naqvi | United States, United Kingdom, Pakistan | |
| The History of Concrete | John Wilson | United States | |
| If Pigeons Turned to Gold | Kdyby se holubi proměnili ve zlato | Pepa Lubojacki | Czech Republic, Slovakia |
| Just Look Up | Emma Wall, Betsy Hershey | United States, Denmark | |
| Lomu | Gavin Fitzgerald, Vea Mafile'o | New Zealand, United Kingdom | |
| My Father and Qaddafi | Jihan | United States, Libya | |
| Nuisance Bear | Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman | United States, Canada | |
| Once Upon a Time in Harlem | William Greaves, David Greaves | United States | |
| Our Land | Nuestra Tierra | Lucrecia Martel | Argentina, United States, Mexico, France, Netherlands, Denmark |
| Past Future Continuous | Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani | Iran, Norway, Italy | |
| Remake | Ross McElwee | United States | |
| The Seoul Guardians | 서울의 밤 | Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan, Cho Chul-young | South Korea |
| Steal This Story, Please! | Carl Deal, Tia Lessin | United States | |
| Summer 2000: the X-cetra Story | Ayden Mayeri | ||
| The Tale of Silyan | Приказната за Силјан | Tamara Kotevska | North Macedonia |
| TheyDream | William D. Caballero | United States | |
| Time and Water | Sara Dosa | Iceland, United States | |
| To Hold a Mountain | Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić | Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia | |
| Traces | Сліди | Alisa Kovalenko, Marysia Nikitiuk | Ukraine, Poland |
| Whispers in the Woods | Le Chant des Forêts | Vincent Munier | France |
Sounds on Screen
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amadou & Mariam: The Blind Couple from Mali | Ryan Marley | Canada | |
| The Best Summer | Tamra Davis | United States | |
| Broken English | Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard | United Kingdom | |
| Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC | Emmett Malloy | United States | |
| Newport & the Great Folk Dream | Robert Gordon | ||
| Tenor: My Name Is Pati | Rebecca Tansley | New Zealand | |
Flux: Art+Film
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronovisor | Jack Auen, Kevin Walker | United States | |
| Dry Leaf | ხმელი ფოთოლი | Alexandre Koberidze | Germany, Georgia |
| Joy Boy: A Tribute to Julius Eastman | Mawena Yehouessi, Fallon Mayanja, Rob Jacobs, Victoire Karera Kampire, Paul Shemisi, Anne Reijniers | Belgium, France, Democratic Republic of Congo | |
| Maddie's Secret | John Early | United States | |
| Tycoon | Charlotte Zhang | Canada, United States | |
Freak Me Out
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawning | Demring | Patrik Syversen | Norway |
| Ghost in the Cell | Joko Anwar | Indonesia, South Korea | |
| Imposters | Caleb Phillips | United States | |
| Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant | THUNDERLIPS | New Zealand | |
| Never After Dark | Dave Boyle | Japan | |
| The Peril at Pincer Point | Noah Stratton-Twine, Jake Kuhn | United Kingdom | |
EUROPE! Voices of Women+ in Film
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Currents | Las corrientes | Milagros Mumenthaler | Switzerland, Argentina |
| Heysel 85 | Teodora Ana Mihai | Belgium, Netherlands, Germany | |
| Hold onto Me | Κράτα Με | Myrsini Aristidou | Cyprus, Denmark, Greece |
| The Kidnapping of Arabella | Il rapimento di Arabella | Carolina Cavalli | Italy |
| La Belle Année | Angelica Ruffier | Sweden, Norway | |
| Sorella di Clausura | Ivana Mladenović | Romania, Serbia, Italy, Spain | |
Screenability
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joybubbles | Rachael J. Morrison | United States | |
| Retreat | Ted Evans | United Kingdom | |
| You Look Fine | J. Snow | United States | |
Family
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Desert Child | L'Enfant du désert | Gilles de Maistre | France |
| The Last Whale Singer | Reza Memari | Germany, Czech Republic, Canada | |
Classics Restored
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Arch (1968) | 董夫人 | Tang Shu Shuen | Hong Kong |
| Eureka (2000) | Shinji Aoyama | Japan | |
| He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001) | Richard Lowenstein | Australia | |
| Queen Kelly (1932) | Erich von Stroheim | United States | |
| Vive l'amour (1994) | 爱情万岁 | Tsai Ming-liang | Taiwan |
| Yam Daabo (1986) | Le Choix | Idrissa Ouédraogo | Burkina Faso, France |
Sartorial: Fashion on Film
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Girls | Hyun Lee | Australia | |
| Jane B. par Agnès V. | Agnès Varda | France | |
| Marc by Sofia | Sofia Coppola | United States | |
| Notebook on Cities and Clothes | Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten | Wim Wenders | France, West Germany |
| Prêt-à-Porter | Robert Altman | United States | |
| Useless | 无用 | Jia Zhangke | China |
The Tropical Trail
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black God, White Devil | Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol | Glauber Rocha | Brazil |
| Central Station | Central do Brasil | Walter Salles | Brazil, France |
| Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures | Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus | Marcelo Gomes | Brazil |
| The Hour and Turn of Augusto Matraga | A Hora e Vez de Augusto Matraga | Roberto Santos | |
| Lúcio Flávio: The Passenger of Agony | Lúcio Flávio: O Passageiro Da Agonia | Héctor Babenco | |
| Man Marked for Death, Twenty Years Later | Cabra Marcado Para Morrer | Eduardo Coutinho | |
| Neon Bull | Boi neon | Gabriel Mascaro | |
| São Paulo, Incorporated | São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima | Luis Sérgio Person | |
| The Second Mother | Que Horas Ela Volta? | Anna Muylaert |
Barbara Hammer: Radical Visibility
| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Forever | Brydie O'Connor | United States | |
| Barbara Hammer: A Visual Poet | Barbara Hammer | ||
| Barbara Hammer: Was a Superdyke | |||
| History Lessons | |||
| Nitrate Kisses | |||
Awards
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- Sydney Film Prize: Minotaur by Andrey Zvyagintsev[6]
- Sustainable Future Award: Sukundimi Walks Before Me by Matasila Freshwater and Lachlan McLeod
- First Nations Award: Ceremony by Banchi Hanuse
- Documentary Australia Award: Time and Tide by Vee Shi
- Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award presented by Screen NSW: Fadia Abboud
- Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films:
- Dendy Live Action Short Award: Maŋutji by Siena Mayutu Wurmarri Stubbs
- Yoram Gross Animation Award: Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling by Judith Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie ‘Nunga’ Williams and Nelson Armstrong
- Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Australian Director: Cristabel Sved for Date 3
- AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner: Angelina Kovacs and Sophie Ravant, production designers for Flesh Fruit
- Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award for Screenwriting: Judith Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie ‘Nunga’ Williams and Nelson Armstrong for Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling
- GIO Audience Awards:[7]
- Best Australian Feature: The Fox
- Best Australian Feature, Runner up: First Light
- Best Australian Documentary: Rodeo Dreams
- Best Australian Documentary, Runner up: The Piano Tuner
- Best International Feature: La bola negra
- Best International Feature, Runner up: All of a Sudden
- Best International Documentary: American Doctor
- Best International Documentary, Runner up: The Cycle of Love