THE GIANTS explores the intertwined fates of trees and humans in this cinematic portrait of environmental folk hero and gay icon Bob Brown who took green politics to the centre of power. From a seedling to forest elder THE GIANTS interweaves Bob’s story with the life cycle of the ancient trees he is fighting for. […]
YOU CAN GO NOW looks at the life and provocative work and writings of First Nations artist, Richard Bell. It reveals the ‘two Richards’ – ‘Richie’ the provocateur and enfante terrible of the art world who challenges its whiteness and the Richard who spent his childhood living in a tin shed, learnt his politics on […]
SYNOPSIS Eighth-generation Tasmanian and environmentalist Oliver Cassidy embarks on a life-changing solo rafting trip down the beautiful yet remote Franklin River. His goal is to retrace his late father’s 14-day expedition to attend the blockade that helped to save the World-Heritage listed national park from being destroyed by a huge hydroelectric dam project in the […]
For the last 6 years, 18 year old Melati Wijsen has been lobbying her local government to ban the sale and distribution of plastic bags in her island, Bali. But changes are slow and Melati cannot wait any longer. She needs to meet her tribe, her peers, to join forces. Melati embarks on a journey around […]
She’s a single mother, family court secretary and Afghanistan’s first genuine dramatic heroine. She’s risking everything to keep her job and her freedom, fighting for justice in her own quiet, secret and captivating way. She’s Shereen Sahil: The face and the hope of a new Afghanistan. Shot entirely in Kabul in 2015 this feature film […]
The eyes of the world were forced to turn their gaze upon Lebanon, not only because of the Beirut Port explosion that devastated this ancient city on 4th August 2020, but also because it stands as an allegory for kleptocratic regimes that have seen a resurgence across the globe. The film puts a spotlight on […]
Christiaan Van Vuuren is an everyday Aussie – a comedian and a father with a keen sense of fairness and justice. Christiaan is proud of his country, its peaceful society and its sound political system. So proud, in fact, that he might be a little complacent. Smug, even. Big Deal begins with Christiaan mocking the […]
Mata, Missy and Makareta. Three cousins. Three lives. Separate, yet bound together forever. Orphaned Mata believes she has no whānau (family) and lives out her lonely childhood in fear and bewilderment. Back home on the land, educated Makareta flees an arranged marriage to study law and begin the search for her missing cousin. She leaves […]
Can you imagine a world without cancer? For the first time in human history, the elimination of a cancer – cervical cancer – is possible. Eliminating this preventable disease is already a remarkable Australian success story. Now we must make it a global reality. An action of this scale has the power to shape history, […]
Gatsby Randolph is the slight alter ego of Kobie Randolph, who wrote, produced, acted, edited, and co-directed the documentary with Marcus Turner. He takes audiences on a journey that’s simultaneously funny, thought-provoking, and inspiring.
WILD THINGS is a feature length documentary that follows a new generation of environmental activists that are mobilising against forces more powerful than themselves and saying, enough. Armed only with mobile phones, this growing army of eco warriors will do whatever it takes to save their futures from the ravages of climate change. From chaining […]
Jaimen Hudson’s aerial whale and dolphin imagery are stunning. His spectacular photographs and videos reach hundreds of millions of people online and he has been interviewed by media organisations across the world. However Jaimen has a dream to take his talents to the next level and pursue his childhood dream of filming underwater. Embarking on […]
Rosemary’s Way celebrates the remarkable Rosemary Kariuki and the group of vulnerable migrant women of suburban Sydney whose lives she helps transform from isolation to connection. From cultures as diverse as Iraq, the Congo and Peru, the women are taken by Rosemary on a powerful cross-cultural journey to integrate them into the homes and communities […]
Envoy: Shark Cull is a feature-length documentary narrated by Eric Bana which follows some of the biggest names in ocean conservation, such as Sea Shepherd, Ocean Ramsey and Madison Stewart. We will join these experts as they explore and expose this scarcely understood topic. We will also learn the importance of sharks in our oceans […]
Wollongong, 1980: Denied jobs at the steelworks – the city’s main employer – working class / migrant women refused to accept discrimination. They began a campaign for the right to work that lasted for fourteen years. Their battle against BHP, the country’s richest and most powerful company, took them from factory gate to the highest […]
The Weather Diaries is a feature documentary made by a mother concerned about the future for her daughter; a musician emerging in the shadow of the twin threats of climate change and mass extinction. The film reaches its climax in 2020, as temperatures rise, bushfires rage, and the flying foxes that usually soar over Sydney […]
Forget Everything You’ve Been Told About Fat. What if everything we’ve been told about saturated fat is fiction? And what if the “low fat, heart healthy” diet represents one of the most damaging public health recommendations in the history of our country? FAT FICTION is a film that questions decades of diet advice insisting that saturated fats are bad […]
In January 2019, a viral video showed grown men near Menindee weeping as they held dead Murray Cod, decades old, which had perished in yet another environmental disaster. Australians were horrified, and politicians blamed drought, while ecologists and water management specialists claimed it was due to the over-allocation and over-extraction of water. Two weeks later, […]
How did Christianity conquer the ancient world? By what means did a fringe personality cult, from the remote backwaters of ancient Palestine, convince millions of polytheistic Romans and Greeks to worship a dead Jew and then turn the Roman Empire into a strict theocracy? This brave new secular documentary challenges the version of the story […]
William Kelly, widely considered the social conscience of Australian art, once said: “Art can’t stop a bullet, but it can stop a bullet from being fired.” Can it? Filmed on five continents, with contributions from over 20 artists, thinkers and activists, this documentary explores the power of art to take a stand against violence in the world.
24 year old Claire Murray’s desperate search for a life-saving second liver transplant becomes a trial by national media, which depicts her as an ungrateful junkie who recklessly destroyed her first transplant by relapsing into drug use. She is condemned by the public… But what the public doesn’t know is that Claire has a terrible […]
In Australia two men are working to provide the last hope of relief — and in some cases cure — for thousands suffering chronic and terminal illnesses. They provide blackmarket medicinal cannabis for people who have nowhere else to turn. The plant is now widely considered to have lifesaving potential, yet swift and compassionate access […]
A rare, intimate glimpse into the life and mind of Jordan Peterson, the academic and best-selling author who captured the world’s attention with his criticisms of political correctness and his life-changing philosophy on discovering personal meaning. Christened as the most influential public intellectual in the western world, University of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson skyrocketed […]
A documentary and book with a global vision to shift humanity out of a state of crisis. Once in a while a film comes along and speaks to the need of the time. The Portal follows six real life stories that all overcome trauma, anxiety, depression and PTSD using a simple yet powerful technique. In […]
From shy country kid to two-time Brownlow medallist and Australian of the Year, Goodes is an inspiration to many. The footy field was where he thrived; the only place where the colour of his skin was irrelevant. Goodes’ world fell apart when he became the target of racial abuse during a game, which spiralled into […]
Unplanned is the inspiring true story of one woman’s journey of transformation. All Abby Johnson ever wanted to do was help women. As one of the youngest Planned Parenthood clinic directors in the nation, she was involved in upwards of 22,000 abortions and counseled countless women about their reproductive choices. Her passion surrounding a woman’s right […]
Ten-year-old Dujuan is a child-healer, a good hunter and speaks three languages. As he shares his wisdom of history and the complex world around him we see his spark and intelligence. Yet Dujuan is ‘failing’ in school and facing increasing scrutiny from welfare and the police. As he travels perilously close to incarceration, his family […]
Today’s world is so different to the world our parents and grandparents lived in. They didn’t have the problems we’re facing today and to survive we have to make ourselves aware of what is driving the ever increasing illness and disease all around us. Why is there so much disease, why is it that everyone […]
High as Mike – the ride to try.. Join Mike on a journey of discovery around Australia showcasing the trials and tribulations of patients using and seeking to use Medicinal Cannabis. Mike has a brain tumour. As such, Mike’s journey is very much a typical patient journey, looking for answers to life & death questions. […]
2040 is a hybrid feature documentary that looks to the future, but is vitally important NOW! Award-winning director Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film) embarks on journey to explore what the future could look like by the year 2040 if we simply embraced the best solutions already available to us to improve our planet and shifted […]
The Candidate is a feature length observational documentary by Helen Gaynor. It follows Greens candidate Alex Bhathal over the final three weeks of her campaign to win a seat in the Australian federal parliament in 2018. In this, her sixth attempt in fifteen years, and with a 1% margin between her and victory, she and […]
SUMMER IN THE FOREST is a moving documentary of an extraordinary man—Jean Vanier—and of L’Arche, the international organization of which he is the founder. Jean Vanier single-handedly revolutionised the way in which people with an intellectual disability are seen and cared for, by the simple act of inviting them out of institutions and into his […]
Located off the coast of Indonesia, the Australian territory of Christmas Island is inhabited by migratory crabs travelling in their millions from the jungle towards the ocean, in a movement that has been provoked by the full moon for hundreds of thousands of years. Poh Lin Lee is a “trauma therapist” who lives with her […]
There is a group of people in the world today who are more persecuted than anyone else, but they are not political or religious activists. They are girls. Being born a girl means you are more likely to be subjected to violence, disease, poverty and disadvantage than any other group on the planet. As each […]
This documentary explores Cobby’s Hobbies, a 1960’s childrens TV program featuring Cobby, a chimpanzee which becomes the catalyst for the film. We meet people that made the show, zoo friends, zoo keepers and animal rights activists that piece together a story of an animal that was stolen from his natural habitat to work on TV […]
Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons. Australia’s vast and unspoiled Kimberley region is under threat, with mining, pastoralism and irrigated agriculture driving an unprecedented land grab. UNDERMINED investigates the politics of an area now branded “the future economic […]
In a world riven by violence and misunderstanding, prominent atheist author Sam Harris and Islamist-turned-liberal Muslim Maajid Nawaz seek to provide a remedy to the polarizing rhetoric and obscurantism around the topic of Islam. ______
BORDER POLITICS follows human rights barrister Julian Burnside as he traverses the globe examining the harsh treatment meted out to refugees by most Western democracies. This contemporary story is about the threat to human rights, the loss of democratic values and our increasingly heartless treatment of ‘the other’. Seventy years after the world constructed international […]
A western Sydney security guard and part-time ghost hunter, Jason King has spent two decades searching for his absent father. As a survivor of trauma, he seeks to reconcile his fractured memories and piece together his past. When his search converges with a police investigation, an horrific family secret is exposed — forcing him to […]
Six cancer patients make an unusual choice when faced with little chance of recovery: they decide to face the disease with a radical plant-based diet. The patients embark on an arduous but hopeful 5-year journey through unchartered territory as they attempt to eat and juice their way back to health, against all odds.
This inspiring film celebrates the courage and resilience of those who, for over a century, have fought for the right of Aboriginal children to public education. It traces the journey from when discrimination, prejudice and outright racism deprived Aboriginal children of the right to learn. It highlights the pioneers whose courage, conviction and determination is contributing […]
HERO. ICON. DISSENTER. At the age of 85, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has built an impressive legal legacy as a pioneer in gender equality. RBG explores the inspiring and unique personal journey of this diminutive, quiet warrior’s rise to the USA’s highest court – and her impact along the way – […]
Ronni Kahn used to be a contributor to Australia’s annual $20 billion food waste bill when she ran a successful corporate events company producing million-dollar dinners. Then she realised the absurdity of throwing away perfectly edible food, trading capitalism for social activism by founding OzHarvest, a food rescue charity, in 2004. Filmed over two years […]
For The Love of God confronts the worst that Christians have done and traces the origins of Western values like human rights, charity, humility, and non-violence back to the influence of Jesus. This is not the history we think we know. Join us as we weigh up the good, the bad, the ugly – and […]
THAT SUGAR FILM is one man’s journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar. Damon Gameau embarks on a unique experiment to document the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, consuming only foods that are commonly perceived as ‘healthy’. Through this entertaining and informative journey, Damon highlights some of the issues […]
What if your government is risking the health of your family for quick cash? Join an Aussie farmer, tired of political spin, as he takes on a fact-finding mission into the effects of Fracking. His inspiring journey takes him from the southern point of country South Australia to Northern Australia and across the world to […]
The Southern Cross is the most famous constellation in the southern hemisphere. Ever since colonisation it’s been claimed, appropriated and hotly-contested for ownership by a radical range of Australian groups. But for Aboriginal people the meaning of this heavenly body is deeply spiritual. And just about completely unknown. For a start, the Southern Cross isn’t […]
An extraordinary first-hand account of the international battle to reclaim the artwork and heritage of one of Australia’s most important Indigenous figures: Albert Namatjira. Albert Namatjira was one of those rare artists who actually changed the course of history. The founder of the Indigenous art movement, he became an international icon and was the first […]
When feminist filmmaker Cassie Jaye sets out to document the mysterious and polarizing world of the Men’s Rights Movement, she begins to question her own beliefs. Jaye had only heard about the Men’s Rights Movement as being a misogynist hate-group aiming to turn back the clock on women’s rights, but when she spends a […]
Zach’s Ceremony is an extraordinary, feature-length documentary captured over ten years that shows one boy’s journey to manhood in a complex, emotionally driven story. Its themes are universal: that of family and connection, but also explores the fascinating and unique question of what it means to be a modern man belonging to the oldest living […]
PLAY YOUR GENDER is a documentary on the realities of being a woman in the music industry. The songs we consume and the musicians we revere say a lot about our culture’s values and the multi-billion dollar music industry has a huge social and economic impact on our society. Through these conversations, we aim to uncover how and why […]
A nuclear war between the United States and China is not only imaginable but a current ‘contingency’, says the Pentagon. John Pilger’s 60th film and first since 2013’s Utopia is his most urgent work to date and is both a warning and an inspiring story of resistance. The Coming War on China, filmed over two […]
Freedom Stories is an exploration by filmmaker Steve Thomas of the achievements and struggles of former ‘boat people’. Now Australian citizens, they arrived seeking asylum from the Middle-East around 2001 – a watershed year in Australian politics sparked by the Tampa affair and Prime Minister John Howard’s declaration: “We will decide who comes to this […]
With an all-star cast including Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep as Emmeline Pankhurst, SUFFRAGETTE is the powerful and thrilling first film about the remarkable untold story of the real foot soldiers of the Suffragette movement. These women were not primarily from the genteel educated classes, they […]
Stephen Sewell’s erotic political thriller sees a war correspondent meet an alluring, enigmatic woman at a cocktail party, before a dangerous power play engulfs the two. Playwright and screenwriter Sewell (who scripted The Boys – the restored version is screening at SFF this year) is no stranger to cagey, dark characters, and this is certainly […]
In hidden basements, bedrooms and bars across London, “Chemsex” is a documentary that exposes frankly and intimately a dark side to modern gay life. Traversing an underworld of intravenous drug use and weekend-long sex parties, “Chemsex” tells the story of several men struggling to make it out of ‘the scene’ alive – and one health […]
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams, Spotlight tells the riveting true story of a team of Boston Globe journalists who exposed one of the biggest cover-ups in modern times. When the newspaper’s tenacious Spotlight team delves into abuse allegations against the Catholic Church, they uncover a shocking scandal involving the highest levels of […]
Night and Fog is a 1955 French documentary short film. Directed by Alain Resnais, it was made ten years after the liberation of Nazi concentration camps.
Four young cowboys hatch an outrageous plot to adopt, train, and ride a string of wild mustangs 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada through the wildest terrain of the American West. The trip becomes an epic journey of self-discovery, testing friendships, and iconic landscapes that includes runaway horses, a sassy donkey, perilous mountain passes, rodeos, […]
Based on the Oscar®-winning short documentary and adapted by the writer of Philadelphia, Freeheld is the true love story of Laurel Hester [Julianne Moore] and Stacie Andree [Elliot Page] and their fight for justice. A decorated New Jersey police detective, Laurel is diagnosed with cancer and wants to leave her hard earned pension to her […]
In 1971 a group of friends sail into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using never before seen archive that brings their extraordinary world to life, HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD is an intimate portrait about the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. Idealism vs. pragmatism, […]
How breaking the Coal Strike of the mid 80’s led Britain into war in Iraq. Thirty years ago, Thatcher went to war. These are the miners who fought back. The Enemy Within is a unique insight into one of history’s most dramatic events: the 1984-85 British Miners’ Strike. Thirty years on, this is the raw […]
Activism, music, art and community motivation merge from time to time to present moments of absolute social cohesion and this can change the world. From the fervid mind of one of Sydney’s most prolific activist/artists, Peter Strong, Do it Ourselves Culture is a documentary film project that charts Sydney’s colourful protest and party scene, from […]
World-famous British comedian and activist Russell Brand joins forces with acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom on a polemical documentary about the financial crisis and gross inequality we currently face. Starting with the genesis of today’s economic policies, with the arrival of Milton Friedman’s school of thought in Reagan’s leadership and Thatcher’s UK, the film explores how […]
This remarkable award winning film traces the history of Australia’s Queensland coal miners and their Union from the darkest days of the 19th century to the daunting industrial, safety and community challenges driven by giant global corporations today. It is a story of struggle and survival, of courage and determination, of tragedy and triumph and […]
GameLoading: Rise of the Indies is a feature documentary exploring the world of indie game developers – their craft, their games, their dreams, and how they have forever changed the landscape of games culture. Disrupting the big-budget industry, indie games have altered the art form through their innovative, varied and personal games. Small teams of […]
It took Enron 16 years to go from ten billion to 65 billion in assets but it only took them 24 days to go bankrupt. This is the timely inside story of one of history’s greatest business scandals, in which top executives of America’s seventh largest company walked away with over one billion dollars while […]
Directed by Danny Boyle, this Academy Award® winning film tells the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a young orphan from the slums of Mumbai who is one question away from the ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ jackpot. Arrested on suspicion of cheating and desperate to prove his innocence, he tells the incredible story […]
The controversial topic of the Stolen Generation is played out in this true story about three Aboriginal girls. Taken from their home and separated from their mothers, they are sent to a remote settlement 1,500 miles away. In response they attempt the impossible and embark on a daring escape and epic journey to find their […]
From the Academy Award-winning producer of MAN ON WIRE comes a powerful, unforgettable music mystery. In the late ‘60s, a musician was discovered in a Detroit bar by two celebrated producers who were struck by his soulful melodies and prophetic lyrics. They recorded an album that they believed was going to secure his reputation as […]
Freakonomics is the highly anticipated adaptation of the phenomenally bestselling book about incentives-based thinking by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. The film examines human behaviour through consistently provocative and often hilarious case studies, bringing together a dream team of filmmakers responsible for some of the most acclaimed and entertaining documentaries in recent years.
Bowling For Columbine is Michael Moore’s most daring and sophisticated film to date. Exploring guns and violence in American society, Moore provokes, he searches, he even pokes fun. Why? He wants to know why is America is so violent? This anatomy of American culture is very funny, moving, challenging and surreal. Bowling For Columbine is […]
To shoot a film in a country where cinema itself is banned is an achievement for any director. When that filmmaker also happens to be a woman, in a country where it is illegal for women to drive or vote, makes Haifaa Al Mansour’s debut feature Wadjda all the more impressive. Most remarkably of all, […]
East Timor, 1975: Five Journalists Are Missing. One Man Searches For The Truth. One Man Fights For Justice As Indonesia prepares to invade the tiny nation of East Timor, five Australian-based journalists go missing. Four weeks later, veteran foreign correspondent Roger East is lured to East Timor by the young and charismatic José Ramos-Horta to […]
FanForce acknowledges that we are on traditional lands, and recognises the global indigenous peoples. We honour all traditional custodians, and pay our respects to spiritual Elders both past and present.