The 68th annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 3 to 21 November 2021.[1] The festival, which traditionally takes place in June, was postponed to August 2021 and eventually rescheduled to be held in November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The film screenings were staged as a "hybrid" of in-person and digital.[3] It marked as the first major festival following the lifting of the lockdown in New South Wales.[4]
Opening film | Here Out West by Fadia Abboud, Lucy Gaffy, Julie Kalceff, Ana Kokkinos, and Leah Purcell |
---|---|
Closing film | The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson |
Location | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Founded | 1954 |
Awards | Sydney Film Prize: There Is No Evil |
No. of films | 233 from 69 countries |
Festival date | 3–21 November 2021 |
Website | sff |
Anthology film Here Out West opened the festival, while Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch was the closing film.[5] Drama film There Is No Evil won the most prestigious award, Sydney Film Prize.[6]
Juries edit
Sydney Film Prize edit
The following were named as the festival juries:[7]
- David Michôd, Australian writer and director – Jury President
- Simon Baker, Australian actor
- Kyas Hepworth, National Indigenous Television Head of Commissioning and Programming
- Maya Newell, Australian filmmaker
- Clara Law, Hong Kong-Australian filmmaker
Official Selection edit
In competition edit
The following films were selected for the main international competition:
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn | Babardeală cu bucluc sau porno balamuc | Radu Jude | Romania, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Croatia |
Drive My Car | ドライブ・マイ・カー | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | Japan |
The Drover's Wife | Leah Purcell | Australia | |
Flee | Flugt | Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway |
The Hand of God | È stata la mano di Dio | Paolo Sorrentino | Italy |
Limbo | Ben Sharrock | United Kingdom | |
Memoria | Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Colombia, Thailand, United Kingdom, Mexico, France, Germany, Qatar | |
Petite Maman | Céline Sciamma | France | |
Quo Vadis, Aida? | Jasmila Žbanić | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France, Norway, Turkey | |
The Story of My Wife | A feleségem története | Ildikó Enyedi | Hungary, Germany, Italy, France |
There Is No Evil | شیطان وجود ندارد | Mohammad Rasoulof | Iran, Germany, Czechia |
Undine | Christian Petzold | Germany, France |
- Highlighted title indicates Sydney Film Prize winner.
Documentary Australia Foundation Award edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) |
---|---|---|
The Bowraville Murders | Allan Clarke | |
The Department | Sascha Ettinger Epstein | |
A Fire Inside | Justin Krook, Luke Mazzaferro | |
I'm Wanita | Matthew Walker | |
Incarceration Nation | Dean Gibson | |
Ithaka | Ben Lawrence | |
The Kids | Eddie Martin | |
Strong Female Lead | Tosca Looby | |
Television Event | Jeff Daniels | |
Under the Volcano | Gracie Otto | |
Unseen Skies | Yaara Bou Melhem | |
When the Camera Stopped Rolling | Jane Castle |
Special Presentations edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Bergman Island | Mia Hansen-Løve | France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden | |
Blue Bayou | Justin Chon | United States | |
Bosch & Rockit | Tyler Atkins | Australia | |
Burning | Eva Orner | Australia | |
Great Freedom | Große Freiheit | Sebastian Meise | Austria, Germany |
Lingui, The Sacred Bonds | Lingui | Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Chad, France, Belgium, Germany |
Love Songs for Tough Guys | Cette musique ne joue pour personne | Samuel Benchetrit | France, Belgium |
Parallel Mothers | Madres paralelas | Pedro Almodóvar | Spain |
Paris, 13th District | Les Olympiades | Jacques Audiard | France |
The Power of the Dog | Jane Campion | New Zealand, Australia | |
River | Jennifer Peedom | Australia | |
Titane | Julia Ducournau | France, Belgium | |
Wash My Soul in the River's Flow | Philippa Bateman | Australia | |
The Worst Person in the World | Verdens verste menneske | Joachim Trier | Norway, France, Sweden, Denmark |
Zola | Janicza Bravo | United States |
Features edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
After Love | Aleem Khan | United Kingdom | |
Amparo | Simón Mesa Soto | Colombia, Sweden, Qatar | |
Anaïs in Love | Les Amours d'Anaïs | Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet | France |
Apples | Μήλα | Christos Nikou | Greece, Poland, Slovenia |
Beginning | დასაწყისი | Dea Kulumbegashvili | Georgia, France |
Brighton 4th | Levan Koguashvili | Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, Monaco, United States | |
The Card Counter | Paul Schrader | United States, United Kingdom, China | |
Cinema Sabaya | Orit Fouks Rotem | Belgium | |
Come Here | ใจจำลอง | Anocha Suwichakornpong | Thailand |
Compartment No. 6 | Hytti nro 6 | Juho Kuosmanen | Finland, Germany, Estonia |
A Cop Movie | Una película de policías | Alonso Ruizpalacios | Mexico |
Crossing Paths | JJ Winlove | Australia | |
Cryptozoo | Dash Shaw | United States | |
Dear Evan Hansen | Stephen Chbosky | United States | |
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet | El perro que no calla | Ana Katz | Argentina |
El Planeta | Amalia Ulman | Spain, United States | |
Erna at War | Erna i krig | Henrik Ruben Genz | Denmark, Estonia, Belgium |
The Eyes of Tammy Faye | Michael Showalter | United States | |
Fist of Fury Noongar Daa[a] | Kylie Bracknell[b] | Hong Kong, Australia | |
Friends and Strangers | James Vaughan | Australia | |
The Gravedigger's Wife | La femme du fossoyeur | Khadar Ayderus Ahmed | Finland, Germany, France |
A Hero | قهرمان | Asghar Farhadi | Iran, France |
Hit the Road | جاده خاکی | Panah Panahi | Iran |
Honey Cigar | Cigare au miel | Kamir Aïnouz | France, Algeria, Belgium |
Just Like That | Aise Hee | Kislay Kislay | India |
The Justice of Bunny King | Gaysorn Thavat | New Zealand | |
King Richard | Reinaldo Marcus Green | United States | |
Last Film Show | Chhello Show | Pan Nalin | India |
Long Weekend | Steve Basilone | United States | |
Memory Box | Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige | France, Lebanon, Canada, Qatar | |
Moffie | Oliver Hermanus | South Africa, United Kingdom | |
My Best Part | Garçon chiffon | Nicolas Maury | France |
Never Gonna Snow Again | Śniegu już nigdy nie będzie | Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert | Poland, Germany |
Nowhere Special | Uberto Pasolini | Italy, France | |
One Second | 一秒钟 | Zhang Yimou | China |
Pompo: The Cinéphile | 映画大好きポンポさん | Takayuki Hirao | Japan |
Prayers for the Stolen | Noche de fuego | Tatiana Huezo | Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Qatar |
Real | Aki Omoshaybi | United Kingdom | |
Rehana Maryam Noor | Abdullah Mohammad Saad | Bangladesh, Singapore, Qatar | |
Simple Passion | Passion simple | Danielle Arbid | France, Belgium |
Striding Into the Wind | 野马分鬃 | Wei Shujun | China |
Swan Song | Todd Stephens | United States | |
The Swordsman | 검객 | Choi Jae-hoon | South Korea |
A Tale of Love and Desire | Une histoire d'amour et de désir | Leyla Bouzid | France, Tunisia |
True Mothers | 朝が来る | Naomi Kawase | Japan |
The Tsugua Diaries | Diários de Otsoga | Maureen Fazendeiro, Miguel Gomes | Portugal |
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy | 偶然と想像 | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | Japan |
When Pomegranates Howl | Granaz Moussavi | Australia, Afghanistan | |
The Year of the Everlasting Storm | Jafar Panahi, Anthony Chen, Malik Vitthal, Laura Poitras, Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, David Lowery, Apichatpong Weerasethakul | United States, Iran, Chile, Thailand, United Kingdom, Singapore |
Special Screening edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Dune | Denis Villeneuve | United States, Hungary, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Canada |
International Documentaries edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Anonymous Club | Danny Cohen | Australia | |
Ascension | Jessica Kingdon | United States | |
A Black Jesus | Luca Lucchesi | Germany | |
Blind Ambition | Robert Coe, Warwick Ross | Australia | |
City Hall | Frederick Wiseman | United States | |
Cow | Andrea Arnold | United Kingdom | |
The Filmmaker's House | Marc Isaacs | United Kingdom | |
The First 54 Years — An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation | Avi Mograbi | France, Finland, Germany | |
Four Seasons in a Day | Annabel Verbeke | Belgium, Norway, Croatia, Lithuania | |
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song | Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine | United States | |
John Farrow: Hollywood's Man in the Shadows | Claude Gonzalez, Frans Vandenburg | Australia | |
The Last Hillbilly | Diane Sara Bouzgarrou, Thomas Jenkoe | France, Qatar | |
The Last Shelter | Le dernier refuge | Ousmane Samassekou | France, Mali, South Africa |
Le temps perdu | El tiempo perdido | María Álvarez | Argentina |
Like the Wind | Ted McDonnell | Australia, Hong Kong | |
The Lost Leonardo | Andreas Koefoed | Denmark, France, Sweden | |
The Magnitude of All Things | Jennifer Abbott | Canada | |
Mariner of the Mountains | Marinheiro das montanhas | Karim Aïnouz | Brazil, France, Germany |
President | Camilla Nielsson | Denmark, United States, Norway | |
Radiograph of a Family | Firouzeh Khosrovani | Norway, Iran, Switzerland | |
The Rescue | Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | United States, United Kingdom | |
The Seeds of Vandana Shiva | James Becket, Camilla Becket | Australia, United States | |
The Story of Film: A New Generation | Mark Cousins | United Kingdom | |
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street | Marilyn Agrelo | United States | |
Taming the Garden | მოთვინიერება | Salomé Jashi | Switzerland, Germany, Georgia |
When a City Rises | Iris Kwong, Ip Kar Man, Cathy Chu, Han Yan Yuen, Huang Yuk-kwok, Jenn Lee, Evie Cheung | Hong Kong | |
White Cube | Renzo Martens | Netherlands, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium | |
Writing with Fire | Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas | India |
Europe! Voices of Women in Film edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
From the Wild Sea | Fra det vilde hav | Robin Petré | Denmark |
Green Sea | Πράσινη Θάλασσα | Angeliki Antoniou | Greece, Germany |
Hive | Zgjoi | Blerta Basholli | Kosovo, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Albania |
How to Kill a Cloud | Näin pilvet kuolevat | Tuija Halttunen | Finland, Denmark |
Last Days of Spring | La última primavera | Isabel Lamberti | Netherlands, Spain |
Nico | Eline Gehring | Germany | |
Pleasure | Ninja Thyberg | Sweden, Netherlands, France | |
Reconciliation | Odpuščanje | Marija Zidar | Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo |
Slalom | Charlène Favier | France | |
Why Not You | Hochwald | Evi Romen | Austria, Belgium |
First Nations edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Araatika: Rise Up! | Larissa Behrendt | Australia | |
The Bowraville Murders | Allan Clarke | Australia | |
Night Raiders | Danis Goulet | Canada, New Zealand | |
Wild Indian | Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. | United States |
Freak Me Out edit
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
The Beta Test | Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe | United States, United Kingdom | |
Censor | Prano Bailey-Bond | United Kingdom | |
Gaia | Jaco Bouwer | South Africa | |
The Spine of Night | Philip Gelatt, Morgan Galen King | United States | |
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse | Kiah Roache-Turner | Australia |
Awards edit
The following awards were presented at the festival:[9]
- Sydney Film Prize: There Is No Evil by Mohammad Rasoulof
- Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award: Karina Holden
- Documentary Australia Award for Australian Documentary: I'm Wanita by Matthew Walker
- Sustainable Future Award: Burning by Eva Orner
- Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films
- Dendy Live Action Short Award: Peeps by Sophie Somerville
- Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director: Taylor Ferguson for tough
- Yoram Gross Animation Award: Freedom Swimmer by Olivia Martin-McGuire
Audience Awards edit
The following films won the Audience Awards, voted by the festival audience.[10]
Best Narrative Feature Top Five edit
- Beautiful Minds by Bernard Campan and Alexandre Jollien
- Wyrmwood: Apocalypse by Kiah Roache-Turner
- Here Out West by Fadia Abboud, Lucy Gaffy, Julie Kalceff, Ana Kokkinos, and Leah Purcell
- Friends and Strangers by James Vaughan
- Quo Vadis, Aida? by Jasmila Žbanić
Best Documentary Top Five edit
- Blind Ambition by Robert Coe and Warwick Ross
- I'm Wanita by Matthew Walker
- When the Camera Stopped Rolling by Jane Castle
- The Seeds of Vandana Shiva by James Becket and Camilla Becket
- Araatika: Rise Up! by Larissa Behrendt and Ithaka by Ben Lawrence
Notes edit
- ^ Fist of Fury screened at the festival is dubbed in Noongar language.[8]
- ^ The director of the dubbed version.
References edit
- ^ Di Rosso, Jason (8 October 2021). "Sydney Film Festival 2021 program: Highlights chosen by our film critics". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (2 August 2021). "Sydney Film Festival Postponed for Second Time This Year". Variety. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Ward, Sarah (15 November 2021). "Ten Must-See Movies to Stream During Sydney Film Festival's Online SFF On Demand Program". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Keast, Jackie (7 October 2021). "As lockdown lifts, Sydney Film Festival launches full program". IF Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Ma, Wenlei (7 October 2021). "Sydney Film Festival 2021 program: Dune, The French Dispatch, Here Out West, Titane and more". News.com.au. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Jefferson, Dee (14 November 2021). "Sydney Film Festival's top prize goes to Mohammad Rasoulof's There Is No Evil, about capital punishment in Iran". Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Sydney Film Festival award winners announced at closing night gala" (PDF). Sydney Film Festival. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Latimore, Jack (13 August 2021). "Kung fu classic Fist of Fury dubbed in Indigenous Noongar Daa language". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Slatter, Sean (15 November 2021). "Sydney Film Festival prizes for 'There Is No Evil', 'I'm Wanita', Karina Holden". IF Magazine. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Varidel, Rebecca (17 November 2021). "Sydney Film Festival 2021 Audience Awards". Sydney Scoop. Retrieved 20 January 2024.