Staff Picks: Feel Good Films for the Holiday Season

Every festive season, without fail, I return to ELF at least once. It’s funny, hopeful and perfect. And if you end up in an elevator with me over Christmas, there’s a good chance that I’m going to press all the buttons. Stream on Netflix, Stan, HBO Max and Prime Video.

DJ Ahmet. My fave film of SFF 2025. Such a delightful experience – shot in a small village in North Macedonia, where a teenage awakening occurs through dance music, first love and a pink sheep. Playing Westpac Open Air, February 2026.

The Golden Spurtle (SFF 2025). A love letter to porridge and the people who make it! Con Costi’s film and documentary debut is as good as a great bowl of porridge – sweet, comforting and just a little salty. In Cinemas Now.

The particular high of Blue Crush should be bottled and studied. It’s not only one of the best and most underrated American sports movies, it’s also one of the great female friendship films. And Michelle Rodriguez did all her own jet ski stunts. Rent on Apple TV.

Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days (SFF 2023) will invite you to slow down these holidays and appreciate the little things in life. A quietly joyful and calming choice for your end of year reflection. Bonus: the soundtrack makes for a pretty perfect summer playlist! Stream on Stan.

Red, White & Brass. Part of the reason I immediately thought of this film, is because I saw it at the screening at SFF in 2023, which was packed out with people waving Tongan flags cheering the cast and crew. Rarely had a cinema experience where joy radiated from everyone in the audience throughout the whole screening. It’s hysterical, heartwarming, sharply made, brilliantly performed, and is all the more smile-inducing by the fact that it’s a true story. Stream on Netflix.

Porco Rosso is my go-to quick hit of happiness. Miyazaki weaves his love of fantasy, aviation, and classic Hollywood into a wistful, soaring, porcine masterpiece. Sorry to the purists, but the dubbed version is also fantastic – Michael Keaton was born to be a flying pig. Stream on Netflix.

Charlie Brown Christmas. One of the greatest pieces of Christmas storytelling that ever jingled its way into our hearts.

Theres something about their tinny little voices, and the Vince Guaraldi score (the best Christmas album of all time) that makes me immediately well up. Haven’t we all felt like that scraggly little tree at some point in our lives, and haven’t we all longed for Charlie Brown to see our true beauty? Stream on Apple TV.

Theodora Goes Wild. Irene Dunne is perfectly outrageous in this screwball about a small-town church organist with a double life writing salacious best-sellers under a pseudonym. Released at the dawn of the Hays Code, it’s a rollicking romantic-comedy rife with innuendo and misdirection about a big fish leaping out of its small pond. Stream on YouTube.

But I’m a Cheerleader – a classic for a reason. With beautiful imagery, playful critique, and finding your people through recognition of each other, just as we are. A reminder of the power of love. Rent on Prime Video.

The Quiet Girl (SFF 2022). As the title implies, this is a gentle, contemplative film that gradually reveals the hidden truths of its central characters. Beautifully shot against the backdrop of rural Ireland and delivered largely in Gaelic, the performances are exquisitely subtle. This film affected me so much, reminding us that in the end, love is all we need. Rent on Apple TV.