Director Justin Kurzel, producer and Marrakech International Film Festival director Melita Toscan du Plantier, New Zealand director/actor Rachel House, Hong Kong-based producer and distributor Winnie Tsang, and writer/actor Thomas Weatherall will sit on this year’s Sydney Film Festival competition jury.
Now in its 17th year, the 2025 competition will feature 12 titles from around the globe competing for a $60,000 prize, to be awarded at the festival’s Closing Night Gala on June 15 at the State Theatre. Past winners include Parasite (2019), A Separation (2011), and There’s Still Tomorrow (2024).
Kurzel, whose debut documentary Ellis Park will also screen at the Festival out of official competition, will serve as jury president and also deliver the 2025 Ian McPherson Memorial Lecture, a festival tradition that honours the man who helped establish the event. The lecture will take place at the Festival Hub, where Kurzel will be in conversation with festival director Nashen Moodley, reflecting on his career and the art of filmmaking.
“The Sydney Film Prize honours bold and visionary filmmaking that continues to evolve the language of cinema,” Moodley said.
“Each of these jurors brings a deep understanding of storytelling, drawn from their own exceptional creative practices and cultural contexts. I’m especially pleased to welcome Justin Kurzel as Jury President, whose uncompromising and powerful body of work makes him an ideal figure to lead this conversation.”
The announcement of the competition jury follows the release of a teaser program for SFF, to be held June 4-15, earlier this month. Flexipasses and subscriptions to the Sydney Film Festival 2025 are on sale now, with tickets to specific films to go on sale after the program launch on May 7.