SFF & Vivid Sydney

This winter, Sydney Film Festival in partnership with Vivid Sydney will present extraordinary film events that go beyond the screen, featuring live performances and groundbreaking artistry.

Audiences will be transported into a radical and thought-provoking world with PLANET CITY: LIVE, a speculative fiction experience from acclaimed designer and director Liam Young, which envisions a future where the entire global population resides in one hyper-dense metropolis, allowing the rest of the planet to rewild. This immersive event features live narration by Young himself and a live score performed by Forest Swords.

The second event will see the New South Wales premiere screening of Justin Kurzel’s (Snow Town) documentary debut ELLIS PARK, followed by a conversation and short musical performance with the film’s subject, celebrated musician Warren Ellis, at Ellis Park: An Evening With Warren Ellis.

Finally, join Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jimmy Chin for a discussion about his remarkable journey from elite mountain athlete and North Face team member to globally renowned documentarian and director.

For the first time since 2018, Vivid Sydney lights up Martin Place & the CBD, transforming the city’s heart into a hub of immersive experiences. Step into The Lucid Dream Collective by the world-renowned Moment Factory, an AI-powered interactive light installation that blends your face with an ever-evolving dream, or journey through the Chasing Dreams Tunnel, mesmerising passageway of shifting light depicting the work of renowned Bundjalung artist Dr Bronwyn Bancroft.

As part of Vivid Sydney’s vibrant Martin Place zone, Sydney Film Festival takes over the amphitheatre with SFFTV—a giant outdoor screen showcasing cinematic brilliance from 4–15 June. See free screenings of acclaimed and arresting short films from Australia and around the world, sneak previews of SFF 2025 films, and other special activations. Whether you’re passing through or settling in, drop by between Pitt and Castlereagh St for a captivating film experience. See a specially curated collection of shorts each day between 12pm – 1pm, and again at 6.30pm – 7.30pm, or any time in between 8am and 10pm for an array of shorts and previews.