Sydney Film Festival: Special Presentations
Every day, 9am to 11pm Wednesday 4 June to Sunday 15 June
The State Theatre sets the stage for Sydney Film Festival’s biggest nights, with red carpet premieres, award-winning films, star-studded line-ups, and dazzling special events.
Star-led features include Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott in a hilarious chamber piece set against the backdrop of musical theatre; Michel Franco’s Dreams, featuring Jessica Chastain as a wealthy philanthropist whose passionate affair with a Mexican dancer challenges her carefully curated life; The Ballad of Wallis Island, a charming comedy with Carey Mulligan about the musical reunion of two estranged former lovers; and Jodie Foster heads a stellar cast in Vie Privée, a Cannes-selected, gently comic murder mystery set in Paris.
Familiar faces also feature in Kevin Macdonald’s documentary One to One: John & Yoko which brings John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s historic 1972 Madison Square Garden concert vividly to life.
Australian award-winners shine with two bold new features: Slanted, debut Australian director Amy Wang’s provocative, SXSW-winning satire on racial identity and belonging; and Lesbian Space Princess, a riotous, Berlin Teddy Award-winning animated adventure following an introverted lesbian princess on an inter-gay-lactic rescue mission.
From New Zealand, two deeply personal stories will screen: Prime Minister, an intimate portrait of Jacinda Ardern’s transformative leadership, and the World Premiere of Pike River, the powerful true story of two women’s fight for justice after New Zealand’s deadliest modern mining disaster, starring Melanie Lynskey. Direct from Cannes, Raoul Peck’s Orwell: 2+2=5 offers a gripping meditation on the enduring relevance of George Orwell’s vision; and Robin Campillo’s Enzo, the Opening Film of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, captures a tender coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of war and migration.
Rounding out the section is Twinless, a hilarious and unpredictable queer bromance starring Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney, fresh from delighting audiences at Sundance.
All 200+ films have been announced. A celebration too big for a small screen. See the bigger picture at Sydney Film Festival this June 4-15. Explore the full program via sff.org.au