70th Sydney Film Festival explained

70th Sydney Film Festival
Opening:The New Boy
by Warwick Thornton
Closing:Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
by James Mangold
Location:Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Founded:1954
Date:7–18 June 2023
Chronology:SFF
Main:Sydney Film Festival
Previous:69th
Next:71st

The 70th annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 June 2023.[1] [2] Warwick Thornton's drama film The New Boy opened the festival and James Mangold's action adventure film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was the closing film.[3] [4]

Asmae El Moudir's documentary film The Mother of All Lies won the Sydney Film Prize.[5]

Juries

The following were named as the festival juries:[6]

Sydney Film Prize

Official Selection

In competition

The following films were selected for the main international competition:

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
AfireRoter HimmelChristian PetzoldGermany
Art College 1994藝術學院Liu JianChina
Bad BehaviourAlice EnglertNew Zealand
Cobweb거미집Kim Jee-woonSouth Korea
The Dark Emu StoryAllan ClarkeAustralia
Fallen LeavesKuolleet lehdetAki KaurismäkiFinland, Sweden
JoramDevashish MakhijaIndia
Monster怪物Hirokazu Kore-edaJapan
The Mother of All LiesKadib AbyadAsmae El MoudirMorocco
The New Boy Warwick ThorntonAustralia
Past LivesCeline SongUnited States
ScrapperCharlotte ReganUnited Kingdom
Highlighted title indicates Sydney Film Prize winner.

Special Presentations

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
AjoommaHe ShumingSingapore, South Korea
Asteroid CityWes AndersonUnited States
BiosphereMel EslynUnited States
KennedyAnurag KashyapIndia
L'immensitàEmanuele CrialeseItaly, France
Lost in the NightPerdidos en la nocheAmat EscalanteMexico
PassagesIra SachsFrance
Perfect DaysWim WendersJapan, Germany
Pictures of GhostsRetratos FantasmasKleber Mendonça FilhoBrazil
Rachel's FarmRachel WardAustralia
RadicalChristopher ZallaMexico, United States
RealityTina SatterUnited States
Red, White & BrassDamon Fepulea'iNew Zealand
ShortcomingsRandall ParkUnited States

Documentary Australia Award

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)
The CapeMichael Ware, Justine A. Rosenthal
The CarnivalIsabel Darling
Climate ChangersJohan Gabrielsson
The DefendersMatthew Bate
Dipped in BlackMarungka TjalatjunuMatthew Thorne, Derik Lynch
Keeping HopeTyson Mowarin
KindredAdrian Russell Wills, Gillian Moody
The Last DaughterBrenda Matthews, Nathaniel Schmidt
Man on EarthAmiel Courtin-Wilson
Rachel's FarmRachel Ward

Features

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
20,000 Species of Bees20.000 Especies de AbjeasEstibaliz Urresola SolagurenSpain
AutobiographyMakbul MubarakIndonesia, France, Singapore, Poland, Philippines, Germany, Qatar
Beyond the Wallشب، داخلی، دیوارVahid JalilvandIran
The Big DogDane McCuskerAustralia
BirdeaterJack Clark, Jim WeirAustralia
Blue JeanGeorgia OakleyUnited Kingdom
The BurdenedالمرهقونAmr GamalYemen
CarmenBenjamin MillepiedAustralia, France
ChevalierStephen WilliamsUnited States
A CoupleUn coupleFrederick WisemanFrance, United States
The DelinquentsLos DelicuentesRodrigo MorenoArgentina, Luxembourg, Chile, Brazil
A Gaza WeekendBasil KhalilPalestine, United Kingdom
The Happiest Man in the WorldNajsreЌniot čovek na svetotTeona Strugar MitevskaNorth Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
HeroicHeroicoDavid ZonanaMexico, Sweden
How to Blow Up a PipelineDaniel GoldhaberUnited States
I Like MoviesChandler LevackCanada
The LessonAlice TroughtonUnited Kingdom, Germany
Love RoadUlysses OliverAustralia
MidwivesSages-FemmesLéa FehnerFrance
Munnelமணல்Visakesa ChandrasekaramSri Lanka
MusicAngela SchanelecGermany, France, Serbia
No Bearsخرس نیستJafar PanahiIran
OmenAugureBalojiBelgium, France, Netherlands, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Germany
PiaffeAnn OrenGermany
Pretty Red DressDionne EdwardsUnited Kingdom
RhinegoldRheingoldFatih AkinGermany, Netherlands, Morocco, Mexico
Riceboy SleepsAnthony ShimCanada
Run Rabbit RunDaina ReidAustralia
The Shadowless Tower白塔之光Zhang LüChina
Shin UltramanShinji HiguchiJapan
Silver HazeSacha PolakNetherlands, United Kingdom
SiraApolline TraoréBurkina Faso, France, Germany, Senegal
SlowTu man nieko neprimeniMarija KavtaradzėLithuania, Spain, Sweden
Snow and the BearKar ve AyıSelcen ErgunTurkey, Germany, Serbia
SorceryBrujeriaChristopher MurrayChile, Mexico, Germany
SubtractionتفریقMani HaghighiIran, France
SunflowerGabriel CarrubbaAustralia
TennessineAmin PalangiAustralia
A Thousand and OneA. V. RockwellUnited States
Tora's HusbandRima DasIndia
When the Waves Are GoneKapag Wala Nang Mga AlonLav DiazPhilippines, France, Portugal, Denmark
A Wild Roomer괴인Lee Jeong-hongSouth Korea
The Winter WithinMaaghAamir BashirIndia, France, Qatar
World War IIIجنگ جهانی سومHouman SeyyediIran

International Documentaries

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Against the TideSarvnik KaurIndia, France
The Arc of OblivionIan CheneyUnited States
Between RevolutionsÎntre revoluțiiVlad PetriRomania, Croatia, Qatar, Iran
Beyond UtopiaMadeleine GavinUnited States
Blue Bag LifeRebecca Lloyd-Evans, Lisa Selby, Alex FryUnited Kingdom
Christopher Sharp, Moses BwayoUganda, United Kingdom, United States
Cannes UncutRoger Penny, Richard BlanshardUnited Kingdom
A Cooler ClimateJames Ivory, Giles GardnerUnited Kingdom
The Corridors of PowerDror MorehUnited States, France, Germany
Dalton's DreamKim Longinotto, Franky Murray BrownUnited Kingdom
Eastern FrontShidniy FrontVitaly Mansky, Yevhen TitarenkoLatvia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, United States
The EchoEl EcoTatiana HuezoMexico, Germany
The Eternal MemoryLa memoria infinitaMaite AlberdiChile
Fantastic MachineAxel Danielson, Maximilien Van AertryckSweden, Denmark
Free MoneySam Soko, Lauren DeFilippoKenya, United States
Freedom Is BeautifulAngus McDonaldAustralia
JoonamSierra UrichUnited States
Kim's VideoDavid Redmon, Ashley SabinUnited States, France, United Kingdom
Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TVAmanda KimUnited States, South Korea
On the AdamantSur L'AdamantNicolas PhilibertFrance, Japan
Orlando, My Political BiographyOrlando, Ma Biographie PolitiquePaul B. PreciadoFrance
ParadiseParadisAlexander AbaturovFrance, Switzerland
Pray for Our SinnersSinéad O'SheaIreland
QueendomAgniia GaldanovaFrance, United States
Peter NicksUnited States
A Storm ForetoldChristoffer GuldbrandsenDenmark
SubjectJennifer Tiexiera, Camilla HallUnited States
Total TrustJialing ZhangGermany, Netherlands
TransitionJordan Bryon, Monica VillamizarAustralia, Iran, Afghanistan
While We WatchedNamaskar! Main Ravish KumarVinay ShuklaUnited States
Who I Am NotTünde SkovránRomania, Canada

First Nations

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
The Dark Emu StoryAllan ClarkeAustralia
Gaga哈勇家Laha MebowTaiwan
Keeping HopeTyson MowarinAustralia
KindredAdrian Russell Wills, Gillian MoodyAustralia
The Last DaughterBrenda Matthews, Nathaniel SchmidtAustralia
The New Boy Warwick ThorntonAustralia
Twice ColonizedLin AllunaDenmark, Canada, Greenland
Short films
BabanilMarlikka PerdrisatAustralia
Dipped in BlackMarungka TjalatjunuMatthew Thorne, Derik LynchAustralia
KariwaKiara Rodriguez-HextallAustralia
KateleMudskipperJohn HarveyAustralia
MamirnikuwiRebecca ParkerAustralia
Power to CountryJosef Jakamarra EggerAustralia
To Be SilentTace StevensAustralia
Where Have All the Mala Gone?Nyarrpararla Malaju?Anna-Marie HardingAustralia

Europe! Voices of Women in Film

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
BandÁlfrún ÖrnólfsdóttirIceland
Behind the HaystacksΠίσω από τις θημωνιέςAsimina ProedrouGreece, Germany, North Macedonia
ElahaMilena AboyanGermany
Family TimeMummolaTia KouvoFinland, Sweden
The Girl from TomorrowPrimadonnaMarta SavinaItaly, France
The Quiet MigrationStille LivMalene ChoiDenmark
Smoke Sauna SisterhoodSavvusanna sõsaradAnna HintsEstonia, France, Iceland
SunlightClaire DixIreland
That AfternoonDie middagNafiss NiaNetherlands
ThunderFoudreCarmen JaquierSwitzerland

Sounds on Screen

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Karen O'Connor, Miri Navasky, Maeve O'BoyleUnited States
Lisa CortésUnited States
PianoforteJakub PiątekPoland
Three Chords and the TruthClaire PasvolskyAustralia

Late Announce

English titleOriginal titleDirector(s)Production country
Anatomy of a FallAnatomie d'une chuteJustine TrietFrance
AnselmWim WendersGermany
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberryშაშვი შაშვი მაყვალიElene NaverianiSwitzerland, Georgia
Club ZeroJessica HausnerAustria, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Qatar
Four Daughtersبنات ألفةKaouther Ben HaniaFrance, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia
Inshallah a BoyInshallah WaladAmjad Al RasheedJordan, Qatar, France, Saudi Arabia
May DecemberTodd HaynesUnited States
The Persian VersionMaryam KeshavarzUnited States
Tiger StripesAmanda Nell EuMalaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, Qatar
Short films
Strange Way of LifeExtraña forma de vidaPedro AlmodóvarSpain

Awards

The following awards were presented at the festival:[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Celebrating 70 years of cinema: the Sydney Film Festival's enduring legacy. 6 June 2023. 17 January 2024. University of Sydney.
  2. Web site: Sydney Film Festival 2023 - here's the full program. Time Out. 10 May 2023. 17 January 2024. Alannah. Le Cross.
  3. Web site: Warwick Thornton Starts Sydney Film Festival on Emotional High: 'I've Never Felt a Room Like You'. Variety. 7 June 2023. 17 January 2024. Patrick. Frater. Katherine. Tulich.
  4. Web site: Sydney Film Festival 2023 Will Close with the Australian Premiere of 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'. Concrete Playground. 24 May 2023. 17 January 2024. Sarah. Ward.
  5. Web site: Asmae El Moudir's 'The Mother of All Lies' awarded Sydney Film Prize. IF Magazine. 19 June 2023. 17 January 2024. Sean. Slatter.
  6. Web site: Sydney Film Festival announces 2023 official competition jury and guest line-up. 17 January 2024. Filmink. 2 June 2023 .
  7. Web site: Sydney Film Festival winners announced. Screenhub. 19 June 2023. 17 January 2024.