The 71st annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 5 to 16 June 2024.Luke Buckmaster, "From mythic creatures to innovative documentaries: 10 films to see at Sydney film festival 2024". The Guardian, 7 May 2024. The festival opened with Paul Clarke's documentary film Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line,Patrick Frater, "‘Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line’ Rockumentary to Open Sydney Film Festival". Variety, 23 April 2024. and closed with Coralie Fargeat's horror film The Substance.Sean Slatter, "Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance’ to close Sydney Film Festival". IF Magazine, 29 May 2024.
Overall the festival screened 197 films, including 28 world premieres and 133 Australian premieres.Lars Brandle, "Sydney Film Festival Sets 2024 Program". Variety, 8 May 2024.
Juries The Sydney Film Prize jury was headed by Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanović.Michael Rosser, "Sydney Film Festival reveals 2024 competition line-up". Screen Daily, 7 May 2024.
Official Selection In competition The following films were selected for the main international competition: English title Original title Director(s) Production country All We Imagine as Light Payal Kapadia France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg Dying Sterben Matthias Glasner Germany Grand Tour Miguel Gomes Portugal, France, Italy Kinds of Kindness Yorgos Lanthimos Ireland, United Kingdom, United States Kneecap Rich Peppiatt Ireland, United Kingdom Marcello Mio Christophe Honoré France, Italy Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line Paul Clarke Australia Puan María Alché, Benjamín Naishtat Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil September Says Ariane Labed France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, United Kingdom Sujo Astrid Rondero, Fernanda Valadez Mexico, United States, France There's Still Tomorrow C'è ancora domani Paola Cortellesi Italy Viet and Nam Trong lòng đất Minh Quý Trương Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, France, Netherlands
Highlighted title indicates Sydney Film Prize winner.
Special Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Bikeriders Jeff Nichols United States The Convert Lee Tamahori Australia, New Zealand Dahomey Mati Diop France, Senegal, Benin The Dead Don't Hurt Viggo Mortensen Canada, Denmark, Mexico Despicable Me 4 Chris Renaud United States A Different Man Aaron Schimberg United States Green Border Zielona granica Agnieszka Holland Poland, Czechia, France, Belgium Kid Snow Paul Goldman Australia Lee Ellen Kuras United Kingdom The Monk and the Gun Pawo Choyning Dorji Bhutan, Taiwan, France, United States, Hong Kong My Old Ass Megan Park United States The Outrun Nora Fingscheidt United Kingdom, Germany The Pool Ian Darling Australia Porcelain War Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev United States, Ukraine, Australia Touch Snerting Baltasar Kormákur Iceland, United Kingdom
Documentary Australia Award English title Director(s) Aquarius Wendy Champagne The Blind Sea Daniel Fenech Dale Frank: Nobody's Sweetie Jenny Hicks Every Little Thing Sally Aitken Mozart's Sister Madeleine Hetherton-Miau Otto by Otto Gracie Otto Skategoat Van Alpert Welcome to Babel James Bradley Welcome to Yiddishland Ros Horin You Should Have Been Here Yesterday Jolyon Hoff
Features English title Original title Director(s) Production country About Dry Grasses Kuru Otlar Üstüne Nuri Bilge Ceylan Turkey, France, Germany, Sweden Achilles Farhad Delaram Iran, Germany, France Alienoid Oegye+in 1bu Choi Dong-hoon South Korea Alienoid: Return to the Future Euigye+in 2-bu Choi Dong-hoon South Korea All Shall Be Well 從今以後 Ray Yeung Hong Kong Armand Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden Brief History of a Family 家庭简史 Lin Jianjie China, Denmark City of Wind Сэр сэр салхи Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir France, Mongolia, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar Cottontail Patrick Dickinson United Kingdom, Japan Crossing Levan Akin Sweden, Denmark, France, Turkey, Georgia Daddio Christy Hall United States Death of a Whistleblower Ian Gabriel South Africa Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii Radu Jude Romania Eephus Carson Lund United States Essential Truths of the Lake Lav Diaz Philippines Explanation for Everything Magyarázat mindenre Gábor Reisz Hungary, Slovakia Ezra Tony Goldwyn United States Flathead Jaydon Martin Australia Ghostlight Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson United States He Ain't Heavy David Vincent Smith Australia Hesitation Wound Tereddüt Çizgisi Selman Nacar Turkey, Spain, Romania, France House of the Seasons Oh Jung-min South Korea I Saw the TV Glow Jane Schoenbrun United States In Vitro Will Howarth, Tom McKeith Australia Kneecap Rich Peppiatt Ireland, United Kingdom La cocina Alonso Ruizpalacios Mexico, United States Memory Michel Franco United States The Moon Is Upside Down Loren Horsley New Zealand More Than Strangers Sylvie Michel Greece, Germany Motel Destino Karim Aïnouz Brazil, France, Germany My New Friends Les gens d’à côté André Téchiné France My Sunshine ぼくのお日さま Hiroshi Okuyama Japan One Second Ahead, One Second Behind Nobuhiro Yamashita Japan Paradise Prasanna Vithanage Sri Lanka, India Pepe Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias Dominican Republic, Namibia, Germany, France Problemista Julio Torres United States Rapture Dominic M. Sangma India The Rye Horn O Corno Jaione Camborda Spain, Portugal, Belgium Sasquatch Sunset David Zellner, Nathan Zellner United States Sex Dag Johan Haugerud Norway Shambhala Min Bahadur Bham Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, United States, Qatar, Taiwan Something Like an Autobiography Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Bangladesh Stress Positions Theda Hammel United States Thelma Josh Margolin United States Toll Pedágio Carolina Markowicz Brazil, Portugal Unicorns Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd United Kingdom, United States, Sweden Veni Vidi Vici Daniel Hoesl, Julia Niemann Austria Woman Of... Kobieta z... Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert Poland, Sweden
International Documentaries English title Original title Director(s) Production country Agent of Happiness Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó Hungary, Bhutan Among the Wolves Tanguy Dumortier, Olivier Larrey France, Belgium Architecton Viktor Kossakovsky Germany, France, United States Balomania Sissel Dargis Morell Denmark, Spain The Battle for Laikipia Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi Kenya, United States, Greece Black Box Diaries Shiori Itō United States, United Kingdom, Japan Black Snow Alina Simone Denmark, United States The Bones Jeremy Xido Canada, Germany The Cats of Gogoku Shrine Kazuhiro Soda Japan, United States Charmian Clift: Life Burns High Rachel Lane Australia The Contestant Clair Titley United Kingdom Copa 71 Rachel Ramsay, James Erskine United States Ernest Cole: Lost and Found Raoul Peck United States, France Federer: Twelve Final Days Asif Kapadia, Joe Sabia United Kingdom The Flats Alessandra Celesia France Flickering Lights Anupama Srinivasan, Anirban Dutta India The Home Game Heimaleikurinn Smari Gunn, Logi Sigursveinsson Iceland A Horse Named Winx Janine Hosking Australia Ibelin Benjamin Ree Norway In the Rearview Skąd dokąd Maciek Hamela Poland, France, Ukraine Life Is Beautiful Al Haya Helwa Mohamed Jabaly Norway, Palestine Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger David Hinton United Kingdom, United States Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros Frederick Wiseman France My Stolen Planet Farahnaz Sharifi Germany, Iran A New Kind of Wilderness Silje Evensmo Jacobsen Norway No Other Land Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor Palestine, Norway Nocturnes Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan India, United States Occupied City Steve McQueen United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States Rewards for the Tribe Rhys Graham Australia Skywalkers: A Love Story Jeff Zimbalist, >Maria Bukhonina United States Sugarcane Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie United States, Canada Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui United Kingdom, United States Wilding David Allen United Kingdom
Late Announce English title Original title Director(s) Production country Black Dog 狗阵 Guan Hu China Caught by the Tides 风流一代 Jia Zhangke China Ernest Cole: Lost and Found Raoul Peck United States, France Ghost Trail Les Fantômes Jonathan Millet France, Germany, Belgium The Girl with the Needle Pigen med nålen Magnus von Horn Denmark, Poland, Sweden Megalopolis Francis Ford Coppola United States Rumours Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson Canada, Germany The Seed of the Sacred Fig دانه انجیر مقدس Mohammad Rasoulof Iran, Germany, France The Substance Coralie Fargeat United Kingdom, United States, France
Freak Me Out English title Original title Director(s) Production country Cuckoo Tilman Singer Germany, United States Hear My Eyes: Hellraiser Clive Barker United Kingdom, United States Hunting Daze Jour de chasse Annick Blanc Canada KILL Nikhil Nagesh BhatIndia The Moogai Jon Bell Australia The Paragon Michael Duignan New Zealand She Loved Blossoms More Yannis Veslemes Greece, France Wake Up RKSS Canada, France
First Nations English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Convert Lee Tamahori Australia, New Zealand Ellogierdu: The Tundra Within Me Sara Margrethe Oskal Norway Je'vida Katja Gauriloff Finland Ka Whawhai Tonu Michael Jonathan New Zealand The Moogai Jon Bell Australia The Mountain Rachel House New Zealand We Were Dangerous Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu New Zealand, United States
Sustainable Future English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Battle for Laikipia Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi Kenya, United States, Greece Black Snow Alina Simone Denmark, United States The Feast Rishi Chandna India Grove of Giants Bree Sanders Australia The Waiting Volker Schlecht Germany Wilding David Allen United Kingdom
Europe! Voices of Women in Film English title Original title Director(s) Production country Birgitte Stærmose Denmark Excursion Ekskurzija Una Gunjak Bosnia Immortals Maja Tschumi Switzerland, Iraq Je'vida Katja Gauriloff Finland The Lost Children Michèle Jacob Belgium A Postcard from Rome Elza Gauja Latvia
Sounds on Screen English title Original title Director(s) Production country Blur: To the End Toby L United Kingdom Head South Jonathan Ogilvie New Zealand Resonance Kate Vinen, Jayden Rathsam Hua Australia
Family English title Original title Director(s) Production country 200% Wolf Alexs Stadermann Australia Despicable Me 4 Chris Renaud United States It's Okay! 괜찮아 괜찮아 괜찮아! Kim Hye-young South Korea The Mountain Rachel House New Zealand My Freaky Family Mark Gravas Australia, Ireland The Sloth Lane Tania Vincent, Ricard Cussó Australia
Nancy Savoca Retrospective English title Original title Director(s) Production country Bad Timing Nancy Savoca United States Dogfight Household Saints Renata True Love
Ousmane Sembene Retrospective English title Original title Director(s) Production country Black Girl La noire de... Ousmane Sembène Senegal Borom Sarret Camp de Thiaroye Ceddo Emitaï Guelwaar Mandabi Moolaadé Niaye Tauw Xala
Classics Restored English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Cars That Ate Paris Peter Weir Australia Mississippi Masala Mira Nair United States Peeping Tom Michael Powell United States Rabbit-Proof Fence Phillip Noyce Australia Ten Canoes Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr Australia
FLUX English title Original title Director(s) Production country The Ballad of Suzanne Cesaire Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich United States Conspiracy Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, Simone Leigh United States The Soldier's Lagoon La Laguna del Soldado Pablo Álvarez Mesa Canada Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Johan Grimonprez Belgium
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