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Features

Discover captivating stories from great cinematic storytellers. See prizewinners from the world’s most prestigious festivals alongside new works that deserve to be known.

2019 Audience Award for Best Feature:
1st Sequin in a Blue Room
2nd Hearts and Bones
3rd Suburban Wildlife
4th Never Look Away
5th Portrait of a Lady on Fire

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aKasha

Hajooj Kuka’s gentle but incisive comedy, about a maverick rebel soldier in search of his beloved AK-47, satirises the grim realities of the South Sudanese civil war.

Alpha, the Right to Kill

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs is the backdrop of this pulsating thriller by Brillante Mendoza. Winner, Special Jury Prize San Sebastian 2018.

American Woman

Sienna Miller (Foxcatcher, High-Rise) gives a career-best performance in this captivating drama about a woman forced to deal with her teenage daughter’s disappearance.

Angelo

Austrian director Markus Schleinzer’s visually stunning, scathing drama tells the life story of an 18th century African man kept in a gilded cage by European nobility.

Animals

Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat shine as best friends who live in a haze of drink, drugs and one-night stands, in the hilarious new film by Australian Sophie Hyde (52 Tuesdays).

Bait

Mark Jenkin’s stunningly handcrafted debut feature centres on Martin, a Cornish fisherman who’s fallen on hard times. His resentment of change and rich Londoners reaches boiling point.

Brittany Runs a Marathon

Brittany’s (Jillian Bell, Workaholics, Rough Night) hard-partying lifestyle leads to a diagnosis that requires radical – and hilarious – action. Winner, Audience Award, Sundance.

Clean Up

Guilt, grief and redemption are the themes of this gripping psychodrama about a kidnapper and her victim, whom fate brings together twelve years later. Best Film, Macao Film Festival.

Cold Sweat

The lifelong dream of Iran’s national women’s futsal team captain appears over when her estranged husband uses his legal right to prevent her leaving the country. Based on true stories.

Daffodils

A stirring musical romance brimming with decades of New Zealand hits from Crowded House to Bic Runga; and a box office hit at home.

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

An emotional and visceral exploration of a key battle in the Vietnam war – pitting 108 young Australian soldiers against 2500 – by Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Australia Day, SFF 2017).

Divine Love

Gabriel Mascaro (Neon Bull, SFF 2016) returns with an enigmatic, sensual sci-fi set in Brazil 2027: an acerbic reflection on politics and religion.

Dolce Fine Giornata

In this intelligent and timely film, a Nobel Prize-winning poet unleashes unexpected consequences when she makes a controversial speech after a terrorist attack.

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia

Aliens descend to offer Earthlings a chance to visit their planet, and 60-year-old Celeste signs up for the adventure alongside a motley crew, in this delightfully deadpan Cuban sci-fi.

Flatland

A contemporary South African feminist western by the co-writer of Rafiki (SFF 2018). Three women get into a thrilling police chase through a desolate and unforgiving region.

Ghost Town Anthology

Dead villagers come back to life in the visually striking new tale by Canadian maverick Denis Côté (Vic + Flo Saw a Bear, SFF 2013). Official selection, Berlinale Competition.

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

The new comedy by British maverick Ben Wheatley (Kill List, SFF 2011; High-Rise, SFF 2016), reunites a family at a country mansion for a celebration that quickly goes wrong.

Her Smell

After sold-out runs at TIFF and SXSW, Alex Ross Perry’s virtuosic portrait is of a ‘90s punk star on the path to burn-out. Starring Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale).

I Am Mother

Hilary Swank and Clara Rugaard star in a compelling Australian sci-fi about a human child raised by a robot mother in a post-apocalyptic future. Official selection, Sundance.

In Fabric

British visionary Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy, SFF 2015) delivers mesmerising mystery, ravishing horror and deathly dark comedy with the tale of a demonic red dress.

Jesus

In Hiroshi Okuyama’s strikingly original and playful debut, Jesus is the tiny imaginary friend of a young Japanese boy. Winner of the New Directors competition at San Sebastian.

Journey to a Mother's Room

An intimate yet funny portrait of a close mother-daughter bond unexpectedly transformed when one moves away, from Spanish director Celia Rico Clavellino.

Kursk

Matthias Schoenaerts, Colin Firth and Léa Seydoux star in director Thomas Vinterberg’s (The Commune, SFF 2016) gripping account of the K-141 Kursk submarine disaster in 2000.

Ladyworld

In Amanda Kramer’s super stylish feminist update to Lord of the Flies, a birthday party devolves into chaos when an earthquake traps eight teenage girls alone in a house.

Manta Ray

Winner of the Horizon Prize at Venice, Manta Ray is a visually unforgettable and mystical story about the unusual friendship between a Thai fisherman and a Rohingya refugee.

The Mountain

Jeff Goldblum plays a smooth-talking brain doctor in a hypnotic piece of 1950s weirdness by American outlier Rick Alverson. A beautiful portrait of America’s fractured identity.

The Nightingale

Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) returns with a searing revenge drama about a young convict woman in Van Diemen’s Land, 1825. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice 2018.

Öndög

An offbeat murder mystery twists into an eccentric romantic comedy – and much more – in this gloriously filmed yarn set on the Mongolian steppe.

Our Time

Mexican auteur Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light, SFF 2008) cast himself and his wife as the lead actors in this brutally honest examination of the breakdown of an open marriage.

Papi Chulo

A twist on the buddy comedy: after an on-air meltdown, a gay TV weatherman (Matt Bomer) hires a straight Latino migrant (Alejandro Patiño) to do odd jobs and be his friend in this charming movie.

Piranhas

Italian director Claudio Giovannesi’s riveting drama, winner of the Silver Bear for best screenplay at Berlinale, is both a gangster flick and a vibrant tale of adolescence.

The Public

Emilio Estevez directs and acts alongside Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater and Michael K. Williams in this heart-warming film about homeless people who occupy a library to escape freezing conditions.

Saturday Afternoon

Banned in Bangladesh, this audacious film takes us vividly into the horror of a terrorist attack through one astonishing continuous shot, finding heroism in the face of terror.

School's Out

Teacher Pierre Hoffman arrives at prestigious St Joseph’s after his predecessor leaps out of the window during class. The substitute soon suspects something is very wrong with his gifted pupils.

Screwdriver

Bassam Jarbawi’s debut feature is a suspenseful and moving drama about a Palestinian political prisoner, released after 15 years, who battles to reintegrate into a very changed society.

Sequin in a Blue Room

Sexual discovery is on-demand for 16-year-old Sequin, whose hook-up app obsession sends him down a dangerous path in this highly-accomplished queer coming-of-age tale.

Sibel

A rebellious, mute young woman fights back against religious and social conventions in her remote Turkish village, in this enthralling coming-of-age tale.

Suburban Wildlife

The highly anticipated hometown debut – after its premiere at Cinequest Film Fest – of this authentic depiction of suburban angst and the struggles of young, post-Uni Australians.

The Sweet Requiem

The impressive second narrative feature by Dharamshala-based doco team Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam (Dreaming Lhasa) is set among Tibetan exiles in Delhi. NETPAC Award, Kolkata.

A Tale of Three Sisters

A domineering father tries to control his three daughters in this fantasy-tinged feminist drama by leading Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper. In competition, Berlinale.

The Third Wife

Set in late 19th century Vietnam, Ash Mayfair’s exquisite feature debut focuses on a teenager in an arranged marriage, who learns quickly about her world’s suffocating patriarchy.

This is Not Berlin

A stylish leap into the hedonism of ’80s Mexican post-punk, pan-sexual counter-culture. An alienated young man finds a whole new world when he’s invited to a mythical nightclub.

The Wedding Guest

Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) is a mysterious and compelling presence in Michael Winterbottom’s thrilling, modern film noir about a wedding guest with ulterior motives.

The White Crow

Ralph Fiennes’ film tells the exhilarating story of Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the West, capturing both his exquisite talents and the era’s explosive political situation.

Yuli

Cuban ballet luminary Carlos Acosta is both star and subject of this moving and unusual fusion of biography and dazzling dance, by Spanish director Icíar Bollaín.

Wed 5 at 6:00pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

Bait

Mark Jenkin’s stunningly handcrafted debut feature centres on Martin, a Cornish fisherman who’s fallen on hard times. His resentment of change and rich Londoners reaches boiling point.

Wed 5 at 6:15pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Angelo

Austrian director Markus Schleinzer’s visually stunning, scathing drama tells the life story of an 18th century African man kept in a gilded cage by European nobility.

Wed 5 at 6:30pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

The White Crow

Ralph Fiennes’ film tells the exhilarating story of Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the West, capturing both his exquisite talents and the era’s explosive political situation.

Wed 5 at 6:30pm Event Cinemas George St 4

The Wedding Guest

Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) is a mysterious and compelling presence in Michael Winterbottom’s thrilling, modern film noir about a wedding guest with ulterior motives.

Wed 5 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown

School's Out

Teacher Pierre Hoffman arrives at prestigious St Joseph’s after his predecessor leaps out of the window during class. The substitute soon suspects something is very wrong with his gifted pupils.

Wed 5 at 8:30pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Divine Love

Gabriel Mascaro (Neon Bull, SFF 2016) returns with an enigmatic, sensual sci-fi set in Brazil 2027: an acerbic reflection on politics and religion.

Wed 5 at 8:30pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

The Third Wife

Set in late 19th century Vietnam, Ash Mayfair’s exquisite feature debut focuses on a teenager in an arranged marriage, who learns quickly about her world’s suffocating patriarchy.

Wed 5 at 8:45pm Dendy Newtown

Ghost Town Anthology

Dead villagers come back to life in the visually striking new tale by Canadian maverick Denis Côté (Vic + Flo Saw a Bear, SFF 2013). Official selection, Berlinale Competition.

Thu 6 at 12:10pm State Theatre

Journey to a Mother's Room

An intimate yet funny portrait of a close mother-daughter bond unexpectedly transformed when one moves away, from Spanish director Celia Rico Clavellino.

Thu 6 at 4:30pm State Theatre

Bait

Mark Jenkin’s stunningly handcrafted debut feature centres on Martin, a Cornish fisherman who’s fallen on hard times. His resentment of change and rich Londoners reaches boiling point.

Thu 6 at 6:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

I Am Mother

Hilary Swank and Clara Rugaard star in a compelling Australian sci-fi about a human child raised by a robot mother in a post-apocalyptic future. Official selection, Sundance.

Thu 6 at 6:30pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia

Aliens descend to offer Earthlings a chance to visit their planet, and 60-year-old Celeste signs up for the adventure alongside a motley crew, in this delightfully deadpan Cuban sci-fi.

Thu 6 at 6:30pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

The Third Wife

Set in late 19th century Vietnam, Ash Mayfair’s exquisite feature debut focuses on a teenager in an arranged marriage, who learns quickly about her world’s suffocating patriarchy.

Thu 6 at 8:10pm Dendy Newtown

This is Not Berlin

A stylish leap into the hedonism of ’80s Mexican post-punk, pan-sexual counter-culture. An alienated young man finds a whole new world when he’s invited to a mythical nightclub.

Fri 7 at 11:45am State Theatre

The Third Wife

Set in late 19th century Vietnam, Ash Mayfair’s exquisite feature debut focuses on a teenager in an arranged marriage, who learns quickly about her world’s suffocating patriarchy.

Fri 7 at 3:45pm State Theatre

Angelo

Austrian director Markus Schleinzer’s visually stunning, scathing drama tells the life story of an 18th century African man kept in a gilded cage by European nobility.

Fri 7 at 6:00pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Piranhas

Italian director Claudio Giovannesi’s riveting drama, winner of the Silver Bear for best screenplay at Berlinale, is both a gangster flick and a vibrant tale of adolescence.

Fri 7 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown

In Fabric

British visionary Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy, SFF 2015) delivers mesmerising mystery, ravishing horror and deathly dark comedy with the tale of a demonic red dress.

Fri 7 at 6:30pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Brittany Runs a Marathon

Brittany’s (Jillian Bell, Workaholics, Rough Night) hard-partying lifestyle leads to a diagnosis that requires radical – and hilarious – action. Winner, Audience Award, Sundance.

Fri 7 at 6:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

The Wedding Guest

Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) is a mysterious and compelling presence in Michael Winterbottom’s thrilling, modern film noir about a wedding guest with ulterior motives.

Fri 7 at 8:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

Her Smell

After sold-out runs at TIFF and SXSW, Alex Ross Perry’s virtuosic portrait is of a ‘90s punk star on the path to burn-out. Starring Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale).

Fri 7 at 8:50pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

The new comedy by British maverick Ben Wheatley (Kill List, SFF 2011; High-Rise, SFF 2016), reunites a family at a country mansion for a celebration that quickly goes wrong.

Sat 8 at 12:00pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

A Tale of Three Sisters

A domineering father tries to control his three daughters in this fantasy-tinged feminist drama by leading Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper. In competition, Berlinale.

Sat 8 at 4:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

Kursk

Matthias Schoenaerts, Colin Firth and Léa Seydoux star in director Thomas Vinterberg’s (The Commune, SFF 2016) gripping account of the K-141 Kursk submarine disaster in 2000.

Sat 8 at 4:30pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Alpha, the Right to Kill

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs is the backdrop of this pulsating thriller by Brillante Mendoza. Winner, Special Jury Prize San Sebastian 2018.

Sat 8 at 6:15pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

aKasha

Hajooj Kuka’s gentle but incisive comedy, about a maverick rebel soldier in search of his beloved AK-47, satirises the grim realities of the South Sudanese civil war.

Sat 8 at 6:15pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

Brittany Runs a Marathon

Brittany’s (Jillian Bell, Workaholics, Rough Night) hard-partying lifestyle leads to a diagnosis that requires radical – and hilarious – action. Winner, Audience Award, Sundance.

Sat 8 at 6:15pm Event Cinemas George St 4

The White Crow

Ralph Fiennes’ film tells the exhilarating story of Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the West, capturing both his exquisite talents and the era’s explosive political situation.

Sat 8 at 6:45pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

The Public

Emilio Estevez directs and acts alongside Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater and Michael K. Williams in this heart-warming film about homeless people who occupy a library to escape freezing conditions.

Sat 8 at 7:45pm Dendy Newtown

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

The new comedy by British maverick Ben Wheatley (Kill List, SFF 2011; High-Rise, SFF 2016), reunites a family at a country mansion for a celebration that quickly goes wrong.

Sat 8 at 8:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

Animals

Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat shine as best friends who live in a haze of drink, drugs and one-night stands, in the hilarious new film by Australian Sophie Hyde (52 Tuesdays).

Sat 8 at 8:35pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

Screwdriver

Bassam Jarbawi’s debut feature is a suspenseful and moving drama about a Palestinian political prisoner, released after 15 years, who battles to reintegrate into a very changed society.

Sat 8 at 8:45pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Suburban Wildlife

The highly anticipated hometown debut – after its premiere at Cinequest Film Fest – of this authentic depiction of suburban angst and the struggles of young, post-Uni Australians.

Sat 8 at 8:45pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

Manta Ray

Winner of the Horizon Prize at Venice, Manta Ray is a visually unforgettable and mystical story about the unusual friendship between a Thai fisherman and a Rohingya refugee.

Sat 8 at 8:55pm Event Cinemas George St 4

American Woman

Sienna Miller (Foxcatcher, High-Rise) gives a career-best performance in this captivating drama about a woman forced to deal with her teenage daughter’s disappearance.

Sat 8 at 9:00pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

Yuli

Cuban ballet luminary Carlos Acosta is both star and subject of this moving and unusual fusion of biography and dazzling dance, by Spanish director Icíar Bollaín.

Sun 9 at 12:00pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Manta Ray

Winner of the Horizon Prize at Venice, Manta Ray is a visually unforgettable and mystical story about the unusual friendship between a Thai fisherman and a Rohingya refugee.

Sun 9 at 2:00pm Casula Powerhouse

Cold Sweat

The lifelong dream of Iran’s national women’s futsal team captain appears over when her estranged husband uses his legal right to prevent her leaving the country. Based on true stories.

Sun 9 at 4:00pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

Cold Sweat

The lifelong dream of Iran’s national women’s futsal team captain appears over when her estranged husband uses his legal right to prevent her leaving the country. Based on true stories.

Sun 9 at 4:20pm Event Cinemas George St 4

The Public

Emilio Estevez directs and acts alongside Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater and Michael K. Williams in this heart-warming film about homeless people who occupy a library to escape freezing conditions.

Sun 9 at 6:00pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

American Woman

Sienna Miller (Foxcatcher, High-Rise) gives a career-best performance in this captivating drama about a woman forced to deal with her teenage daughter’s disappearance.

Sun 9 at 6:15pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

Yuli

Cuban ballet luminary Carlos Acosta is both star and subject of this moving and unusual fusion of biography and dazzling dance, by Spanish director Icíar Bollaín.

Sun 9 at 6:30pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Öndög

An offbeat murder mystery twists into an eccentric romantic comedy – and much more – in this gloriously filmed yarn set on the Mongolian steppe.

Sun 9 at 6:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

The Mountain

Jeff Goldblum plays a smooth-talking brain doctor in a hypnotic piece of 1950s weirdness by American outlier Rick Alverson. A beautiful portrait of America’s fractured identity.

Sun 9 at 6:45pm Event Cinemas George St 9

Papi Chulo

A twist on the buddy comedy: after an on-air meltdown, a gay TV weatherman (Matt Bomer) hires a straight Latino migrant (Alejandro Patiño) to do odd jobs and be his friend in this charming movie.

Sun 9 at 6:45pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Her Smell

After sold-out runs at TIFF and SXSW, Alex Ross Perry’s virtuosic portrait is of a ‘90s punk star on the path to burn-out. Starring Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale).

Sun 9 at 7:00pm Casula Powerhouse

Screwdriver

Bassam Jarbawi’s debut feature is a suspenseful and moving drama about a Palestinian political prisoner, released after 15 years, who battles to reintegrate into a very changed society.

Sun 9 at 8:15pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

Our Time

Mexican auteur Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light, SFF 2008) cast himself and his wife as the lead actors in this brutally honest examination of the breakdown of an open marriage.

Sun 9 at 8:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

The Nightingale

Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) returns with a searing revenge drama about a young convict woman in Van Diemen’s Land, 1825. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice 2018.

Sun 9 at 8:45pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Clean Up

Guilt, grief and redemption are the themes of this gripping psychodrama about a kidnapper and her victim, whom fate brings together twelve years later. Best Film, Macao Film Festival.

Mon 10 at 11:30am Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

A Tale of Three Sisters

A domineering father tries to control his three daughters in this fantasy-tinged feminist drama by leading Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper. In competition, Berlinale.

Mon 10 at 1:15pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Journey to a Mother's Room

An intimate yet funny portrait of a close mother-daughter bond unexpectedly transformed when one moves away, from Spanish director Celia Rico Clavellino.

Mon 10 at 1:30pm Event Cinemas George St 4

The Mountain

Jeff Goldblum plays a smooth-talking brain doctor in a hypnotic piece of 1950s weirdness by American outlier Rick Alverson. A beautiful portrait of America’s fractured identity.

Mon 10 at 1:45pm Event Cinemas George St 5

aKasha

Hajooj Kuka’s gentle but incisive comedy, about a maverick rebel soldier in search of his beloved AK-47, satirises the grim realities of the South Sudanese civil war.

Mon 10 at 2:15pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

Saturday Afternoon

Banned in Bangladesh, this audacious film takes us vividly into the horror of a terrorist attack through one astonishing continuous shot, finding heroism in the face of terror.

Mon 10 at 3:45pm Event Cinemas George St 4

This is Not Berlin

A stylish leap into the hedonism of ’80s Mexican post-punk, pan-sexual counter-culture. An alienated young man finds a whole new world when he’s invited to a mythical nightclub.

Mon 10 at 4:00pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

Piranhas

Italian director Claudio Giovannesi’s riveting drama, winner of the Silver Bear for best screenplay at Berlinale, is both a gangster flick and a vibrant tale of adolescence.

Mon 10 at 4:30pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

Sibel

A rebellious, mute young woman fights back against religious and social conventions in her remote Turkish village, in this enthralling coming-of-age tale.

Mon 10 at 4:45pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

Alpha, the Right to Kill

Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs is the backdrop of this pulsating thriller by Brillante Mendoza. Winner, Special Jury Prize San Sebastian 2018.

Mon 10 at 6:00pm Event Cinemas George St 4

The Nightingale

Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) returns with a searing revenge drama about a young convict woman in Van Diemen’s Land, 1825. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice 2018.

Mon 10 at 6:15pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

The White Crow

Ralph Fiennes’ film tells the exhilarating story of Rudolf Nureyev’s defection to the West, capturing both his exquisite talents and the era’s explosive political situation.

Mon 10 at 6:45pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Ladyworld

In Amanda Kramer’s super stylish feminist update to Lord of the Flies, a birthday party devolves into chaos when an earthquake traps eight teenage girls alone in a house.

Mon 10 at 6:45pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

Flatland

A contemporary South African feminist western by the co-writer of Rafiki (SFF 2018). Three women get into a thrilling police chase through a desolate and unforgiving region.

Mon 10 at 7:00pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

Brittany Runs a Marathon

Brittany’s (Jillian Bell, Workaholics, Rough Night) hard-partying lifestyle leads to a diagnosis that requires radical – and hilarious – action. Winner, Audience Award, Sundance.

Tue 11 at 6:30pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

Kursk

Matthias Schoenaerts, Colin Firth and Léa Seydoux star in director Thomas Vinterberg’s (The Commune, SFF 2016) gripping account of the K-141 Kursk submarine disaster in 2000.

Tue 11 at 6:30pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Clean Up

Guilt, grief and redemption are the themes of this gripping psychodrama about a kidnapper and her victim, whom fate brings together twelve years later. Best Film, Macao Film Festival.

Tue 11 at 7:00pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Dolce Fine Giornata

In this intelligent and timely film, a Nobel Prize-winning poet unleashes unexpected consequences when she makes a controversial speech after a terrorist attack.

Tue 11 at 9:00pm Event Cinemas George St 5

School's Out

Teacher Pierre Hoffman arrives at prestigious St Joseph’s after his predecessor leaps out of the window during class. The substitute soon suspects something is very wrong with his gifted pupils.

Wed 12 at 6:00pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Yuli

Cuban ballet luminary Carlos Acosta is both star and subject of this moving and unusual fusion of biography and dazzling dance, by Spanish director Icíar Bollaín.

Wed 12 at 8:05pm Dendy Newtown

Her Smell

After sold-out runs at TIFF and SXSW, Alex Ross Perry’s virtuosic portrait is of a ‘90s punk star on the path to burn-out. Starring Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale).

Wed 12 at 8:45pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Daffodils

A stirring musical romance brimming with decades of New Zealand hits from Crowded House to Bic Runga; and a box office hit at home.

Wed 12 at 9:00pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Ghost Town Anthology

Dead villagers come back to life in the visually striking new tale by Canadian maverick Denis Côté (Vic + Flo Saw a Bear, SFF 2013). Official selection, Berlinale Competition.

Thu 13 at 2:00pm State Theatre

Dolce Fine Giornata

In this intelligent and timely film, a Nobel Prize-winning poet unleashes unexpected consequences when she makes a controversial speech after a terrorist attack.

Thu 13 at 6:00pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Divine Love

Gabriel Mascaro (Neon Bull, SFF 2016) returns with an enigmatic, sensual sci-fi set in Brazil 2027: an acerbic reflection on politics and religion.

Thu 13 at 6:15pm Dendy Newtown

Suburban Wildlife

The highly anticipated hometown debut – after its premiere at Cinequest Film Fest – of this authentic depiction of suburban angst and the struggles of young, post-Uni Australians.

Thu 13 at 8:15pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

Saturday Afternoon

Banned in Bangladesh, this audacious film takes us vividly into the horror of a terrorist attack through one astonishing continuous shot, finding heroism in the face of terror.

Thu 13 at 8:30pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

Animals

Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat shine as best friends who live in a haze of drink, drugs and one-night stands, in the hilarious new film by Australian Sophie Hyde (52 Tuesdays).

Fri 14 at 6:10pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Jesus

In Hiroshi Okuyama’s strikingly original and playful debut, Jesus is the tiny imaginary friend of a young Japanese boy. Winner of the New Directors competition at San Sebastian.

Fri 14 at 6:15pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Papi Chulo

A twist on the buddy comedy: after an on-air meltdown, a gay TV weatherman (Matt Bomer) hires a straight Latino migrant (Alejandro Patiño) to do odd jobs and be his friend in this charming movie.

Fri 14 at 6:15pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

Cold Sweat

The lifelong dream of Iran’s national women’s futsal team captain appears over when her estranged husband uses his legal right to prevent her leaving the country. Based on true stories.

Fri 14 at 6:30pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 3

The Sweet Requiem

The impressive second narrative feature by Dharamshala-based doco team Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam (Dreaming Lhasa) is set among Tibetan exiles in Delhi. NETPAC Award, Kolkata.

Fri 14 at 6:30pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

The Public

Emilio Estevez directs and acts alongside Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Christian Slater and Michael K. Williams in this heart-warming film about homeless people who occupy a library to escape freezing conditions.

Fri 14 at 8:05pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

Our Time

Mexican auteur Carlos Reygadas (Silent Light, SFF 2008) cast himself and his wife as the lead actors in this brutally honest examination of the breakdown of an open marriage.

Fri 14 at 8:30pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

Daffodils

A stirring musical romance brimming with decades of New Zealand hits from Crowded House to Bic Runga; and a box office hit at home.

Fri 14 at 8:35pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Sequin in a Blue Room

Sexual discovery is on-demand for 16-year-old Sequin, whose hook-up app obsession sends him down a dangerous path in this highly-accomplished queer coming-of-age tale.

Sat 15 at 2:45pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 1

Sibel

A rebellious, mute young woman fights back against religious and social conventions in her remote Turkish village, in this enthralling coming-of-age tale.

Sat 15 at 4:30pm Dendy Newtown

Sequin in a Blue Room

Sexual discovery is on-demand for 16-year-old Sequin, whose hook-up app obsession sends him down a dangerous path in this highly-accomplished queer coming-of-age tale.

Sat 15 at 4:30pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Jesus

In Hiroshi Okuyama’s strikingly original and playful debut, Jesus is the tiny imaginary friend of a young Japanese boy. Winner of the New Directors competition at San Sebastian.

Sat 15 at 6:15pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

An emotional and visceral exploration of a key battle in the Vietnam war – pitting 108 young Australian soldiers against 2500 – by Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Australia Day, SFF 2017).

Sat 15 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown

Ladyworld

In Amanda Kramer’s super stylish feminist update to Lord of the Flies, a birthday party devolves into chaos when an earthquake traps eight teenage girls alone in a house.

Sat 15 at 7:10pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

Öndög

An offbeat murder mystery twists into an eccentric romantic comedy – and much more – in this gloriously filmed yarn set on the Mongolian steppe.

Sat 15 at 8:30pm Event Cinemas George St 9

In Fabric

British visionary Peter Strickland (The Duke of Burgundy, SFF 2015) delivers mesmerising mystery, ravishing horror and deathly dark comedy with the tale of a demonic red dress.

Sat 15 at 8:35pm Event Cinemas George St 3

Flatland

A contemporary South African feminist western by the co-writer of Rafiki (SFF 2018). Three women get into a thrilling police chase through a desolate and unforgiving region.

Sat 15 at 9:00pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Animals

Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat shine as best friends who live in a haze of drink, drugs and one-night stands, in the hilarious new film by Australian Sophie Hyde (52 Tuesdays).

Sat 15 at 9:00pm Dendy Opera Quays Cinema 2

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

The new comedy by British maverick Ben Wheatley (Kill List, SFF 2011; High-Rise, SFF 2016), reunites a family at a country mansion for a celebration that quickly goes wrong.

Sun 16 at 1:45pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne

The Sweet Requiem

The impressive second narrative feature by Dharamshala-based doco team Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam (Dreaming Lhasa) is set among Tibetan exiles in Delhi. NETPAC Award, Kolkata.

Sun 16 at 2:00pm The Ritz Cinema Randwick

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

An emotional and visceral exploration of a key battle in the Vietnam war – pitting 108 young Australian soldiers against 2500 – by Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Australia Day, SFF 2017).

Sun 16 at 4:30pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Brittany Runs a Marathon

Brittany’s (Jillian Bell, Workaholics, Rough Night) hard-partying lifestyle leads to a diagnosis that requires radical – and hilarious – action. Winner, Audience Award, Sundance.

Sun 16 at 4:45pm Event Cinemas George St 3

The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia

Aliens descend to offer Earthlings a chance to visit their planet, and 60-year-old Celeste signs up for the adventure alongside a motley crew, in this delightfully deadpan Cuban sci-fi.

Sun 16 at 6:15pm Dendy Newtown

The Nightingale

Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) returns with a searing revenge drama about a young convict woman in Van Diemen’s Land, 1825. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice 2018.

Wed 19 at 8:00pm Dendy Newtown

The Nightingale

Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) returns with a searing revenge drama about a young convict woman in Van Diemen’s Land, 1825. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice 2018.

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