This is what to watch at the closing weekend of Sydney Film Festival

As the Sydney Film Festival prepares to lower the curtain on another spectacular year, this closing weekend is packed with everything from pulse-pounding horror to political intrigue, family-friendly fun, and intimate conversations with some of cinema’s biggest names.

Whether you’re here for the spine-tingling Friday the 13th specials, a sneak peek at Sundance and Cannes favourites, or to soak up a few final red carpet moments, there’s still plenty of cinematic magic left to enjoy before the final credits roll. Grab your popcorn — here’s what not to miss as the festival takes its final bow.

READ MORE: Dates, top events and how to buy tickets for Sydney Film Festival

Friday, June 13

Embrace the eeriness of the day and start your weekend right with themed drinks and music at Friday the 13th Horror Happy Hour from 4:30pm this afternoon. Follow up Happy Hour with the Australian premiere of Texas Chainsaw Massacre doc Chain Reactions (6:15pm), or the new horror hit it inspired, Straight on Till Morning, presented by a surprise guest speaker (8:30pm).

If you’d rather lean away from all things sinister (we don’t blame you), there are still tickets available for The Blue Trail, though they’re selling fast for tonight’s screening. The 2025 Berlinale Grand Jury Prize-winning delight follows a woman’s grand Amazonian quest as she evades a dystopian fate – catch it at the State Theatre tonight (6pm) or tomorrow morning (9:15am).

Birth Right is another highlight, playing at the Ritz Randwick tonight (8pm) and the Dendy Newtown tomorrow (6:30pm). It’s a breakthrough Aussie dark comedy that examines intergenerational wealth, and marks a debut for its director, Zoe Pepper, who is already an Australian Writers’ Guild and Directors’ Guild award-winning filmmaker and an experienced theatre director.

Sydney Film Festival isn’t all about film screenings though — while they naturally play a prominent part — with many guest speakers having appeared across the city already. Tonight, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, National Geographic photographer and New York Times bestselling author Jimmy Chin makes his first Australian appearance in this one-night-only event. Best known for his Oscar-winning, Emmy and BAFTA-decorated portrait of climber Alex Honnold, Free Solo, Jimmy has also directed The Rescue, about the Northern Thailand cave rescue, and Nyad which stars Annette Bening and Jodie Foster and earned Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG nominations. At Beyond the Summit, Chin will discuss how he captures the human stories in some of the world’s most extreme environments.

Saturday, June 14

Looking for something to watch with the kids? Head out for a lunchtime movie at the Ritz Randwick, where Night of the Zoopocalypse will be showing (12pm). The animated film features Stranger Things star David Harbour as Dan the mountain lion, who, along with the other residents of Colepepper Zoo, battles a meteor crash and zombie apocalypse. It’s a colourful, kid-friendly and silly introduction to the horror genre.

For a little more edge-of-your-seat horror, check out Redux Redux (Event Cinemas George Street, 8:15pm) by filmmaking twins Kevin and Matthew McManus, coming direct from its SWSX debut in March, or Charlie Polinger’s The Plague (Dendy Newtown, 8:45pm). Fresh from a lauded premiere at Cannes, this horror-tinged thriller follows a shy preteen who’s losing his grip on reality – produced by and co-starring Joel Edgerton.

Fresh from a lauded premiere at Cannes, this horror-tinged thriller finds a shy preteen losing his grip on reality as he succumbs to toxic peer pressure at summer camp. Produced by and co-starring Joel Edgerton.

READ MORE: Sydney Film Festival 2025: Complete List of Feature Films Screening

Moving on to more serious matters, political options include Prime Minister (State Theatre, 2pm), the Sundance 2025 Audience Award-winner that offers a remarkably intimate portrait of Jacinda Ardern’s transformative term as Prime Minister of Aoteraroa New Zealand. The President’s Cake, meanwhile, is a rare film from Iraq that won the coveted Caméra d’Or at Cannes last month (Event Cinemas George Street, 4:15pm). It’s a humorous, poignant and beautifully shot debut about a young girl’s quest to bake a cake in 1990, under the iron fist of Saddam Hussein.

Outside of politics, check out the charming British flick, The Ballad of Wallis Island, starring Carey Mulligan. Two-time lottery winner, Charles (Tim Key), uses his latest win to reunite his favourite musical duo – who happen to be former lovers. Watch it at Hayden Orpheum Cremorne at 6pm.

In the mood for a panel discussion? Platform Pitch: For Film’s Sake Incubator returns for a third year, challenging 12 emerging filmmakers to form new collaborations and develop original projects over just four days. Their ideas will be pitched live to an expert industry jury, complete with on-the-spot feedback and a live audience (The Hub at Lower Town Hall, 1:30pm). This year’s Ian McPherson Memorial Lecture stars one of Australia’s most distinctive cinematic voices (The Hub at Lower Town Hall, 3:30pm). Catch Justin Kurzel in discussion with Festival Director, Nashen Moodley, as he offers exclusive insight into his unique filmmaking journey and illustrious career.

The Closing Night blockbuster at this year’s festival stars its writers, Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, opposite Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona. Splitsville presents a surprising take on the pleasures and perils of open relationships, with a hilarious extended fight scene that is sure to go down in cinematic history. Succession star Nicholas Braun stars as a melancholic mentalist, too, adding a funny turn to the risqué romcom. Watch it at the State Theatre, where the SFF’s top prizes are announced at the awards ceremony before the Australian premiere of Splitsville will show (7pm). It will also play at Ritz Randwick at 8:15pm.

Other options on the final day of the Festival include Ryan White’s Sundance Festival Favourite Award-winner and tear-jerking yet joyous film, Some See Me in the Good Light (Event Cinemas George Street, 6:30pm), or Australian director Amy Wang’s debut Slanted. Watch as an aspiring prom queen undergoes radical race-changing surgery in Wang’s twisted satire (Event Cinemas George Street, 4:30pm).

English actress and producer Sadie Frost has tapped into her fashion connections to create a charming doc about British icon, Twiggy (Event Cinemas George Street, 2:30pm). In the BFI London Film Festval-selected documentary, Twiggy reflects on life in fashion, film and fame, charting her rise from working-class London teen to global icon in the swinging ’60s. Paul McCartney, Joanna Lumley, Sienna Miller and Edward Enninful speak of their admiration in this affectionate portrait too.

Selling fast at this very moment, Ciao Bambino will likely sell out soon, so move fast. It’s a raw and poetic debut from Edgardo Pistone which won Best First Film at Rome and Rallinn Black Nights festivals. The monochromatic movie tells the story of young man Attilio, as he takes his first steps in the Naples underworld, competing with his father’s criminal legacy (Ritz Randwick, 4pm).

READ MORE: Sydney production of Picture of Dorian Gray gets New York award in huge win

From chilling horror flicks to heartwarming documentaries, star-studded premieres to insider panels, Sydney Film Festival is going out with a bang. Whether you’re catching Splitsville on Closing Night or sneaking in one last indie gem, this weekend offers the perfect finale for film lovers of every taste. Don’t let the credits roll without being part of it — tickets are selling fast, and the big screen is calling!