A Legendary Vision Returns to SFF Merch

This year, Sydney Film Festival is proud to honour the legacy of the late Bruce Petty with the release of limited-edition merchandise featuring his iconic 1975 Festival program cover. A master of satire and visual storytelling, Petty was not only a beloved political cartoonist and artist, but also an Academy Award winning filmmaker and long-time contributor to the Sydney Film Festival. His 1975 design – absurd, edgy and unmistakably Petty – perfectly captured the biting energy of Festival cinema at the time. Now, on its 50th anniversary, we’re bringing it back, inviting a new generation to wear a piece of SFF history.

Bruce Petty’s relationship with the Sydney Film Festival spanned decades, his unmistakable style gracing the 1975 printed materials and his films being part of the Festival for a half century, from Australian History, a sharp history of Australia, in 1971 to Utopia, a satirical vision of the future, in 2012. His work reflected the Festival’s spirit: boundary-pushing and socially engaged; his illustrations and films synonymous with critical thinking and creative freedom – values that remain central to the Festival today.

In 1976, Petty won an Academy Award for his animated documentary Leisure, which he made for the Commonwealth department of environment, housing and community development. 31 years later, he won the AACTA award for best direction in a documentary for his feature Global Haywire (SFF 2007).

His multidisciplinary approach challenged conventions and expanded the possibilities of visual storytelling. When he passed in 2023, Inside Story called him “The greatest and most influential Australian cartoonist of the postwar era”. As we celebrate his enduring influence, these new merch items offer more than style – they’re a tribute to a singular voice in Australian art and film.