Opening Night | The New Boy
Warwick Thornton’s Cannes-selected new film stars Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair and newcomer Aswan Reid in a beguiling story of spirituality and survival set in 1940s Australia.
Warwick Thornton’s (Samson and Delilah; We Don’t Need a Map, SFF 2017; Sweet Country) Cannes-selected new film stars Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair and newcomer Aswan Reid in a beguiling story of spirituality and survival set in 1940s Australia. In an exhilarating start to the film, a brave Aboriginal boy (Reid) is engaged in a battle with police, fighting with all his might. Eventually subdued, he is sent off to a remote monastery – and home to orphaned boys – run by Sister Eileen (Blanchett). The kindly nun has a calming effect on the new boy, and he also forms connections with Sister Mum (Mailman) and George (Blair) who manages the farmlands. An attempt at bullying the new boy falls flat, and he soon becomes an established, unique presence at the monastery. But he possesses unusual powers, and as Sister Eileen’s religious zeal intensifies, things begin to unravel. Thornton’s elegant and concise storytelling is augmented with spectacular images and a uniformly superb cast – including a group of very promising actors playing the boys at the monastery. But it is the magnetic on-screen presence of young Aswan Reid that astonishes. A film of great symbolism and impact, The New Boy finds Thornton at the height of his cinematic powers: it is intoxicating and magical.Opening Night Gala
The Sydney Film Festival Opening Night Gala is Australia's most stylish celebration of cinema. Kick off your experience of the momentous 70th Festival with all the glamour of a red carpet Australian premiere of The New Boy, featuring international and Australian film industry guests, following by the exclusive Opening Night afterparty at Sydney Town Hall. Feel that post-premiere buzz with complimentary canapes, cocktails and curated DJ sets. Prior to the film enjoy the classic sound of the State Theatre's restored Wurlitzer played by 'Australia's First Lady of the Organ', Margaret Hall.
Film + Afterparty tickets for the Opening Night Gala | The New Boy are sold out! Book a Film Only ticket or see other sessions of The New Boy.
Special Guests
Warwick Thornton
Director
Warwick Thornton was born and raised in Alice Springs. His short films Green Bush (SFF 2005) and Nana (SFF 2007) premiered at Berlinale. His debut Samson and Delilah won the 2009 Cannes Camera d'Or. Other films as director: The Darkside (2013), We Don't Need a Map (SFF 2017) and Sweet Country (2017).
Margaret Hall
Organist
Margaret trained at the Sydney Conservatorium of music graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance. Her command of the instrument, her musical sensibilities and interest in performing music of diverse genres has earned her the title of “Australia’s First Lady of the Theatre Organ.”
Kath Shelper
Producer
Kath Shelper is the producer of many award-winning films including Samson & Delilah, which won the prestigious Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. In 2013, she finished another feature film with Warwick Thornton, The Darkside, which screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. Kath also produced Beck Cole's debut feature, Here I Am, and her short film, Plains Empty (Sundance 2005), plus many other short films. She also produced two chapters of The Turning feature film project (directors Warwick Thornton and Mia Wasikowska), and Warwick's contribution to the Guillermo Arriaga omnibus, Words with Gods.
- Program Strand
- Official Competition, First Nations, Opening Night
- Year
- 2023
- Classification
- M
- Country
- Australia
- Language
- In English
- Director
- Warwick Thornton
- Producer
- Kath Shelper, Andrew Upton, Cate Blanchett, Lorenzo De Maio
- Cast
- Cate Blanchett, Aswan Reid, Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair
- Screenwriter
- Warwick Thornton
- Genre
- First Nations, Cannes Selected, Religion & Belief
- Company Credits
- Australian Distributor: Roadshow Films
