Embrace the colour and energy of Mexico and party like Frida and Diego at AFF’s Opening Weekend Gala & Party, following the premiere of the Cannes Film Festival award-winning gangster-trans-musical, Emilia Perez. Starring Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez.
Gala Events
Director:
Kriv Stenders
Country:
Australia
A struggling Hollywood actress returns home to beautiful Kangaroo Island where she confronts some ugly family truths.
Director:
Timothy David
Country:
Australia
Special Presentations
Anora
Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2024, Anora reimagines Pretty Woman in a thrilling tragicomedy by Sean Baker. Anora, a young sex worker, marries a Russian oligarch's son, only to face his powerful family. Mikey Madison and Mark Eidelstein deliver electrifying performances in this must-see film celebrating womanhood.
Blitz
Steve McQueen’s Blitz follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety. George, defiant and determined to return home, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril.
Dying
Dying, an award-winning Berlinale film, is a searing drama that dives into the complicated relationships of the Lunies family. As the son Tom, a conductor, grapples with his best friend's depression and his ex's request to parent her child, his sister Ellen's struggles ignite a volatile reunion.
Piece by Piece
The life of influential music producer and singer Pharrell Williams told through LEGO® animation. Piece by Piece invites you turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds. Directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville.
Nightbitch
Country Spotlight India
All We Imagine as Light
In the Belly of a Tiger
Boong
With inspiration from pop idol Madonna, Boong plans to surprise his mother with a gift, leaving his home in Manipur taking enormous risks believing he can bring back his absent father. Defying borders, racial tensions and school obligations with his best friend Raju, the two boys set out to reunite Boong’s family.
Nocturnes
Second Chance
Free Events
Wirltuti Season Launch
Samstag Museum of Art
Join us for a drink and music in Fenn Place to celebrate the launch of the Samstag/Adelaide Film Festival Moving Image commissions.
Archie Moore in Conversation
Screen Conversation
Animation: Contextualising Australia's Mini-Boom
Screen Conversation
Documentary: Where Real Life and Cinematic Artifice Meet
Screen Conversation
Screen Industry Talk moderated by Sandy George
Screen Conversation
Making Debut Films: Scripts, Risks, Joys and Challenges
Screen Conversation
Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship: Strega Launch Event
Strega launch event with Peter Hanlon and director Tiah Trimboli.
Drinks available for purchase and a chance to view The Gallery installation before formal introductions from Peter Hanlon, Tiah Trimboli and an AFF representative to share details about the Fellowship and officially open the film.
Free admission, bookings required.
Films in Competition
Went Up the Hill
Jack travels to remote New Zealand to attend the funeral of his estranged mother, where he meets her grieving widow, Jill. But his mother’s spirit returns, inhabiting both Jack and Jill - instigating a life-threatening three-way nocturnal dance.
Good One
Ink Wash
In the Belly of a Tiger
Three Days of Fish
Homegrown
Homegrown follows three alt-right men determined to see Donald Trump re-elected in 2020. As their frustration escalates after his loss, one joins the January 6th Capitol insurrection. This gripping documentary reveals the dangerous consequences of radicalism and the threat it poses to American democracy.
I'm Not Everything I Want to Be
A young female photographer escapes the oppressive forces of Soviet-era Czechoslovakia, using her camera as a means of self-expression and liberation. Told through thousands of mostly black and white still photographs and excerpts from her diary, I’m Not Everything I Want to Be captures the spirit of the times.
Aquarius
Simon and Marianne
The Wolves Always Come at Night
In this intimate hybrid film, a young nomadic couple in Mongolia are in the midst of their animals’ birthing season when a devastating storm strikes. Forced to leave their home they must adapt to their new life in the city without their animals.
Dust to Dust
Every Little Thing
Every Little Thing follows retired writer and teacher Terry Masear over a summer as she takes in and rehabilitates injured hummingbirds. Shot with stunning close-ups of the birds against the backdrop of Masear’s storied life, this film is a mediation on human-animal relationships and our capacity for care.
I Am the River, the River Is Me
Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics
Union
Union is an electrifying documentary that captures the intense struggle to unionize Amazon. Following a fired worker’s fight against the corporate giant, the film unveils the power of collective action and the internal challenges that could make or break their movement. A must-see for its raw, inspiring impact.
AFF Investment Fund Films
We Bury the Dead
Writer/director Zak Hilditch delivers a chilling, survival thriller that breathes new life into the apocalyptic zombie genre. Starring Daisy Ridley, (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens), Brenton Thwaites and Mark Coles Smith, We Bury The Dead delivers unexpected twists that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.
Lesbian Space Princess
Introverted space princess Saira is unexpectedly dumped by her girlfriend Kiki for being too needy. But when Kiki is kidnapped by the Straight White Maliens, they demand the one thing Saira doesn’t have: the most powerful weapon known to lesbian kind – her royal labrys.
Make It Look Real
A pioneering intimacy coordinator is hired to guide three actors through the process of simulating sex for a new Australian film, Tightrope.
One Mind, One Heart
When a historic Yirrkala bark petition is found in Derby, Western Australia, the community begin the ceremony of guiding its journey back to Yolngu Country. The repatriation provides the opportunity to track the long political campaign — through petition, song, dance, campaigning — to keep culture strong and to have a voice for country.
With or Without You
With or Without You tells the moving mother-daughter story of Chloe (Melina Vidler) and her free-spirited, alcoholic mother, Sharon (Marta Dusseldorp). When their lives intersect with Dalu (Albert Mwangi), a West African man, they find themselves on a journey of emotional discovery.
Songs Inside
A group of incarcerated women sign up to learn an instrument and write their own songs, as part of a unique music program in an Australian prison. The process opens deep scars around trauma and addiction, but can they prove that music has the universal power to heal, even in the complex world of prison? Join Nancy Bates, members of the Songbirds and ASO for a special performance accompanying the world premiere.
Music on Film
Devo
Dig! XX
Teaches of Peaches
Winner of the 2024 Berlinale Teddy Award, this documentary showcases Peaches' talent, activism and influence. Following the 20th Anniversary tour of her album The Teaches of Peaches, the film features stunning live performances and delves into her beginnings. With interviews from Feist, Chilly Gonzales and Shirley Manson, it celebrates Peaches' revolutionary impact.
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
One of the most acclaimed and original documentaries of the year, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat explores the events leading to the assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba in 1961. Featuring jazz legends Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong, it intertwines political intrigue with cultural vibrancy, highlighting the era's intense emotions.
Piece by Piece
The life of influential music producer and singer Pharrell Williams told through LEGO® animation. Piece by Piece invites you turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds. Directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville.
Songs Inside
A group of incarcerated women sign up to learn an instrument and write their own songs, as part of a unique music program in an Australian prison. The process opens deep scars around trauma and addiction, but can they prove that music has the universal power to heal, even in the complex world of prison? Join Nancy Bates, members of the Songbirds and ASO for a special performance accompanying the world premiere.
Shorts
Made in SA
A celebration of the best in South Australian short filmmaking.
Australian Shorts
Queer Shorts
Animated Shorts
World Shorts
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