The Sydney Film Festival has announced the first 16 films set to screen at its 72nd edition this June, showcasing a bold and diverse lineup.
Highlights include two music documentaries: One to One: John & Yoko, exploring the iconic 1972 Madison Square Garden benefit concert, and Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao e Rua – Two Worlds, a four-year deep dive into Williams’ journey as he writes and records his first te reo Māori album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka (out April 4th).
Festival Director Nashen Moodley said, “This first look offers a cross-section of the bold storytelling and distinctive voices that can be found at this year’s festival. From inventive new Australian work to major prize-winners from the international circuit, these films reflect the ingenuity and diversity of cinema today, and offer a glimpse of the rich and rewarding program to come.”
Two new Australian features will premiere at this year’s event. Fwends, the debut feature from Sophie Somerville — a two-time Dendy Award-winner — is a fast-talking buddy comedy about modern female friendship. The animated feature Lesbian Space Princess, a Berlin Teddy Award-winner, follows an introverted heir to the throne as she sets out to rescue her ex-girlfriend from evil incel aliens.
Kate Blackmore’s documentary Make It Look Real follows intimacy coordinator Claire Warden as she works behind the scenes on an Australian film production.
International standouts include The Blue Trail, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Berlinale, and DJ Ahmet, which took out the Sundance Audience Award. Stranger Eyes, the first Singaporean film to compete at Venice, is a twist-filled thriller about a grieving couple and anonymous surveillance footage.
From Cannes, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl sees Zambian director Rungano Nyoni examine the fault lines within a family after the death of a relative.
Other selections include Joshua Oppenheimer’s narrative debut The End, a post-apocalyptic musical starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, and Bring Them Down, featuring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott in a tale of rural revenge.
Documentary titles include Mr. Nobody Against Putin, winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize, and Farming the Revolution, which took the top prize at Hot Docs. Speak., from Sundance, follows five U.S. high school orators competing at a national public speaking event, while Obex is a lo-fi, ’80s-set genre blend about a reclusive man who enters a mysterious video game to rescue his missing dog.
The lineup also includes Exergue – on documenta 14, a 14-hour documentary charting one of the most politically charged art exhibitions in recent history.
The 72nd Sydney Film Festival runs from June 4th to 15th. Flexipasses and subscriptions are on sale now at sff.org.au. The full 2025 program will be announced on May 7th, when individual film session tickets go on sale.
