# 71st Sydney Film Festival

The 71st annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 5 to 16 June 2024. The festival opened with Paul Clarke's documentary film Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, and closed with Coralie Fargeat's horror film The Substance.
Overall the festival screened 197 films, including 28 world premieres and 133 Australian premieres.

## Juries

The Sydney Film Prize jury was headed by Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanović.

## 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 | All We Imagine as Light | Payal Kapadia | France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg |
| Dying | Sterben | Matthias Glasner | Germany |
| Grand Tour | Grand Tour | Miguel Gomes | Portugal, France, Italy |
| Kinds of Kindness | Kinds of Kindness | Yorgos Lanthimos | Ireland, United Kingdom, United States |
| Kneecap | Kneecap | Rich Peppiatt | Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Marcello Mio | Marcello Mio | Christophe Honoré | France, Italy |
| Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line | Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line | Paul Clarke | Australia |
| Puan | Puan | María Alché, Benjamín Naishtat | Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil |
| September Says | September Says | Ariane Labed | France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Sujo | 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 | The Bikeriders | Jeff Nichols | United States |
| The Convert | The Convert | Lee Tamahori | Australia, New Zealand |
| Dahomey | Dahomey | Mati Diop | France, Senegal, Benin |
| The Dead Don't Hurt | The Dead Don't Hurt | Viggo Mortensen | Canada, Denmark, Mexico |
| Despicable Me 4 | Despicable Me 4 | Chris Renaud | United States |
| A Different Man | A Different Man | Aaron Schimberg | United States |
| Green Border | Zielona granica | Agnieszka Holland | Poland, Czechia, France, Belgium |
| Kid Snow | Kid Snow | Paul Goldman | Australia |
| Lee | Lee | Ellen Kuras | United Kingdom |
| The Monk and the Gun | The Monk and the Gun | Pawo Choyning Dorji | Bhutan, Taiwan, France, United States, Hong Kong |
| My Old Ass | My Old Ass | Megan Park | United States |
| The Outrun | The Outrun | Nora Fingscheidt | United Kingdom, Germany |
| The Pool | The Pool | Ian Darling | Australia |
| Porcelain War | Porcelain War | Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev | United States, Ukraine, Australia |
| Touch | Snerting | Baltasar Kormákur | Iceland, United Kingdom |

### Documentary Australia Award

| English title | Original title | Director(s) |
| Aquarius | Aquarius | Wendy Champagne |
| The Blind Sea | The Blind Sea | Daniel Fenech |
| Dale Frank: Nobody's Sweetie | Dale Frank: Nobody's Sweetie | Jenny Hicks |
| Every Little Thing | Every Little Thing | Sally Aitken |
| Mozart's Sister | Mozart's Sister | Madeleine Hetherton-Miau |
| Otto by Otto | Otto by Otto | Gracie Otto |
| Skategoat | Skategoat | Van Alpert |
| Welcome to Babel | Welcome to Babel | James Bradley |
| Welcome to Yiddishland | Welcome to Yiddishland | Ros Horin |
| You Should Have Been Here Yesterday | 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 | 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 | 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 | Cottontail | Patrick Dickinson | United Kingdom, Japan |
| Crossing | Crossing | Levan Akin | Sweden, Denmark, France, Turkey, Georgia |
| Daddio | Daddio | Christy Hall | United States |
| Death of a Whistleblower | 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 | Eephus | Carson Lund | United States |
| Essential Truths of the Lake | Essential Truths of the Lake | Lav Diaz | Philippines |
| Explanation for Everything | Magyarázat mindenre | Gábor Reisz | Hungary, Slovakia |
| Ezra | Ezra | Tony Goldwyn | United States |
| Flathead | Flathead | Jaydon Martin | Australia |
| Ghostlight | Ghostlight | Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson | United States |
| He Ain't Heavy | He Ain't Heavy | David Vincent Smith | Australia |
| Hesitation Wound | Tereddüt Çizgisi | Selman Nacar | Turkey, Spain, Romania, France |
| House of the Seasons | House of the Seasons | Oh Jung-min | South Korea |
| I Saw the TV Glow | I Saw the TV Glow | Jane Schoenbrun | United States |
| In Vitro | In Vitro | Will Howarth, Tom McKeith | Australia |
| Kneecap | Kneecap | Rich Peppiatt | Ireland, United Kingdom |
| La cocina | La cocina | Alonso Ruizpalacios | Mexico, United States |
| Memory | Memory | Michel Franco | United States |
| The Moon Is Upside Down | The Moon Is Upside Down | Loren Horsley | New Zealand |
| More Than Strangers | More Than Strangers | Sylvie Michel | Greece, Germany |
| Motel Destino | 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 | One Second Ahead, One Second Behind | Nobuhiro Yamashita | Japan |
| Paradise | Paradise | Prasanna Vithanage | Sri Lanka, India |
| Pepe | Pepe | Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias | Dominican Republic, Namibia, Germany, France |
| Problemista | Problemista | Julio Torres | United States |
| Rapture | Rapture | Dominic M. Sangma | India |
| The Rye Horn | O Corno | Jaione Camborda | Spain, Portugal, Belgium |
| Sasquatch Sunset | Sasquatch Sunset | David Zellner, Nathan Zellner | United States |
| Sex | Sex | Dag Johan Haugerud | Norway |
| Shambhala | Shambhala | Min Bahadur Bham | Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, United States, Qatar, Taiwan |
| Something Like an Autobiography | Something Like an Autobiography | Mostofa Sarwar Farooki | Bangladesh |
| Stress Positions | Stress Positions | Theda Hammel | United States |
| Thelma | Thelma | Josh Margolin | United States |
| Toll | Pedágio | Carolina Markowicz | Brazil, Portugal |
| Unicorns | Unicorns | Sally El Hosaini, James Krishna Floyd | United Kingdom, United States, Sweden |
| Veni Vidi Vici | 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 | Agent of Happiness | Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó | Hungary, Bhutan |
| Among the Wolves | Among the Wolves | Tanguy Dumortier, Olivier Larrey | France, Belgium |
| Architecton | Architecton | Viktor Kossakovsky | Germany, France, United States |
| Balomania | Balomania | Sissel Morell Dargis | Denmark, Spain |
| The Battle for Laikipia | The Battle for Laikipia | Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi | Kenya, United States, Greece |
| Black Box Diaries | Black Box Diaries | Shiori Itō | United States, United Kingdom, Japan |
| Black Snow | Black Snow | Alina Simone | Denmark, United States |
| The Bones | The Bones | Jeremy Xido | Canada, Germany |
| The Cats of Gogoku Shrine | The Cats of Gogoku Shrine | Kazuhiro Soda | Japan, United States |
| Charmian Clift: Life Burns High | Charmian Clift: Life Burns High | Rachel Lane | Australia |
| The Contestant | The Contestant | Clair Titley | United Kingdom |
| Copa 71 | Copa 71 | Rachel Ramsay, James Erskine | United States |
| Ernest Cole: Lost and Found | Ernest Cole: Lost and Found | Raoul Peck | United States, France |
| Federer: Twelve Final Days | Federer: Twelve Final Days | Asif Kapadia, Joe Sabia | United Kingdom |
| The Flats | The Flats | Alessandra Celesia | France |
| Flickering Lights | Flickering Lights | Anupama Srinivasan, Anirban Dutta | India |
| The Home Game | Heimaleikurinn | Smari Gunn, Logi Sigursveinsson | Iceland |
| A Horse Named Winx | A Horse Named Winx | Janine Hosking | Australia |
| Ibelin | 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 | Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger | David Hinton | United Kingdom, United States |
| Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros | Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros | Frederick Wiseman | France |
| My Stolen Planet | My Stolen Planet | Farahnaz Sharifi | Germany, Iran |
| A New Kind of Wilderness | A New Kind of Wilderness | Silje Evensmo Jacobsen | Norway |
| No Other Land | No Other Land | Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor | Palestine, Norway |
| Nocturnes | Nocturnes | Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan | India, United States |
| Occupied City | Occupied City | Steve McQueen | United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States |
| Rewards for the Tribe | Rewards for the Tribe | Rhys Graham | Australia |
| Skywalkers: A Love Story | Skywalkers: A Love Story | Jeff Zimbalist, >Maria Bukhonina | United States |
| Sugarcane | Sugarcane | Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie | United States, Canada |
| Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story | Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story | Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui | United Kingdom, United States |
| Wilding | 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 | 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 | Megalopolis | Francis Ford Coppola | United States |
| Rumours | 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 | The Substance | Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom, United States, France |

### Freak Me Out

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Cuckoo | Cuckoo | Tilman Singer | Germany, United States |
| Hear My Eyes: Hellraiser | Hear My Eyes: Hellraiser | Clive Barker | United Kingdom, United States |
| Hunting Daze | Jour de chasse | Annick Blanc | Canada |
| KILL | KILL | Nikhil Nagesh Bhat | India |
| The Moogai | The Moogai | Jon Bell | Australia |
| The Paragon | The Paragon | Michael Duignan | New Zealand |
| She Loved Blossoms More | She Loved Blossoms More | Yannis Veslemes | Greece, France |
| Wake Up | Wake Up | RKSS | Canada, France |

### First Nations

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| The Convert | The Convert | Lee Tamahori | Australia, New Zealand |
| Ellogierdu: The Tundra Within Me | Ellogierdu: The Tundra Within Me | Sara Margrethe Oskal | Norway |
| Je'vida | Je'vida | Katja Gauriloff | Finland |
| Ka Whawhai Tonu | Ka Whawhai Tonu | Michael Jonathan | New Zealand |
| The Moogai | The Moogai | Jon Bell | Australia |
| The Mountain | The Mountain | Rachel House | New Zealand |
| We Were Dangerous | 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 | The Battle for Laikipia | Daphne Matziaraki, Peter Murimi | Kenya, United States, Greece |
| Black Snow | Black Snow | Alina Simone | Denmark, United States |
| The Feast | The Feast | Rishi Chandna | India |
| Grove of Giants | Grove of Giants | Bree Sanders | Australia |
| The Waiting | The Waiting | Volker Schlecht | Germany |
| Wilding | Wilding | David Allen | United Kingdom |

### Europe! Voices of Women in Film

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Afterwar | Afterwar | Birgitte Stærmose | Denmark |
| Excursion | Ekskurzija | Una Gunjak | Bosnia |
| Immortals | Immortals | Maja Tschumi | Switzerland, Iraq |
| Je'vida | Je'vida | Katja Gauriloff | Finland |
| The Lost Children | The Lost Children | Michèle Jacob | Belgium |
| A Postcard from Rome | A Postcard from Rome | Elza Gauja | Latvia |

### Sounds on Screen

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Blur: To the End | Blur: To the End | Toby L | United Kingdom |
| Head South | Head South | Jonathan Ogilvie | New Zealand |
| Resonance | Resonance | Kate Vinen, Jayden Rathsam Hua | Australia |

### Family

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| 200% Wolf | 200% Wolf | Alexs Stadermann | Australia |
| Despicable Me 4 | Despicable Me 4 | Chris Renaud | United States |
| It's Okay! | 괜찮아 괜찮아 괜찮아! | Kim Hye-young | South Korea |
| The Mountain | The Mountain | Rachel House | New Zealand |
| My Freaky Family | My Freaky Family | Mark Gravas | Australia, Ireland |
| The Sloth Lane | The Sloth Lane | Tania Vincent, Ricard Cussó | Australia |

### Nancy Savoca Retrospective

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Bad Timing | Bad Timing | Nancy Savoca | United States |
| United States ||
| United States ||
| United States ||
| United States ||

### Ousmane Sembene Retrospective

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Black Girl | La noire de... | Ousmane Sembène | Senegal |
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||
| Senegal ||

### Classics Restored

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| The Cars That Ate Paris | The Cars That Ate Paris | Peter Weir | Australia |
| Mississippi Masala | Mississippi Masala | Mira Nair | United States |
| Peeping Tom | Peeping Tom | Michael Powell | United States |
| Rabbit-Proof Fence | Rabbit-Proof Fence | Phillip Noyce | Australia |
| Ten Canoes | Ten Canoes | Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr | Australia |

### FLUX

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| The Ballad of Suzanne Cesaire | The Ballad of Suzanne Cesaire | Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich | United States |
| Conspiracy | 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 | Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat | Johan Grimonprez | Belgium |

### Screenability

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Good Bad Things | Good Bad Things | Shane D. Stranger | United States |
| Rehabilitating | Rehabilitating | Inez Playford | Australia |
| The Ride Ahead | The Ride Ahead | Samuel Habib, Dan Habib | United States |
| The Stimming Pool | The Stimming Pool | Benjamin Brown, Georgia Bradburn, Sam Chown-Ahern, Robin Elliott-Knowles, Lucy Walker, Steven Eastwood | United Kingdom |
| Threshold | Threshold | Sofya Gollan | Australia |
| Unstoppable | Unstoppable | Jack Byrnes, Marcus Porcaro | Australia |

### Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Alone | Alone | Alex Weight | Australia |
| Besharam! | Besharam! | Raghav Rampal | Australia |
| Bong Xi Fa Cai | Bong Xi Fa Cai | Johnathan Lo | Australia |
| Darwin Story | Darwin Story | Natasha Tonkin | Australia |
| Die Bully Die | Die Bully Die | Nathan Lacey, Nick Lacey | Australia |
| The Disconnected | The Disconnected | Pia Derya | Australia |
| The Gay | The Gay | Madeleine Purdy | Australia |
| The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste | The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste | Pernell Marsden | Australia |
| Say | Say | Chloe Kemp | Australia |
| This Will Never Last | This Will Never Last | Julia van Oppen, Katrina Lin, Holly May Fletcher | Australia |

### Shorts airing with features

| English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
| Dancer | Dancer | Nomin Gantulga | Australia, Mongolia |
| Dream Creep | Dream Creep | Carlos A.F. Lopez | United States |
| Earwax | Earwax | Jasper Martin | Australia |
| The Feast | The Feast | Rishi Chandna | India |
| First Horse | First Horse | Awanui Simich-Pene | New Zealand |
| Grove of Giants | Grove of Giants | Bree Sanders | Australia |
| It Will Find You | It Will Find You | Chris Broadbent, Enzo Tedeschi | Australia |
| Lullaby | Lullaby | Chi Thai | United Kingdom |
| Meat Puppet | Meat Puppet | Eros V | United Kingdom |
| Mother Tongue | Lea Tupu'anga | Vea Mafile'o | New Zealand |
| Of the Last Reel in Front of You | Of the Last Reel in Front of You | Yan Geng | Australia |
| Rehabilitating | Rehabilitating | Inez Playford | Australia |
| Tayal Forest Club | Tayal Forest Club | Laha Mebow | Taiwan |
| Threshold | Threshold | Sofya Gollan | Australia |
| Transylvanie | Transylvanie | Rodrigue Huart | France |
| Unstoppable | Unstoppable | Jack Byrnes, Marcus Porcaro | Australia |
| The Waiting | The Waiting | Volker Schlecht | Germany |
| Withered Blossoms | Withered Blossoms | Lionel Seah | Australia |

## Awards

The following awards were presented at the festival:
* Sydney Film Prize: There's Still Tomorrow (C'è ancora domani) — Paola Cortellesi
* Documentary Australia Award for Australian Documentary: Welcome to Babel — James Bradley
* Sustainable Future Award: Black Snow — Alina Simone
* First Nations Award: First Horse — Awanui Simich-Pene
* Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films
** Dendy Live Action Short Award: Die Bully Die — Nathan Lacey, Nick Lacey
** The Rouben Mamoulian Award: The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste — Pernell Marsden
** Yoram Gross Animation Award: Darwin Story — Natasha Tonkin
** AFTRS Craft Award: Say — Chloe Kemp
** Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award: Bridget Morrison, Say
* Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award: Debbie Lee
* GIO Audience Awards
** Best Australian Narrative Feature: The Moogai — Jon Bell
** Best Australian Narrative Feature, Runner Up: In Vitro — Will Howarth, Tom McKeith
** Best Australian Documentary: Skategoat — Van Alpert
** Best Australian Documentary, Runner Up: Every Little Thing — Sally Aitken
** Best International Feature: The Seed of the Sacred Fig — Mohammad Rasoulof
** Best International Feature, Runner Up: Kneecap — Rich Peppiatt
** Best International Documentary: The Home Game (Heimaleikurinn) — Smari Gunn, Logi Sigursveinsson
** Best International Documentary, Runner Up: Porcelain War — Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev