A director obsessed with reshooting the end of his movie. A thought-provoking telling of Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu. A group of art students riding the winds of change in 1990s China. A comedy about four people trapped in a holiday home while fire rages towards them. All these unique and wonderful stories plus a bunch more made up the Official Competition category at the 70th Sydney International Film Festival held 7-18 June.
After ‘relaunching’ from COVID last year, the festival is going from strength to strength in its programming, interviews and the diversity of delights it provides for film-lovers. Hot tickets this year include the In Conversation interview of legendary film-maker Jane Campion and the Opening Night Gala screening of Australian director Warwick Thornton‘s The New Boy. The festival not only features prize-winning films hot off the press from international film festivals like Cannes and Berlindale but also celebrates and honours the incredible array of cinematic venues in Sydney like the State Theatre, The Ritz Randwick and The Hayden Orpheum to name a few.
The Festival’s closing night ceremony celebrated the achievements of the festival by handing out the many coveted and prestigious awards up for grabs for both emerging and established filmmakers.
The winner of the Official Competition and the $60,000 cash prize was the film The Mother of All Lies by Asmae El Moudir, a highly unique documentary about a Moroccan family recreating the 1981 Bread Riots with doll-like figures. Directors Derik Lynch and Matthew Thorne won the Australian Documentary Award and $10,000 cash prize for their film Marungka Tjalatjunu, where Derik escapes city life in Adelaide to return to Country and seek spiritual healing.
The Audience Award for Best International Feature proved Sydney’s film taste rivals that of this year’s Cannes Film Festival jury, as they too selected Palme d’Or winning film Anatomy of a Fall. I was thrilled to have two fantastic Sydney Film Festival experiences at this year’s festival, the critically acclaimed Sundance phenom Past Lives and an exciting bold and modern reimagining of the famous opera: Carmen.
Past Lives. Believe the hype. And if you haven’t heard the hype, allow me to hype it for you. This delicate yet potent film tells the story of Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood best friends who are separated when Nora’s family migrates from South Korea to Canada. The film focuses on their relationship over the years and its potential for it to become more than just a friendship. This film is astonishingly acted, impeccably crafted, sublimely written and casts a spell that still hasn’t left me. I’ll be truly shocked if I see something better this year. Coming to cinemas in late August.
Carmen is the directorial debut of Benjamin Millepied, a choreographer and dancer, and he brings a truly fresh vision of light, dance and music to this familiar tale. Featuring dancers from the Sydney Dance Academy and a glorious score from Nicholas Britell, this was a breathtaking reimagining and one you might be able to catch in cinemas now if you’re quick.
The Sydney Film Festival is amazing! I encourage you to pencil it into your calendar for next year and give it a go yourself! You can even volunteer or donate to the festival at their website www.sff.org.au to help keep the Festival alive.
Catch up on Chris’ 2022 Sydney Film Fest wrap here