(Port) Adelaide Film Festival
Screening at the Odeon Star Semaphore
Power Station
Two artist-activists plan to install solar panels on every building in their street. Take a community, mix in some vision and a dash of British eccentricity, and the result is everyday magic. By turns funny and heartwarming, this is a vibrant testament to the power of art in making change.
Only on Earth
A holistic documentary on wildfires and wild horses. Robin Petré stares long and hard at the rhythms of social life in Spanish Galicia that revolve around the horses, living with fire, even the way kids play. If we’re going to save the earth, we need to look closely at it.
Until the Sky Falls Quiet
Two Sydney doctors volunteer to work in Gaza. This is the story of their time in a hell on earth. They experience frightful scenes of carnage including the deaths of many children. But they also bear witness to the resilience and generosity of many people.
Audience advice: This film contains distressing images.
Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man
Barnesy tells it straight. No varnish, no mythmaking. In Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man, the Cold Chisel frontman traces how childhood harm became adult chaos, then a hard-won recovery, laying mental health on the table with humour, frankness and zero rock star mystique.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Jeremy Allen White stars as the Boss, alongside Jeremy Strong, Stephen Graham and Australia’s Odessa Young in this portrait of an artist chasing perfection and battling generational demons. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is a rare candid biopic based on the book by Warren Zanes.
All That's Left of You
A powerful and urgent family epic, All That’s Left of You spans 75 years of Palestinian history. As a mother reflects on the events that shaped her son’s defiance, Cherien Dabis delivers a gripping, politically charged portrait of loss, legacy and resilience across generations.
Maya, Give Me a Title
Michel Gondry writes features, makes the coolest videos, and has the cutest daughter in the universe. He phones her every evening, and asks “Maya, give me a title,” then creates low-tech animations like Maya in the sea with a bottle of ketchup. Maya’s fantastic voyages will have the little ones dreaming, and the grown-ups smiling.
Made in SA
The ever-popular Made in SA showcases the best in local short films. Remember their names for when they’re famous, these filmmakers will make you laugh, cry and shudder.
The Square
An animated romance blooms under the watchful eye of the North Korean state. When his secret lover vanishes, a foreign diplomat’s quiet search becomes a poetic, political thriller, rendered in minimalist but impactful animation. The Square blends heartbreak and surveillance with unsettling elegance.
Unwelcomed
Unwelcomed captures both the vast sweep of migration across mountains and deserts, and the intimate struggles of Venezuelan refugees on foot. With aerial panoramas and close testimony, it reveals a crisis of resilience, grief and hostility. Winner, Emerging International Filmmaker Award, Hot Docs 2025.
Trade Secret
A calm, clear-eyed exposé of the international polar bear fur trade and the legal frameworks that allow it to flourish. Spanning six years and nine countries, Trade Secret reveals how political and commercial interests are reshaping the meaning of conservation.
Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua - Two Worlds
As he records his first album in te reo Māori, Marlon Williams opens a gentle window into the spaces between language, identity, and sound. This observational portrait is less about fluency than feeling, capturing an artist drawn toward something deeper than words.
Guest Appearance: Marlon Williams - Saturday 25 October | One night only!
Iron Winter
For generations Mongolian herders have protected their horses from winter storms by amassing a herd and nominating young men to protect it. Now two young friends are handed the responsibility of reviving this tradition, battling the deadliest winter on record. In the Iron Winter, nothing can survive alone.
Journey Home, David Gulpilil
David Dalaithngu Gulpilil’s death in 2021 was the beginning of a journey home to his birthplace Gupulul in Arnhem Land. His Bäpurru (funeral ceremony) is a celebration of law, of country, of tradition, of kinship, of ceremony. Journey Home, David Gulpilil offers a rare glimpse into the strong culture that lives on in the heart of his people.
Victoria
Victoria, a young beautician working in a suburban beauty parlour, has decided to elope with her Hindu boyfriend against her conservative Catholic parents’ ruling. Amid a never-ending roster of customers and teary phone calls to her unhelpful boyfriend, Victoria reflects on her situation while grappling with conflicting emotions.