Sydney Film Festival has officially unveiled its full 2026 program, featuring 248 films set to screen from June 3-14. With such a packed program, it can be hard to know where to start, so we’ve narrowed it down to the standout titles you won’t want to miss.
So you want to watch some films at the Sydney Film Festival this year, and you’ve just seen the program drop. 248 films from 81 countries, including 19 world premieres, three international premieres, 140 Australian premieres, with screenings at the State Theatre, Sydney Opera House and popular cinemas across the city… It’s a lot.
Luckily for you, I’ve combed through the full program and picked out some of the best homegrown films, must-see shorts, international big dogs and the best events that you should have on your radar.
Table of Contents
Australian Features
Our top picks
- French Girls: Showing at Art Gallery of NSW June 10, Event Cinemas George Street June 12, Dendy Newtown June 14
- Body Blow: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street June 10, Dendy Newtown June 13
- Leviticus: Showing at State Theatre June 6 and 7, Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 8
- Saccarine: Showing at Sydney Opera Playhouse June 4 and Dendy Newtown June 9
- First Light: Showing at Sydney Opera Playhouse June 7 and Dendy Newtown June 9
- Boss Cat: Showing at State Theatre June 7 and Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace June 8
It’s the Sydney Film Festival, so first things first, we’re spotlighting all the best Aussie features (aka, films over 70 minutes long).
We’ve already watched Sydney director Hyun Lee’s debut feature film, French Girls, which was shot on the streets of the harbour city. The film traces new model Mia’s (played by Mia Kidis) entry into the fashion world, capturing her observations of the industry, her complicated relationship with her boyfriend, her encounters with other models, and a sudden brush with the law.
French Girls should be very high on your list of films to watch this SFF: it’s filmed in Sydney, written and directed by a Sydneysider and features a local cast. Oh, and it’s very, very good (you’ll be hooked by the plot and captivated by the cinematography).
Another film that sets its scenes in Sydney is Body Blow, by director Dean Francis. The erotic thriller stars Paul Capsis as disgraced cop Aiden, who is plunged into Sydney’s neon-lit gay nightlife, with themes of crime, obsession, lust and danger.
A bold breakout hit from the Sundance Film Festival, Leviticus marks the return of Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella to SFF. Set in a sleepy Victorian town, the film follows two teenage boys confronting a sinister force that takes the form of the person they desire most: each other. Blending coming-of-age romance with supernatural queer horror, this homegrown standout is poised to be one of the defining titles of this year’s Sydney Film Festival, and is also a finalist for the prestigious Sydney Film Prize.
We’re also excited by the film Saccarine, a body horror from Natalie Erika James, which follows a medical student addicted to sinister weight-loss pills. Fans of The Substance, which obsessed body horror movie lovers in 2024, should make sure to book a ticket to this one.
Filipino-Australian director James J. Robinson (who won the Best Australian Director Award at Melbourne International Film Festival) will debut his transcendental film First Light at SFF, which is about a nun whose suspicion of foul play in her community leads to a crisis of faith.
Boss Cat centres on Sonja, a 23-year-old woman with Down Syndrome who, after the death of her mother, uses Krump dance to gain independence and save her family home from being sold. Award-winning actress Penny Downies (The Crown, The Diplomat, Downton Abbey) returns to the screen in this feature directed by 2015 NSW Young Australian of the Year, Genieve Clay-Smith.
Australian Documentaries
Our top picks
- Silenced: Showing at State Theatre June 3, Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 6, Palace Norton Street June 13
- Rodeo Dreams: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street June 10, Dendy Newtown June 12
- Whistle: Showing at Sydney Opera House Playhouse June 5, State Theatre June 7
- Replica: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street June 12, Dendy Newtown June 14
- Sukundimi Walks Before Me: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street June 11, Dendy Newtown June 13
The Documentary Australia Award returns, showcasing ten exceptional new Australian documentaries competing for the $20,000 prize, with the winning film also gaining Academy Award eligibility.
The lineup features Silenced, a post-#MeToo documentary that examines how defamation laws can be weaponised to silence survivors. The documentary has the honour of opening the festival, making its Australian premiere at the State Theatre on June 3.
Four young Aussie bull riders and one of the most dangerous sports on earth are the centre of the story in Rodeo Dreams, as they follow their dreams across Queensland’s Gulf Country to win the prestigious yet cash-strapped Mount Isa Rodeo.
Labelled “an offbeat Aussie crowd pleaser”, Whistle is all about the world’s greatest whistling competition, which (unsurprisingly) attracts quite an eccentric and entertaining crowd.
Timely and award-winning, Replica taps into growing anxieties around artificial intelligence, following three Chinese women who turn to AI in search of love and connection. The film marks an impressive debut from director Chouwa Liang
The powerful documentary Sukundimi Walks Before Me rounds off our top five Aussie documentary picks. Revolving around an Indigenous Papua New Guinea community’s campaign to preserve their future when the Sepik River, ‘the Amazon of the Asia-Pacific’, is threatened by mining.
The Big International Films
Our top picks:
- Minotaur: Showing at State Theatre June 12 and 13, Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 14
- Dead Man’s Wire: Showing at Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 9, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace June 11, State Theatre June 12
- Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: Showing at State Theatre June 6, Dendy Newtown June 12, Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 14
- Mile End Kicks: Showing at Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 3, Event Cinemas George Street June 12, Dendy Newtown June 14
- Gentle Monster: Showing at State Theatre June 7 and 8, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace June 14
- Filipiñana: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street June 7, Dendy Newtown June 11
- The Blood Countess: Showing at Dendy Newtown June 3, Event Cinemas George Street June 5
19 films will come to the Sydney Film Festival directly from the Cannes Film Festival, the most prestigious in the world.
The much-anticipated new film by Russian master Andrey Zvyagintsev, titled Minotaur, is a taut thriller where the personal and political collide in Russian society. Zvyaginstev (Leviathan, Loveless, Elena) is known to be a great cinematic chronicler of Russian society, with his films over the last two decades providing poignant commentary.
Star-led features at this year’s SFF include Dead Man’s Wire, which stars a stacked cast of Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery and Al Pacino in this thrilling, true account of a 1977 US hostage standoff.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is obviously an attention-grabbing name, and the fact that this film is also coming straight from Cannes works in its favour. Starring actress and stand-up comedian Hannah Einbinder and the iconic Gillian Anderson, this camp, bloody, psychosexual horror from queer maverick Jane Schoenbrun is erotic, irreverent and gory.
Starring Euphoria actress Barbie Ferreira, Mile End Kicks is a black romantic comedy about a music journalist self-sabotaging her dream assignment for a new fling. Set in 2011 (why does it feel so nostalgic?) Levack’s comic, dark and relatable sophomore effort is a love letter to music criticism and millennial hijinks.
Bond Girl Léa Seydoux delivers a towering performance in Gentle Monster, a film following a concert pianist whose quiet country life unravels when her husband becomes the subject of a police investigation, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about him. Emotionally charged and morally complex, it’s a powerful portrait of love, trust and reckoning.
Director Rafael Manuel’s Sundance award-winning debut, Filipiñana, follows Isabel, a teenage ‘tee girl’ working at an exclusive country club outside Manila. The pristine grounds feel worlds apart from her rural home in Ilocos, and she observes the rituals of the elite with growing curiosity, particularly the club’s eccentric president, Dr Palanca.
Globally renowned French actor Isabelle Huppert leads the sultry, high-camp vampire tale The Blood Countess, bringing her signature icy intensity to the lead role. Re-emerging in Vienna after decades in hiding, she sets out to find an ancient text that could destroy her, leaving a trail of chaos in her wake.
Official Competition
In 2026, the Official Competition celebrates 18 years of the Sydney Film Prize, which sees $60,000 awarded each year to an “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous” film.
The $60,000 grand prize winner will be announced at the Festival’s Closing Night Gala on Sunday, 14 June. Previous recipients include the Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite, as well as Arabian Nights, It Was Just an Accident, There’s Still Tomorrow and The Mother of All Lies.
Here’s the full list of finalists:
- Ben’Imana, directed by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
- Dao, directed by Alain Gomis
- The Dreamed Adventure, directed by Valeska Grisebach
- Fatherland, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski
- Fjord, directed by Cristian Mungiu
- Gentle Monster, directed by Marie Kreutzer
- The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde
- Leviticus, directed by Adrian Chiarella
- Minotaur, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
- No Good Men, directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat
- Parallel Tales, directed by Asghar Farhadi
- Shame and Money, directed by Visar Morina
- Sheep in Box, directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu
Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films
Our top picks
- Maŋutji (Catching Eyes): Showing at Event Cinemas George Street on June 13 and June 14, also showing as part of the Proper Loved Up Shorts strand showing at Event Cinemas George Street on June 4, Dendy Newtown June 6
- Raft Race: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street on June 13 and June 14
- Flesh Fruit: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street on June 13 and June 14
- Saint Valentine: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street on June 13 and June 14
- Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street on June 13 and June 14
In its 57-year history, SFF’s short film competition has launched the careers of countless film industry titans. The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films shortlists 10 finalists, who will then compete for five cash prizes.
Up for grabs are the Dendy Live Action Short Award, the Yoram Gross Animation Award, the Dendy Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director, the AFTRS Craft Award, and the Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award for Screenwriting.
All finalists screen together in two sessions with filmmakers in attendance. These screenings will take place at Event Cinemas George Street on June 13 and June 14.
Leading the finalists is Maŋutji (Catching Eyes), set in the Aboriginal community of Yirrkala in Arnhem Land. Filmed in Yolŋu Matha with English subtitles, this love story explores how two teens navigate their mutual feelings while maintaining cultural boundaries and kinship.
Raft Race will have its world premiere at the Dendy Awards, exploring the story of 11-year-old Frankie, who is suddenly thrust into awareness of her developing body and how the world will perceive her.
We’re intrigued by the description of the short Flesh Fruit, which states, “A farmer manages to save his livelihood by selling a new fruit product whose origins are best kept a secret between him and his domineering mother.” What is this fruit product, and why do I feel nervous?
Another coming-of-age story, which will make its world premiere at SFF, Saint Valentine is about two sexually frustrated sisters who encounter two handsome Mormon American boys who come knocking on their door.
The animated story Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling charts the international legacy and intergenerational impact of the Ntaria Choir, formerly known as Hermannsburg Choir from the Northern Territory. Directed by renowned Western Aranda artist Judith Inkamala, senior Western Arrernte woman Marjorie ‘Nunga’ Williams and illustrator and animator Nelson Armstrong.
First Nations Awards
Our top picks
- Wrong Husband: Showing at Dendy Newtown June 6, Event Cinemas George Street June 13
- Socks: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street June 5, Dendy Newtown June 7
- The Native Police: Showing at State Theatre June 10, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace June 11 and Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 13
- Árru: Showing at State Theatre June 10, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace June 11 and Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 13
- Belly: Showing at Event Cinemas George Street on June 4, Dendy Newtown June 6
Awarding a $35,000 cast prize to the winner, The First Nations Award at SFF is the largest in the world for Indigenous filmmaking. In 2026, it returns with a bold program spanning supernatural thrillers, epic dramas, animated ancestral stories and vibrant rom-coms.
There are three films from Toronto by Canadian Indigenous filmmakers. We’re most excited about Wrong Husband, from the celebrated Inuk filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk. The epic supernatural drama set in 2000 BCE follows two lovers defying an evil shaman’s curse, and was the winner of Best Canadian Film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Nine short films will also be screened as part of the First Nations Awards. Black-and-white film Socks, produced by Jane Campion, follows a Māori boy who forms a bond with a Mormon missionary in small-town New Zealand. The Native Police, a story set in 1884 where an Aboriginal Native police officer escorts an Arrernte girl across desert Country, will make its Australian World Premiere.
The Native Police will screen with Árru (so you can see two films for one), a powerful, song-filled drama about a Sámi reindeer herder who confronts a mining project threatening her ancestral lands and way of life.
Belly is one of five First Nations rom-coms featured as finalists, following the insecure Maya who arrives at a house party masking pain with humour, until an unexpected encounter forces her to confront insecurity, desire, and self-acceptance.
Sartorial: Fashion on Film
Our top picks:
- French Girls: Showing at Art Gallery of NSW June 10, Event Cinemas George Street June 12, Dendy Newtown June 14
- Marc by Sofia: Showing at Art Gallery of NSW June 6, Event Cinemas George Street June 11, Ritz Cinemas Randwick June 13
- Useless: Showing at Art Gallery of NSW June 13
- Prêt-à-Porter: Showing at Art Gallery of NSW June 8
For the first time, the Sydney Film Festival is featuring a strand dedicated to the intersection of fashion and cinema, in their program Sartorial: Fashion on Film.
Featuring new premieres alongside restored classics, the curator Jessica Moraza brings together seven films spanning decades of cinema, in which some of the world’s most distinctive filmmakers use fashion as a lens on identity, culture and power.
The previously mentioned French Girls is part of the Sartorial strand, and also the only local film in this fashion program.
Also featured is Marc by Sofia, the Australian premiere of renowned director Sofia Coppola’s first-ever documentary, a personal portrait of the iconic designer Marc Jacobs.
Acclaimed auteur Jia Zhangke’s documentary Useless moves fluidly between workshop, runway and rural town, tracing the human cost of China’s rapid industrial transformation through the lens of clothing. With a deeply humanistic touch, Jia crafts a portrait of labour and class that lays bare the widening divide between tradition and modernity.
Prêt-à-Porter brings together an all-star cast (Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni and Julia Roberts) in a sharp, sprawling fashion farce. Directed by Robert Altman, the film was shot amid the real-life spectacle of Paris Fashion Week, blending high style with satire.
Special events
The following events run throughout the Sydney Film Festival, with many taking place at the Film Festival’s official Hub in Lower Town Hall (483 George St Sydney NSW 2000).
SFF Film Trivia Nights
Hosted by comedian Alexei Toliopoulos, featuring live music and big prizes. Guests will also get a free beer or wine on arrival.
Where: Sydney Film Festival Hub.
When: June 8 and 9 at 7pm
Price: $10 per person.
Letterboxd User Meet-Up
Meet up with fellow film fans from around Sydney and afar and chat about your Festival picks. Enjoy the pop-up bar, fun and games, and giveaways.
Where: Sydney Film Festival Hub.
When: June 6 at 4pm.
Price: Free.
The World’s Best Whistle
Following the Australian premiere of Whistle, enjoy a live demonstration by participants from the film — and perhaps show off your own skills.
Where: Sydney Film Festival Hub.
When: June 7 at 11:30am.
Price: Free.
French Girls Premiere Party
Following the premiere screening of French Girls, join members of the film team for a très chic celebration in honour of the film and the Sartorial: Fashion on Film program.
Where: Sydney Film Festival Hub.
When: June 12 at 8:30pm.
Price: Free.
Dendy Awards Ceremony and Celebration
Find out the winners of five prestigious awards and cash prizes and celebrate alongside Australia’s most exciting filmmakers.
Where: Sydney Film Festival Hub.
When: June 13 at 5pm.
Price: Free entry with any ticket to the 13 June Dendy shorts screening.
How to get tickets
Tickets can be purchased on the official Sydney Film Festival Website. Head to the ‘Films A-Z’ section to explore all showings, select your chosen film and purchase with ease. You’ll receive an email with your tickets, or you can download and print them out straight away.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult: $27.50
Concession/ Senior: $223
Youth (17 and under): $20
Flexipasses
If you’re planning on seeing more than one film, or you’re going with a big group, Flexipasses are the most valuable option. With a Flexipass, you can redeem up to four tickets per standard session to share with family and friends. Follow the same instructions for buying regular tickets, except instead of selecting a ticket type, simply enter your flexipass code into the ‘Book on a Pass/Discount Code’ section.
There are four different passes:
The Youth Pass 6 – $96
For ages 15–24. Score 6 tickets at $16 each, with the option to redeem up to 2 per session.
Flexipass 10 – $199
Grab 10 tickets at $19.90 each.
Flexipass 20 – $375
Get 20 tickets for just $18.75 each.
Flexipass 30 – $495
Get 30 tickets for just $16.50 each.
You can find out more about the Sydney Film Festival and book your tickets by clicking here.
Sydney Film Festival Venues
Films will be shown citywide at 13 different venues. These include:
- State Theatre, Sydney CBD
- Sydney Opera House Playhouse, Circular Quay
- Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney CBD
- Dendy, Newtown
- Sydney Town Hall, Sydney CBD
- The Hub, Lower Town Hall
- Ritz Cinemas, Randwick
- Palace, Norton Street
- Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne
- Palace Central Cinemas, Chippendale
- Event Cinemas, Sydney CBD
- State Library of NSW, Sydney CBD
- City Recital Hall, Sydney CBD
