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Somersault

Directed by Cate Shortland
Australia
2004
106 mins

Synopsis

Director Cate Shortland made waves with her sensual Cannes-selected debut, set in Jindabyne and starring an unforgettable Abbie Cornish as a young woman in search of connection.

A catastrophic fall-out with her mum sends Heidi (Cornish, Bright Star) fleeing on a charter coach to frosty Jindabyne. Beautiful and fragile, Heidi searches for work, shelter and companionship in the alpine town, and finds hard partying and hook-ups. In a packed bar, she catches the eye of Joe (Sam Worthington), a local who takes her back to the Siesta Motel. His emotional reserve contrasts her vulnerability, and he’s captivated but wary of her intensity. Hypnotic, tactile, and memorably scored by Decoder Ring, Somersault (SFF 2004) won all 13 categories at the 2004 AFI Awards. Now lovingly restored, this landmark of contemporary Australian cinema will seep under your skin.

Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking.

“Visceral, dreamy, tender and terrifying. Eerily evokes the marooned feeling between childhood and adulthood. Abbie Cornish is spectacular.”
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times

Special Guests

Cate Shortland
Director, Screenwriter

Cate Shortland is an Australian director and screenwriter. A graduate of the University of Sydney and AFTRS, Shortland went on to direct numerous shorts and features. Feature credits include: her award-winning debut Somersault (2004), which premiered at Cannes; Lore (SFF 2012), premiering In Competition at Sydney Film Festival and, afterwards, winning the Audience Award at Locarno Film Festival; Berlin Syndrome (2017); and Black Widow (2021). TV credits include: The Secret Life of Us, and The Silence.

Tickets

Mon 9 June 2025, 2pm
Event Cinemas George Street - Cinema 3
WheelchairAssisted Listening
Fri 13 June 2025, 6pm
Hayden Orpheum Cremorne - Cinema 2
Wheelchair
  • Program Strand
    Classics Restored
  • Year
    2004
  • Classification
    MA 15+
  • Country
    Australia
  • Language
    In English
  • Director
    Cate Shortland
  • Producer
    Anthony Anderson
  • Cast
    Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Erik Thomson
  • Screenwriter
    Cate Shortland
  • Cinematographer
    Robert Humphreys
  • Editor
    Scott Gray
  • Genre
    Retrospective, Women Directors, Australian, Women’s Stories
  • Company Credits
    Australian Distributor: Madman Entertainment

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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.

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