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Film Critics Break Down the 2019 Program

Finding the line-up of more than 300 films overwhelming? Here’s how trusted film and arts critics are breaking it down.

Announcements
Fri 10 May 2019

Garry Maddox at Sydney Morning Herald highlights both “out-and-out crowd-pleasers” like comedies Blinded by the Light and Brittany Runs a Marathon, as well as “films that will only ever be found at a festival, including a romantic comedy set in the Mongolian wilds (Öndög), another one in war-torn South Sudan (aKasha) and a one-take thriller about a Bangladeshi terrorist attack (Saturday Afternoon).”

Luke Buckmaster at The Guardian selects, “10 things to see and do at SFF 2019, from Bill Murray battling the dead to Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte talking about authenticity on screen.”

Sarah Ward at Concrete Playground picks out the “homegrown highlights…with Michael Hutchence doco MYSTIFY, the Mia Wasikowska-starring Judy & Punch, Vietnam War era-flick Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan, dystopian sci-fi I Am Mother and Jennifer Kent’s exceptional The Nightingale.”

Patrick Frater at Variety breaks down the Official Comp‘s “rich competition section [where] favorite films from Sundance, Berlin and Cannes feature prominently.”

And Nick Dent at Time Out highlights “the top 12 reasons to be incredibly excited about the Festival this year.”

Read more breakdown and highlights of the 2019 program at publications including Junkee.com, FilmInk, Broadsheet, Inside Film and The Music.

Or discover the program for yourself here!

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