Films & Events Program Strands Special Presentations

Special Presentations

Program Strand
Collections

You’ll see the hottest new films at the spectacular State Theatre – the beating heart of Sydney Film Festival. 

Be moved and inspired by world premieres and award-winning films featuring some of the biggest and brightest stars, plus special guests and red carpet events. 

Árru
In this powerful, song-filled drama, a Sámi reindeer herder confronts a mining project threatening her ancestral lands and way of life. Berlinale 2026.
The Birthday Party
Straight from the Cannes Competition, this taut thriller stars Hafsia Herzi and Monica Bellucci as neighbours whose plans for a pleasant birthday party go badly awry.
Colony
Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho reignites the zombie genre with this propulsive action film that sees a rapidly mutating virus unleashed. Direct from Cannes Midnight.
Dead Man’s Wire 1
Gus Van Sant (Milk) directs Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery and Al Pacino in this thrilling, true account of a 1977 hostage standoff. Venice 2025.
Documentary
Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie
Oscar winner Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, SFF 2008) charts author Salman Rushdie's unbelievable recovery after being stabbed 15 times, using footage filmed by Rushdie's wife.
The Man I Love
Direct from the Cannes Competition, Ira Sachs' new film is a moving and sensual romantic drama set in 1980s New York, starring Rami Malek, Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford and Rebecca Hall.
Pressure
Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser star in the incredible true story of one meteorologist's mighty impact on D-Day. An edge-of-your-seat view of a world-changing event.
Rays and Shadows
Based on true events, Xavier Giannoli's sweeping drama stars Oscar winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) in an epic tale of collaboration and compromise in Nazi-occupied France.
Rose
Sandra Hüller won the Berlinale Silver Bear for this towering performance as a 17th century soldier who claims an inheritance only to have his identity brought into question.
The Samurai and the Prisoner
Veteran auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, SFF 1998) delivers his first-ever samurai film with this majestic, Cannes-selected epic set in Japan's Warring States period.
Guest
Silent Friend 1
Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Léa Seydoux star in the wondrous latest from Ildikó Enyedi (On Body and Soul, Sydney Film Prize 2017), following three era-spanning stories connected by a tree.
Sundays
Bright 17-year-old Ainara surprises everyone by trialling convent life in this piercing drama about faith and family. Winner of Best Film, San Sebastián Film Festival 2025.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Direct from Cannes, Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson electrify in this camp, bloody psychosexual horror from queer maverick Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow, SFF 2024).
Guest
Documentary
The Valley 1
A meditative cinematic portrait of a place and community, Kangaroo Valley, about two hours south of Sydney. World Premiere directed by Ian Darling (The Final Quarter, SFF 2019).
Yellow Letters 1
Winner of the Berlinale Golden Bear. A family descends into turmoil after a simple act of disobedience triggers authoritarian persecution. A searing critique of our times.
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Flag

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

Don’t miss a thing!

Whether you’re in Sydney or one of our rural locations, sign up to our newsletters for all the latest news and offers.

SFF
About
Support
General Enquiries
Ticketing Enquiries
Office Hours

MONDAY – FRIDAY: 9AM – 5PM AEDT

Discover
Follow
In Partnership With:
Website by ED.

Don't miss a thing!

Whether you're in Sydney or one of our rural locations, sign up to our newsletters for all the latest news and offers.