Sydney Film Festival world premiere announced for Hyun Lee’s French Girls

Sydney Film Festival will present Sartorial: Fashion On Film, a program featuring new premieres alongside restored classics that explore the relationship between fashion and cinema, screening as part of the 73rd Sydney Film Festival from 3–14 June 2026. The program strand features seven films spanning decades of cinema, bringing together a striking body of work in which some of the world’s most distinctive filmmakers turn fashion into a lens…

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Trailers / What's On

New trailer! Queensland feature Violet to premiere at Gold Coast Film Festival

Australian independent feature film, Violet, is set to celebrate its world premiere at the upcoming Gold Coast Film Festival. Co-written and directed by Derek Yang, Violet follows Arthur, a struggling playwright staging a make-or-break theatre adaptation of The Angel of Amontillado. When he unexpectedly recasts aspiring actress Georgia in the lead role — once synonymous…

What's On

What’s on: CinefestOZ goes ‘On the Road’ with free films and filmmaking workshops

Communities across regional Western Australia will soon enjoy greater access to Australian films and filmmaking experiences through CinefestOZ On the Road, a first-of-its-kind initiative in WA launched today. On the Road will deliver free film screenings and creative education opportunities, helping bridge the gap in regional access to screen culture and engagement with the creative…

Features / Interviews

WA’s new wave (Part III): Carl King and Sophie Coleshill relieve the itch with their new web series Scratch

Perth filmmaker Carl King and Melbourne-based actress and producer Sophie Coleshill are bringing their hilarious and unapologetically honest new web series Scratch to audiences, with special screenings set to take place in both Perth and Melbourne this May. Created as an independently produced web series, Scratch dives headfirst into the messy realities of modern relationships, telling…

Trailers

Official trailer for James J. Robinson’s First Light unveiled

Bonsai Films has released the official trailer for First Light, the debut feature film from acclaimed Filipino-Australian filmmaker and photographer James J. Robinson. Written and directed by Robinson, who won the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Director Award at the Melbourne International Film Festival last year, the film is the first official co-production between Australian and…

Cinema Australia Podcast #131 | Natalie Abbott

Welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. In this episode, I’m joined by one of my favourite Australian actors, Natalie Abbott, who gives an inspiring performance in The Deb. I think everyone will find something they can relate to with her character Tayla considering the depth and complexities of the character. Also, anyone who’s a fan…

WA’s new wave (Part II): Emilie Lowe writes about filmmaking, the struggles and the camcorder that started it all

“What started as a kid messing around with a camcorder in the backyard has become my way of sharing meaningful stories on screen.” by Emilie Lowe I have been making films since I was seven years old. Now, at that young age they might not have been particularly good films, but I was still very…

WA’s new wave (Part I): Perth filmmaker Benn Wintle makes his feature debut with Anemoia

“What I saw through cinema was magic, and to think I could one day do that myself planted the seed for everything I’ve pursued since.” by Matthew Eeles Benn Wintle’s filmmaking journey began the way it did for most aspiring filmmakers growing up in the early 2000s: by stumbling across the iconic Apple app,…

The Valley and Silenced announced for the 73rd Sydney Film Festival

The 73rd Sydney Film Festival (3–14 June) today revealed a sneak peek of 13 daring new films set to screen this June, offering a taste of the 200+ strong 2026 program ahead of the full Festival announcement on Wednesday 6 May. “Prize winners from Berlinale and Sundance, an immersive World Premiere from Australia, Isabelle Huppert…

Nick Waterman and Meg Washington announce musical feature film Rosaleen

Filmmakers Nick Waterman and Meg Washington (How to Make Gravy) have revealed their next project, the feature film Rosaleen – a gripping, romantic musical inspired by the untold, scandalous affair behind the birth of the Sydney Opera House. The project is being developed through their production company, Speech&Drama Pictures. Set in 1950s Sydney, Rosaleen uncovers…

Funding announced for new films by Samuel Van Grinsven , Alena Lodkina  , Aaron McCann  and more

Screen Australia has today announced $20.4 million of production and development funding across 91 narrative projects, including the first projects through its new Short Film Production Funding Program. Among the titles is a new season of the award-winning children’s series Little J & Big Cuz, an untitled Official Australian/Canadian Co-production feature film marking Cody Fern’s directorial…

James Morcan’s Anno 2020 secures global distribution

The Australian filmmakers of the award-winning, mystery-drama Anno 2020 are celebrating after having inked a worldwide distribution deal with US-based streamer Fawesome TV. Shot for a total budget of only US$6,000 (approx. AU$9,000), this controversial feature film fits into the somewhat romantic-sounding but in-reality-brutal “no budget” category. The streaming milestone follows sold-out red carpet cinema…

Warwick Thornton to receive prestigious Chauvel Award at Gold Coast Film Festival 2026

The Gold Coast Film Festival is proud to announce acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton as the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Chauvel Award presented at the Gold Coast Film Festival Awards Gala at Warner Bros. Movie World, Thursday April 23, 2026. A visionary director, screenwriter and cinematographer, Warwick has built an extraordinary body of work…

What’s On: National screenings set for Under a Bamboo Sky in the lead up to ANZAC Day

Directed by Serge Ou (Ride, Runn, Ford vs Holden, Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks), Under a Bamboo Sky is a previously untold tale of human connection, hope and resilience in the face of great tragedy. Using new technology, it brings to life the unbelievable true story of Australian soldiers held prisoner by the Japanese in…

New trailer for Warwick Thornton’s Wolfram released! National Q&A tour announced

The official trailer for Warwick Thornton’s highly anticipated new film Wolfram, set to be released in Australia on April 30, has been released alongside the announcement of a national Q&A screening tour. Set on the colonial frontier of the 1930s, in the same universe as Thornton’s multi-award-winning Sweet Country, Wolfram follows two swaggering outlaws who roll…