Every June, we get to watch a range of new movies and see awards being handed at the Sydney Film Festival. With a number of domestic movies making appearances, the event also offers a glimpse into where cinema is heading in Australia. From what stories are being told to what new filmmakers are emerging, there’s a lot to discuss about the 72nd SFF.

Watching and Participating in New Movies

Like every year, appearing in SFF were several new fiction debuts that tackle new topics or old ones but in an innovative manner.

The 72nd SFF brought us Emma Hough Hobbs’ Lesbian Space Princess, an animated sci-fi romantic adventure with a message that queer storytelling doesn’t have to be confined to realistic or coming-out tropes, but can instead roam freely through other genre worlds.

WA director Zoe Pepper’s Birthright uses absurdity and family pressure to probe housing, economic precarity, and generational frustration.

Together, these films indicate that the next wave of Australia narrative cinema doesn’t look for safety in realism or convention. Instead, new filmmakers treat genre, tone, and formal tones as idioms through which they can express their views on topics such as inequality, queer identity, or alienation. And these are exactly the topics modern audiences want to engage in.

Through Q&As and interactive screenings, this new generation of cinema fans act more as collaborators in the experience. They help shape the event itself, turning cinema into a dialogue rather than a monologue.

This is the type of interactivity we’re seeing more and more, especially in online spaces. With apps like Letterboxd, cinema fans are expressing their opinions on movies and the topics they tackle more than ever. They’re not just sharing them with their friends but with millions of others online. 

The same level of interactivity is seen in other entertainment industries. From livestreaming concerts with others to helping shape setlists, fans are helping create music experiences rather than just consuming them. Casinos with instant payouts in the AU create that same sense of engagement with live dealers, real-time chat, and shared play.

Embracing Local Narratives through Documentaries

SFF also brought us several documentaries made in Australia that are deeply rooted in place, memory, and crisis. 

One of the best examples of this is Floodland, which focuses on Lismore, the country’s most flood-affected postcode. Filmed for over three years, this documentary brings up the topic of natural disasters through personal stories of three residents of the town.

Narrated by Hugh Jackman, Journey Home, David Gulpilil, deals with topics such as grief, ceremony, and community, tracing the final journey of the famous Indigenous actor as he’s laid to rest in his homeland in Arnhem Land, NT.


The fantastic Emily: I am Kam reanimates archival footage to document life, art, and legacy of Emily Kam Kngwarray. The “Anmatyerr Elder” earned worldwide fame in the 80s and became the highest-selling female artist in national history.

The documentaries mentioned above show how Australia’s non-fiction cinema is tackling ever-relevant topics such as environment and Indigenous knowledge. They play an important role in spreading awareness about current issues and helping audiences with stories that may not be getting the attention they deserve.

Restoration and the Legacy of Old Movies

While SFF is often associated with novelties in Australia’s cinema, it also offers a chance for everyone to remember some of the country’s classics, but in 4K. Restored for this year’s event were Muriel’s Wedding, Somersault, and Mullet.

Bringing back these movies helps remind the audiences of topics tackled earlier by legendary directors, but it also gives new filmmakers reference points for what contemporary cinema can build upon or push against.

Not only this but placing restored classics right next to new, radical voices, the festival prompts the audiences to ask themselves where Australia’s cinema came from and where it’s going.