Opening night

7.30pm  The Last Daughter      (Australia 2022)
Documentary  90m  PG

Brenda's first memories were of growing up in a loving white foster family, before she was suddenly taken away and returned to her Aboriginal family.  Decades later, she feels disconnected from both halves of her life. But the traumas of her past do not lie quietly buried, so she goes searching for the foster family with whom she had lost all contact.

Long-buried secrets, government lies, and the possibility for deeper connections to family and culture are discovered along the way.  This award-winning documentary is directed by Brenda Matthews and Nathaniel Schmidt.


Brenda will be signing copies of her book on the night, with the kind cooperation of Verso Books.

For more information see:

www.brendamatthews.com.au


Winner: Santa Barbara International Film Festival – Best Feature Documentary

Winner: Gold Coast Film Festival 2023 – Best Australian Film

   


Special Guest:                             Director: Brenda Matthews


 

10.00am  Shayda  (Australia 2023) 
Drama  118 M

A young Iranian mother (Zar Amir Ebrahami) and her six-year-old daughter find refuge in an Australian women’s shelter during the two weeks of Iranian New Year (Nowruz), which is celebrated as a time of renewal and rebirth. Aided by the strong community of women at the refuge they seek their freedom in this new world of possibilities, only to find themselves facing the violence they tried so hard to escape.

Directed by Noora Niasari.


Winner – CinefestOz Film Prize 2023



Lunch           

1.30pm  lo Capitano                     (Belgium/Italy/France 2022)
Drama  121m  MA

A poignant film following Seydou and Moussa (Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall), two Senegalese cousins, on their harrowing journey from Dakar to Italy. Facing the brutal Sahara, deceitful traffickers, and the perilous sea, they cling to dreams of a better life. This odyssey explores the migrant experience with a blend of realism and magical elements.

Directed by Matteo Garrone.


Winner: 2024 AAFCA Award for Best International Film


4.00pm  Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan 2019)

Drama/Family  109m  PG

In this delightful film from Bhutan, Ugyen (Sherab Dorji), a reluctant teacher, is sent to a remote Himalayan village. Initially disheartened, he stays and teaches, forming a bond with the children and learning from the amazing spiritual strength of the villagers. The film explores themes of compassion, sacrifice, and the transformative power of education. Directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji.


Academy Awards 2022 – nominated for Best International Feature Film


6.15pm  Festival Dinner

see Booking Information page for full details

         

8.30pm  La Chimera                              (Italy/Switzerland/France 2023)
Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy  133m  M


This film by Alice Rohrwacher follows Arthur (Josh O’Connor), an English archaeologist in 1980s Italy, who, haunted by lost love, joins tomb raiders to unearth Etruscan treasures. La Chimera blends romance, drama, and comedy, reflecting on Italy’s historical richness and the allure of the past. 


Winner: 2023 Chicago International Film Festival – Best Ensemble Cast Performance




 

10.00am  November (France 2022)   
Crime/Drama/Thriller  107m  M

A tense thriller that follows the anti-terrorism agents in a frantic five-day manhunt after the 2015 Paris attacks, capturing the high-stakes urgency and emotional toll of their mission. Jean Dujardin plays Fred, the leader of this specially formulated unit of agents. Directed by Cédric Jimenez.


2023 Cesar Awards, France – nominated for best director.

Lunch     

1.00pm  Show Us Your Shorts              Presentation of Show Us Your Shorts awards Judges: Laurie Hastings, Ivan Gaal, Maggie Sail, Rebecca Bowman

Playground                                   (Belgium 2021)   Drama  82m  M

When Nora (Maya Vanderbeque) witnesses Abel (Günter Duret) being bullied by other children, she rushes to protect him, but Abel forces her to remain silent. Caught in a conflict of loyalty, Nora tries to find her place, torn between children’s and adult’s worlds amongst the complex dynamics of childhood aggression and victimhood.

Directed by Laura Wandel.


Winner: 2021 Amiens International Film Festival – Prix du Jury Jeune Best Film.


3.30pm  Wicked Little Letters (UK/France 2023)
Comedy/Drama/Crime  9100m  MA

Director Thea Sharrock sets us on a wild romp through a small seaside town in 1920s England that has been torn apart by obscene letters. As the correspondence begins to fill letterboxes, the town is ripped open, accusations fly, and Edith’s (Olivia Colman) neighbour Rose (Jessie Buckley) finds herself accused of the crime.

Based on a true event known as the “Littlehampton Letters”


 

2024 Program

Friday 14 June

Saturday 15 June

Sunday 16 June

Click on the movie photos to see trailers