Back for its 21st year, the Gold Coast Film Festival explores a diverse set of stories on screen alongside unique perspectives through both short and feature films. Categorised into five film strands, Australian Showcase, World Cinema, L’Amour: Family, Friends and Lovers, Making Waves, and Local Filmmaker; festival programmer Sasha Close has curated a program that is both delightful and insightful with films that everyone can enjoy.
Opening night promises to dazzle with its powerful film, Polite Society, a merry mash up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, following martial artist-in-training Ria Khan. Ria believes she must save her older sister from her impending marriage, enlisting the help of her friends to pull off an ambitious wedding heist in the name of sisterhood. At the other end of the festival closing night’s film, The Last Daughter captivates and moves the audience like no other. This documentary shares the story of Brenda Matthews, a woman whose first memories were of growing up in a loving white foster family, before she was suddenly taken away and returned to her Aboriginal family. This film unearths her plight to learn the truths of her past whilst reconciling two sides of her family together.
In between these two events there’s something for every film lover! The GCFF’s Industry focus gives the film community the opportunity to extend their knowledge, network and celebrate at the Screen Industry Gala Awards, Women in Film Lunch, Pitch in Paradise, Reel Life panels and Q & A’s with incredible talent such as Australian director Rolf De Heer and the lead actress, Mwajemi Hussein, of de Heer’s Berlinale award winning film The Survival of Kindness. SIPFEST (Shorts in Paradise) is being held under the stars on the outdoor stage of HOTA, Home Of The Arts which is a free event for the whole Gold Coast Community.
With 3 World, 3 Australian, 15 Queensland Premieres, and over 50 feature and short films across 12 days as well as glamorous red carpets, informative industry panels, Q&A’s & special events, GCFF 2023 is one not to be missed. Book your tickets now!
Gold Coast Film Festival
Ella Pimm – Senior Festival Co-ordinator – ella@filmfantastic.org.au