Sydney Film Festival unveils first 13 titles ahead of June event

Published 01 Apr, 2026 01:32pm 1 min read

The 73rd Sydney Film Festival has revealed an initial slate of 13 films for its June 3–14 run, with the full program set for May 6.

Australian stories lead the local offerings. Selina Miles’ Silenced follows lawyer Jennifer Robinson and survivors Brittany Higgins and Amber Heard, framed through defamation law and the #MeToo movement.

Ian Darling AO returns with In the Valley, portraying rural life in Kangaroo Valley.

International titles include Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire, starring Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, and Al Pacino, and the documentary Broken English on Marianne Faithfull, featuring Tilda Swinton and George MacKay.

Festival winners include İlker Çatak’s Yellow Letters, a Golden Bear winner in Berlin, and Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana, a Sundance award winner.

Other highlights include Ildikó Enyedi’s Silent Friend, Ulrike Ottinger’s The Blood Countess with Isabelle Huppert, and Pete Ohs’ Erupcja, starring Charli XCX.

The lineup also features Marwan Hamed’s El Sett, chronicling Umm Kulthum’s rise, Damien Hauser’s Memory of Princess Mumbi, Firouzeh Khosrovani’s Past Future Continuous, and Tamra Davis’ The Best Summer, capturing Australia’s 1995 Summersault tour.

“Prize winners from Berlinale and Sundance, an immersive Australian premiere, and distinctive voices from across the globe – we wanted to give a glimpse of what’s coming to SFF,” said festival director Nashen Moodley.

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