Byron Bay International Film Festival returns in-person with a 10-day celebration of cinema, this year with the tagline: Shining Light in Darkness.

The festival will open with Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness, with other international feature films to include Klondike, Mayna Er Gorbach’s story of a Ukrainian family at the centre of the MH-17 air-crash catastrophe; Piotr Zlotorowicz’s Faithbreaker; The Noise of Engines; Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, andEverybody Hates Johan. 

Surfing features prominently in the program, including the Australian premiere of Birth of the Endless Summer, the untold story of documentary The Endless Summer, as well as Mikey Corker’s Savage Waters, Peter Hamblin’s Sweet Adventure and the Jason Momoa-narrated Waterman. Further, there’s local film The Road to Patagonia, from Byron’s own Matty Hannon.

The documentary program includes My Old School, Australia/NZ co-production Gloriavale, Yaara Bou Melhem’s Unseen Skies, Dosed 2: Tip of a Lifetime, Broderick Fox’s Manscaping, The Power of Activism, and Bangalow filmmaker’s See Mandy Run, about Greens candidate Mandy Nolan’s bid for the seat of Richmond.

The festival will also include short films, extended reality opportunities, workshops and opportunities to meet and mingle with creatives.

Jack Thompson will be among the judges of the Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Award, and will also appear in conversation at a lunch event on October 22.