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International Documentaries

Prize-winning, controversial, mesmerising, eye-opening and visually stunning; it’s all there in this year’s International Documentary line-up.

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Wed 3 at 6:00pm Dendy Newtown 1

City Hall

With this epic masterpiece, Frederick Wiseman, 91, renowned documentarian and multiple award winner (including Carrosse d’Or, Cannes 2021), continues his lifelong project to document American institutions.

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

The First 54 Years - An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

A step-by-step guide to colonial occupation from director Avi Mograbi, using Israel’s 54-year occupation of the Palestinian territories as a case study.

Thu 4 at 9:30am State Theatre

Radiograph of a Family

The tense relationship of a filmmaker’s parents mirrors Iran’s turbulent recent history in this stylish, inventive documentary. Best Feature-Length Documentary, IDFA 2020.

Thu 4 at 2:45pm State Theatre

Le Temps Perdu

An award-winning documentary following a charming group of literature aficionados who have been meeting in the same Buenos Aires café for 20+ years to read Proust’s classic work.

Thu 4 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown 2

Writing With Fire

An inspiring documentary about the trailblazing journalists behind India’s all-female news network and their tenacious grassroots reporting. Special Jury and Audience awards, Sundance 2021.

Thu 4 at 8:30pm Event Cinemas VMAX2

Like the Wind

Celebrated Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Rabbit-Proof Fence) talks about his adventurous life and career in this frank and insightful documentary.

Fri 5 at 6:00pm Dendy Newtown 3

White Cube

Artist Renzo Martens's plans to build an arts centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo expose controversial, longstanding issues in the world of art and capitalism.

Fri 5 at 6:15pm Ritz Cinemas Randwick 1

The Lost Leonardo

A real-life art thriller involving a painting purportedly by Leonardo da Vinci, million-dollar deals and experts at loggerheads. A forgotten masterwork or an artworld powerplay?

Sat 6 at 10:00am Palace Chauvel Cinema

City Hall

With this epic masterpiece, Frederick Wiseman, 91, renowned documentarian and multiple award winner (including Carrosse d’Or, Cannes 2021), continues his lifelong project to document American institutions.

Sat 6 at 12:30pm Event Cinemas VMAX2

John Farrow: Hollywood's Man in the Shadows

The enigmatic life and prolific Hollywood career of overlooked Australian filmmaker John Farrow (film noir classic The Big Clock) is examined in a captivating documentary.

Sat 6 at 2:00pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne 4

Blind Ambition

Four determinedly optimistic refugees compete in the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships as Zimbabwe’s first-ever representatives. From the makers of Red Obsession (SFF 2013).

Sat 6 at 3:15pm State Theatre

Burning

Focusing in on the 2019-20 bushfires, Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner (Taxi to the Dark Side, SFF 2008) interrogates Australia’s woeful record on climate change action.

Sat 6 at 3:30pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

Like the Wind

Celebrated Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Rabbit-Proof Fence) talks about his adventurous life and career in this frank and insightful documentary.

Sat 6 at 6:30pm Ritz Cinemas Randwick 5

Cow

Acclaimed UK filmmaker Andrea Arnold (Red Road, SFF 2007; Wuthering Heights, SFF 2012) makes her documentary debut in this Cannes 2021-selected portrait of bovine life.

Sat 6 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown 3

Taming the Garden

Perhaps the most visually striking film in this year’s Festival. A surreal environmental tale that opens with the remarkable shot of a 30-metre-high tree floating across a pale ocean.

Sat 6 at 8:00pm Casula Powerhouse

Blind Ambition

Four determinedly optimistic refugees compete in the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships as Zimbabwe’s first-ever representatives. From the makers of Red Obsession (SFF 2013).

Sat 6 at 8:00pm Dendy Newtown 1

The Story of Film: A New Generation

UK Director Mark Cousins (The Story of Film: An Odyssey) continues his influential voyage through the splendour of cinema, with his Cannes-selected exploration into the state of moviemaking in the last decade.

Sun 7 at 12:45pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

Le Temps Perdu

An award-winning documentary following a charming group of literature aficionados who have been meeting in the same Buenos Aires café for 20+ years to read Proust’s classic work.

Sun 7 at 1:30pm Dendy Newtown 2

President

Camilla Nielsson (Democrats SFF 2015) examines the battle to establish Zimbabwe’s first democratic constitution. Totally engrossing and globally pertinent.

Sun 7 at 2:30pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne 4

The Lost Leonardo

A real-life art thriller involving a painting purportedly by Leonardo da Vinci, million-dollar deals and experts at loggerheads. A forgotten masterwork or an artworld powerplay?

Sun 7 at 3:00pm Dendy Newtown 1

The Magnitude of All Things

Potent stories from the frontlines of climate change merge with a filmmaker’s familial memories in this cinematic documentary. Featuring activists, scientists and traditional custodians from Australia and beyond.

Sun 7 at 3:05pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

Mariner of the Mountains

Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz (The Invisible Life of Euridíce Gusmão, SFF 2019) traces his Algerian family’s recent past in this evocative documentary. Cannes 2021.

Sun 7 at 3:30pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Hope, happiness and the origin story: the early days of Sesame Street, packed with clips, outtakes and interviews with the groundbreaking creative team. Sundance 2021.

Sun 7 at 3:45pm Event Cinemas VMAX2

The Seeds of Vandana Shiva

From the Himalayan forests to the Sydney Peace Prize: how environmental activist, author and Indian scientist Dr Vandana Shiva became the rock star of the organic food movement.

Sun 7 at 5:00pm Ritz Cinemas Randwick 5

The First 54 Years - An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

A step-by-step guide to colonial occupation from director Avi Mograbi, using Israel’s 54-year occupation of the Palestinian territories as a case study.

Sun 7 at 5:15pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

The Rescue

The edge-of-the-seat, headline-grabbing story of the international efforts to rescue a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave, from the Oscar-winning directors of Free Solo.

Sun 7 at 6:15pm Event Cinemas George St 4

Anonymous Club

The antithesis of a rock biography, a raw, intimate picture of enigmatic singer-songwriter-guitarist Courtney Barnett, directed by music video collaborator Danny Cohen, with a score by Barnett and Stella Mozgawa.

Sun 7 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown 3

Ascension

A visually stunning exploration of contemporary China – from consumerism to the pursuit of wealth and status – filmed across 51 locations. Best Documentary Winner, Tribeca 2021.

Mon 8 at 6:00pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne 5

Burning

Focusing in on the 2019-20 bushfires, Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner (Taxi to the Dark Side, SFF 2008) interrogates Australia’s woeful record on climate change action.

Mon 8 at 6:15pm Dendy Newtown 3

The Filmmaker's House

A wryly funny fiction-non-fiction hybrid, in which UK filmmaker Marc Isaacs ingeniously turns his funding frustrations into a positive, and ends up filming anyone who’s around.

Mon 8 at 8:20pm Event Cinemas VMAX2

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

Fresh from its Venice premiere, the definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen seen through the prism of his iconic song ‘Hallelujah’. A cinematic version of Song Exploder.

Tue 9 at 12:45pm State Theatre

Taming the Garden

Perhaps the most visually striking film in this year’s Festival. A surreal environmental tale that opens with the remarkable shot of a 30-metre-high tree floating across a pale ocean.

Tue 9 at 6:00pm Dendy Newtown 3

The Last Hillbilly

This poetic portrait of a man and his increasingly rare lifestyle in remote Kentucky is at once hauntingly beautiful and achingly sad. Selected for Cannes 2020.

Tue 9 at 6:15pm Event Cinemas George St 4

When a City Rises

An urgent and illuminating documentary that tells the story of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests through the eyes of four main characters. F:act Award, CPH:DOX 2021.

Tue 9 at 6:30pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

Anonymous Club

The antithesis of a rock biography, a raw, intimate picture of enigmatic singer-songwriter-guitarist Courtney Barnett, directed by music video collaborator Danny Cohen, with a score by Barnett and Stella Mozgawa.

Tue 9 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown 1

Mariner of the Mountains

Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz (The Invisible Life of Euridíce Gusmão, SFF 2019) traces his Algerian family’s recent past in this evocative documentary. Cannes 2021.

Wed 10 at 6:15pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

The Magnitude of All Things

Potent stories from the frontlines of climate change merge with a filmmaker’s familial memories in this cinematic documentary. Featuring activists, scientists and traditional custodians from Australia and beyond.

Wed 10 at 6:30pm Dendy Newtown 3

A Black Jesus

An impressive debut co-produced by Wim Wenders. Tensions rise in an ancient Sicilian town when an African refugee asks to carry a prized statue in the annual religious procession.

Wed 10 at 6:30pm Ritz Cinemas Randwick 1

Blind Ambition

Four determinedly optimistic refugees compete in the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships as Zimbabwe’s first-ever representatives. From the makers of Red Obsession (SFF 2013).

Wed 10 at 8:15pm Dendy Newtown 2

Cow

Acclaimed UK filmmaker Andrea Arnold (Red Road, SFF 2007; Wuthering Heights, SFF 2012) makes her documentary debut in this Cannes 2021-selected portrait of bovine life.

Wed 10 at 8:30pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

The Last Shelter

A refuge for African travellers about to embark on a perilous desert crossing is the melancholic setting for Malian filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou’s prize-winning documentary.

Thu 11 at 6:00pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

The Last Hillbilly

This poetic portrait of a man and his increasingly rare lifestyle in remote Kentucky is at once hauntingly beautiful and achingly sad. Selected for Cannes 2020.

Thu 11 at 6:15pm Dendy Newtown 1

The Seeds of Vandana Shiva

From the Himalayan forests to the Sydney Peace Prize: how environmental activist, author and Indian scientist Dr Vandana Shiva became the rock star of the organic food movement.

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

Four Seasons in a Day

Conversations on a ferry sailing between post-Brexit Northern Ireland and EU-member Republic of Ireland expose the invisible borders that divide communities. Winner, Hot Docs 2021.

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

When A City Rises

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

Radiograph Of A Family

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

The Last Shelter

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

Like the Wind

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

John Farrow: Hollywood's Man in the Shadows

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

The Filmmaker's House

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

The First 54 Years - An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

Le Temps Perdu

Fri 12 at 12:00pm International Documentaries

The Last Hillbilly

Fri 12 at 6:00pm Dendy Newtown 2

The Filmmaker's House

A wryly funny fiction-non-fiction hybrid, in which UK filmmaker Marc Isaacs ingeniously turns his funding frustrations into a positive, and ends up filming anyone who’s around.

Fri 12 at 6:00pm Event Cinemas George St 5

The Story of Film: A New Generation

UK Director Mark Cousins (The Story of Film: An Odyssey) continues his influential voyage through the splendour of cinema, with his Cannes-selected exploration into the state of moviemaking in the last decade.

Fri 12 at 6:15pm Dendy Newtown 1

Anonymous Club

The antithesis of a rock biography, a raw, intimate picture of enigmatic singer-songwriter-guitarist Courtney Barnett, directed by music video collaborator Danny Cohen, with a score by Barnett and Stella Mozgawa.

Sat 13 at 11:30am Event Cinemas George St 4

President

Camilla Nielsson (Democrats SFF 2015) examines the battle to establish Zimbabwe’s first democratic constitution. Totally engrossing and globally pertinent.

Sat 13 at 12:00pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne 5

The Rescue

The edge-of-the-seat, headline-grabbing story of the international efforts to rescue a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave, from the Oscar-winning directors of Free Solo.

Sat 13 at 12:00pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Ascension

A visually stunning exploration of contemporary China – from consumerism to the pursuit of wealth and status – filmed across 51 locations. Best Documentary Winner, Tribeca 2021.

Sat 13 at 1:30pm Palace Norton Street - Cinema 8

Le Temps Perdu

An award-winning documentary following a charming group of literature aficionados who have been meeting in the same Buenos Aires café for 20+ years to read Proust’s classic work.

Sat 13 at 2:00pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

Four Seasons in a Day

Conversations on a ferry sailing between post-Brexit Northern Ireland and EU-member Republic of Ireland expose the invisible borders that divide communities. Winner, Hot Docs 2021.

Sat 13 at 3:45pm Palace Norton Street - Cinema 8

A Black Jesus

An impressive debut co-produced by Wim Wenders. Tensions rise in an ancient Sicilian town when an African refugee asks to carry a prized statue in the annual religious procession.

Sat 13 at 4:00pm Dendy Newtown 2

White Cube

Artist Renzo Martens's plans to build an arts centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo expose controversial, longstanding issues in the world of art and capitalism.

Sat 13 at 4:15pm Ritz Cinemas Randwick 5

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Hope, happiness and the origin story: the early days of Sesame Street, packed with clips, outtakes and interviews with the groundbreaking creative team. Sundance 2021.

Sun 14 at 11:00am Palace Chauvel Cinema

The Last Shelter

A refuge for African travellers about to embark on a perilous desert crossing is the melancholic setting for Malian filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou’s prize-winning documentary.

Sun 14 at 11:00am Event Cinemas George St 4

Writing With Fire

An inspiring documentary about the trailblazing journalists behind India’s all-female news network and their tenacious grassroots reporting. Special Jury and Audience awards, Sundance 2021.

Sun 14 at 2:00pm Palace Central 1

Cow

Acclaimed UK filmmaker Andrea Arnold (Red Road, SFF 2007; Wuthering Heights, SFF 2012) makes her documentary debut in this Cannes 2021-selected portrait of bovine life.

Sun 14 at 3:15pm Hayden Orpheum Cremorne 5

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

Fresh from its Venice premiere, the definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen seen through the prism of his iconic song ‘Hallelujah’. A cinematic version of Song Exploder.

Sun 14 at 3:45pm Palace Chauvel Cinema

John Farrow: Hollywood's Man in the Shadows

The enigmatic life and prolific Hollywood career of overlooked Australian filmmaker John Farrow (film noir classic The Big Clock) is examined in a captivating documentary.

Sun 14 at 3:45pm Event Cinemas George St 4

When a City Rises

An urgent and illuminating documentary that tells the story of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests through the eyes of four main characters. F:act Award, CPH:DOX 2021.

Sun 14 at 5:30pm Event Cinemas George St 5

Radiograph of a Family

The tense relationship of a filmmaker’s parents mirrors Iran’s turbulent recent history in this stylish, inventive documentary. Best Feature-Length Documentary, IDFA 2020.

Anonymous Club

The antithesis of a rock biography, a raw, intimate picture of enigmatic singer-songwriter-guitarist Courtney Barnett, directed by music video collaborator Danny Cohen, with a score by Barnett and Stella Mozgawa.

Ascension

A visually stunning exploration of contemporary China – from consumerism to the pursuit of wealth and status – filmed across 51 locations. Best Documentary Winner, Tribeca 2021.

A Black Jesus

An impressive debut co-produced by Wim Wenders. Tensions rise in an ancient Sicilian town when an African refugee asks to carry a prized statue in the annual religious procession.

Blind Ambition

Four determinedly optimistic refugees compete in the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships as Zimbabwe’s first-ever representatives. From the makers of Red Obsession (SFF 2013).

Burning

Focusing in on the 2019-20 bushfires, Oscar-winning filmmaker Eva Orner (Taxi to the Dark Side, SFF 2008) interrogates Australia’s woeful record on climate change action.

City Hall

With this epic masterpiece, Frederick Wiseman, 91, renowned documentarian and multiple award winner (including Carrosse d’Or, Cannes 2021), continues his lifelong project to document American institutions.

Cow

Acclaimed UK filmmaker Andrea Arnold (Red Road, SFF 2007; Wuthering Heights, SFF 2012) makes her documentary debut in this Cannes 2021-selected portrait of bovine life.

The Filmmaker's House

A wryly funny fiction-non-fiction hybrid, in which UK filmmaker Marc Isaacs ingeniously turns his funding frustrations into a positive, and ends up filming anyone who’s around.

The First 54 Years - An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation

A step-by-step guide to colonial occupation from director Avi Mograbi, using Israel’s 54-year occupation of the Palestinian territories as a case study.

Four Seasons in a Day

Conversations on a ferry sailing between post-Brexit Northern Ireland and EU-member Republic of Ireland expose the invisible borders that divide communities. Winner, Hot Docs 2021.

Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

Fresh from its Venice premiere, the definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen seen through the prism of his iconic song ‘Hallelujah’. A cinematic version of Song Exploder.

John Farrow: Hollywood's Man in the Shadows

The enigmatic life and prolific Hollywood career of overlooked Australian filmmaker John Farrow (film noir classic The Big Clock) is examined in a captivating documentary.

The Last Hillbilly

This poetic portrait of a man and his increasingly rare lifestyle in remote Kentucky is at once hauntingly beautiful and achingly sad. Selected for Cannes 2020.

The Last Shelter

A refuge for African travellers about to embark on a perilous desert crossing is the melancholic setting for Malian filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou’s prize-winning documentary.

Le Temps Perdu

An award-winning documentary following a charming group of literature aficionados who have been meeting in the same Buenos Aires café for 20+ years to read Proust’s classic work.

Like the Wind

Celebrated Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Rabbit-Proof Fence) talks about his adventurous life and career in this frank and insightful documentary.

The Lost Leonardo

A real-life art thriller involving a painting purportedly by Leonardo da Vinci, million-dollar deals and experts at loggerheads. A forgotten masterwork or an artworld powerplay?

The Magnitude of All Things

Potent stories from the frontlines of climate change merge with a filmmaker’s familial memories in this cinematic documentary. Featuring activists, scientists and traditional custodians from Australia and beyond.

Mariner of the Mountains

Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz (The Invisible Life of Euridíce Gusmão, SFF 2019) traces his Algerian family’s recent past in this evocative documentary. Cannes 2021.

President

Camilla Nielsson (Democrats SFF 2015) examines the battle to establish Zimbabwe’s first democratic constitution. Totally engrossing and globally pertinent.

Radiograph of a Family

The tense relationship of a filmmaker’s parents mirrors Iran’s turbulent recent history in this stylish, inventive documentary. Best Feature-Length Documentary, IDFA 2020.

The Rescue

The edge-of-the-seat, headline-grabbing story of the international efforts to rescue a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave, from the Oscar-winning directors of Free Solo.

The Seeds of Vandana Shiva

From the Himalayan forests to the Sydney Peace Prize: how environmental activist, author and Indian scientist Dr Vandana Shiva became the rock star of the organic food movement.

The Story of Film: A New Generation

UK Director Mark Cousins (The Story of Film: An Odyssey) continues his influential voyage through the splendour of cinema, with his Cannes-selected exploration into the state of moviemaking in the last decade.

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Hope, happiness and the origin story: the early days of Sesame Street, packed with clips, outtakes and interviews with the groundbreaking creative team. Sundance 2021.

Taming the Garden

Perhaps the most visually striking film in this year’s Festival. A surreal environmental tale that opens with the remarkable shot of a 30-metre-high tree floating across a pale ocean.

When a City Rises

An urgent and illuminating documentary that tells the story of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests through the eyes of four main characters. F:act Award, CPH:DOX 2021.

White Cube

Artist Renzo Martens's plans to build an arts centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo expose controversial, longstanding issues in the world of art and capitalism.

Writing With Fire

An inspiring documentary about the trailblazing journalists behind India’s all-female news network and their tenacious grassroots reporting. Special Jury and Audience awards, Sundance 2021.

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