From 5-16 June 2013, the 60th Sydney Film Festival will roll out the red carpet and present 192 titles from 55 countries.
“Excitement is mounting here now that everything is in place for the 60th edition of our festival,” said SFF Festival Director Nashen Moodley, who is in his second year as director.
“We have 192 films from 55 countries in 12 days for people to choose from, accompanied and introduced by 180 international and Australian filmmakers. With increased screenings at the State Theatre and Event Cinemas, plus the new program at the beautiful Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne, we’ve created more opportunities for more people to see more films than ever before. The quality of this year’s program is already being confirmed by critics and audiences alike, so people can choose with confidence from a list of films that are sure to delight every taste and preference.”
Sydney Film Festival launches today with the World Premiere Opening Night film Mystery Road at the State Theatre. Actors Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving, Tricia Whitton and other cast members will attend as well as director Ivan Sen and producer David Jowsey.
Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Arts, George Souris, said, "The NSW Government is a proud supporter of the Sydney Film Festival as one of the State's major cultural events. NSW film talent is also being represented at the Festival with the world premiere of Mystery Road on the opening night. Both are demonstrating the strength of the State’s screen sector and our creative industries."
Other guests during the Festival include Toni Collette, who will introduce the Australian Premiere of the comical coming-of-age film The Way, Way Back on Thursday 6 June at 9:30pm at the State Theatre (red-carpet arrivals from 9pm).
Acclaimed South Korean Director Park Chan-wook (Joint Security Area, Thirst, the Vengeance trilogy) and Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are All Right, Jane Eyre) will grace the red carpet for the Australian Premiere of the thriller Stoker on Friday 7 June at 8:30pm at the State Theatre (red carpet arrivals from 8pm).
Hugo Weaving is the Jury President for the 2013 Official Competition. One of Australia’s most acclaimed and respected actors, Weaving’s credits range from international blockbusters Cloud Atlas, The Hobbit, The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings trilogies to award-winning Australian films such as Oranges and Sunshine. He has appeared on stage in over 20 productions for the Sydney Theatre Company including Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Hedda Gabler and Uncle Vanya. Weaving received the Australian Film Institute's Best Actor award for his performance in the low-budget Proof (1991) and also for Little Fish (2005). In 1998, he received the Best Actor award from the Montreal Film Festival for his performance in The Interview.
Films in this year’s SFF Official Competition are:
The Act of Killing (Denmark, Norway, UK), Borgman (Netherlands), The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium, Netherlands), Child’s Pose (Romania), For Those in Peril (UK), Grigris (France), Monsoon Shootout (India, UK), Oh Boy (Germany), Only God Forgives (France, Denmark), The Rocket (Australia), Stories We Tell (Canada) and Wadjda (Saudia Arabia, Germany).
Sydney Film Festival is proud to announce a new partnership with Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department, a team that has nurtured many of the projects and filmmakers that the festival has screened, including Ivan Sen’s shorts Wind (1999) and Dust (2000) and his Cannes-selected feature Toomelah (2011); Warwick Thornton’s Green Bush (2005); and Rachel Perkins’ films from her debut Radiance in 1998 to her feature film Mabo (2012).
SFF screens in six venues across the city: the State Theatre, Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Opera Quays, the new screening location at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne and the Art Gallery of NSW. The Apple Store Sydney hosts a selection of free public talks; Grasshopper continues as the official festival lounge, open late for drinks and dinner; and SFFTV@Martin Place returns with a free giant outdoor screen showing a selection of SFF highlights plus fascinating shorts from the Film Australia collection at the National Film and Sound Archive.
Sydney Film Festival celebrates its 60th anniversary this 5-16 June bringing a packed program of screenings and special events to even more venues across Sydney. For tickets and full up-to-date program information please visit www.sff.org.au.