First Films Announced for Sydney Film Festival 2026

Australian stories lead with urgent and intimate perspectives. Selina Miles’ Silenced follows Australian lawyer Jennifer Robinson and survivors including Brittany Higgins and Amber Heard, examining defamation law in the wake of the #MeToo movement. In The Valley, Ian Darling AO (The Final Quarter, SFF 2019) crafts a quietly immersive portrait of life in Kangaroo Valley, capturing the rhythms, labour and traditions that sustain a rural community.

Star-led international features include Dead Man’s Wire, directed by Gus Van Sant (Milk) and starring Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery and Al Pacino, recounting the infamous 1977 hostage standoff broadcast live across America. Documentary Broken English reflects on the life and legacy of Marianne Faithfull, starring Tilda Swinton and George MacKay, from the makers of 20,000 Days on Earth (SFF 2014).

Distinctive works from acclaimed international auteurs bring singular perspectives to the screen. Ildikó Enyedi’s Silent Friend, winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Léa Seydoux in a story spanning three generations connected by a mighty ginkgo tree. Ulrike Ottinger’s The Blood Countess starring Isabelle Huppert and written by Elfriede Jelinek (The Piano Teacher), reimagines vampire mythology in a visually opulent tale. In Erupcja, Pete Ohs follows a couple’s getaway to Warsaw that begins to unravel, starring musician Charli xcx in a lead role.

Prize winning stories shaped by social and political realities span continents. İlker Çatak’s Yellow Letters, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, follows a family’s descent into turmoil after a simple act of disobedience triggers authoritarian persecution in Türkiye. Rafael Manuel’s Sundance award-winning debut feature Filipiñana, follows a teenage tee-girl at an elite Manila golf course, unveiling the class divisions and violence beneath its pristine surface. Marwan Hamed’s El Sett brings the life of legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum to the screen in a lavish and epic telling, tracing her rise to become one of the most influential voices in the Arab world.

Innovative approaches to storytelling explore memory, technology and speculative futures. Damien Hauser’s Memory of Princess Mumbi, an innovative indie that dazzled audiences across the festival circuit, imagines a future African kingdom shaped by the tension between artificial intelligence and tradition. Firouzeh Khosrovani’s Past Future Continuous, an International Documentary Festival Amsterdam award-winner, follows a woman who fled Iran decades ago reconnect by watching her ageing parents via cameras in their Tehran home. Tamra Davis’ The Best Summer, a Sundance world premiere built from archival footage shot on Australia’s 1995 Summersault tour, captures backstage moments and performances from bands including Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth and Foo Fighters.

The full 200+ strong Sydney Film Festival program is announced on Wednesday 6 May 2026, when tickets to specific film sessions will be on sale. Flexipasses and Subscriptions to Sydney Film Festival 2026 are on sale now.