The 70th annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 June 2023. Warwick Thornton's drama film The New Boy opened the festival and James Mangold's action adventure film Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was the closing film.
Asmae El Moudir's documentary film The Mother of All Lies won the Sydney Film Prize.
Juries The following were named as the festival juries:
Sydney Film Prize Anurag Kashyap, Indian director – Jury President Mia Wasikowska, Australian actor Dorothee Wenner, German film curator and journalist Larissa Behrendt, Australian writer and director Visakesa Chandrasekaram, Sri Lankan filmmaker
Official Selection In competition The following films were selected for the main international competition: English title Original title Director(s) Production country Afire Roter Himmel Christian Petzold Germany Art College 1994 藝術學院 Liu Jian ChinaBad Behaviour Alice Englert New Zealand Cobweb 거미집 Kim Jee-woon South KoreaThe Dark Emu Story Allan Clarke Australia Fallen Leaves Kuolleet lehdet Aki Kaurismäki Finland, SwedenJoram Devashish Makhija India Monster 怪物 Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan The Mother of All Lies Kadib Abyad Asmae El Moudir MoroccoThe New Boy Warwick Thornton AustraliaPast Lives Celine Song United StatesScrapper Charlotte Regan United Kingdom
Highlighted title indicates Sydney Film Prize winner.
Special Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production countryAjoomma He Shuming Singapore, South KoreaAsteroid City Wes Anderson United StatesBiosphere Mel Eslyn United StatesKennedy Anurag Kashyap IndiaL'immensità Emanuele Crialese Italy, France Lost in the Night Perdidos en la noche Amat Escalante MexicoPassages Ira Sachs FrancePerfect Days Wim Wenders Japan, Germany Pictures of Ghosts Retratos Fantasmas Kleber Mendonça Filho BrazilRachel's Farm Rachel Ward AustraliaRadical Christopher Zalla Mexico, United StatesReality Tina Satter United StatesRed, White & Brass Damon Fepulea'i New ZealandShortcomings Randall Park United States
Documentary Australia Award English title Original title Director(s)The Cape Michael Ware, Justine A. RosenthalThe Carnival Isabel DarlingClimate Changers Johan GabrielssonThe Defenders Matthew Bate Dipped in Black Marungka Tjalatjunu Matthew Thorne, Derik LynchKeeping Hope Tyson MowarinKindred Adrian Russell Wills, Gillian MoodyThe Last Daughter Brenda Matthews, Nathaniel SchmidtMan on Earth Amiel Courtin-WilsonRachel's Farm Rachel Ward
Features English title Original title Director(s) Production country 20,000 Species of Bees 20.000 Especies de Abjeas Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren SpainAutobiography Makbul Mubarak Indonesia, France, Singapore, Poland, Philippines, Germany, Qatar Beyond the Wall شب، داخلی، دیوار Vahid Jalilvand IranThe Big Dog Dane McCusker AustraliaBirdeater Jack Clark, Jim Weir AustraliaBlue Jean Georgia Oakley United Kingdom The Burdened المرهقون Amr Gamal YemenCarmen Benjamin Millepied Australia, FranceChevalier Stephen Williams United States A Couple Un couple Frederick Wiseman France, United States The Delinquents Los Delicuentes Rodrigo Moreno Argentina, Luxembourg, Chile, BrazilA Gaza Weekend Basil Khalil Palestine, United Kingdom The Happiest Man in the World NajsreЌniot čovek na svetot Teona Strugar Mitevska North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina Heroic Heroico David Zonana Mexico, SwedenHow to Blow Up a Pipeline Daniel Goldhaber United StatesI Like Movies Chandler Levack CanadaThe Lesson Alice Troughton United Kingdom, GermanyLove Road Ulysses Oliver Australia Midwives Sages-Femmes Léa Fehner France Munnel மணல் Visakesa Chandrasekaram Sri LankaMusic Angela Schanelec Germany, France, Serbia No Bears خرس نیست Jafar Panahi Iran Omen Augure Baloji Belgium, France, Netherlands, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, GermanyPiaffe Ann Oren GermanyPretty Red Dress Dionne Edwards United Kingdom Rhinegold Rheingold Fatih Akin Germany, Netherlands, Morocco, MexicoRiceboy Sleeps Anthony Shim CanadaRun Rabbit Run Daina Reid Australia The Shadowless Tower 白塔之光 Zhang Lü ChinaShin Ultraman Shinji Higuchi JapanSilver Haze Sacha Polak Netherlands, United KingdomSira Apolline Traoré Burkina Faso, France, Germany, Senegal Slow Tu man nieko neprimeni Marija Kavtaradzė Lithuania, Spain, Sweden Snow and the Bear Kar ve Ayı Selcen Ergun Turkey, Germany, Serbia Sorcery Brujeria Christopher Murray Chile, Mexico, Germany Subtraction تفریق Mani Haghighi Iran, FranceSunflower Gabriel Carrubba AustraliaTennessine Amin Palangi AustraliaA Thousand and One A. V. Rockwell United StatesTora's Husband Rima Das India When the Waves Are Gone Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon Lav Diaz Philippines, France, Portugal, Denmark A Wild Roomer 괴인 Lee Jeong-hong South Korea The Winter Within Maagh Aamir Bashir India, France, Qatar World War III جنگ جهانی سوم Houman Seyyedi Iran
International Documentaries English title Original title Director(s) Production countryAgainst the Tide Sarvnik Kaur India, FranceThe Arc of Oblivion Ian Cheney United States Between Revolutions Între revoluții Vlad Petri Romania, Croatia, Qatar, IranBeyond Utopia Madeleine Gavin United StatesBlue Bag Life Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, Lisa Selby, Alex Fry United KingdomBobi Wine: The People's President Christopher Sharp, Moses Bwayo Uganda, United Kingdom, United StatesCannes Uncut Roger Penny, Richard Blanshard United KingdomA Cooler Climate James Ivory, Giles Gardner United KingdomThe Corridors of Power Dror Moreh United States, France, GermanyDalton's Dream Kim Longinotto, Franky Murray Brown United Kingdom Eastern Front Shidniy Front Vitaly Mansky, Yevhen Titarenko Latvia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, United States The Echo El Eco Tatiana Huezo Mexico, Germany The Eternal Memory La memoria infinita Maite Alberdi ChileFantastic Machine Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck Sweden, DenmarkFree Money Sam Soko, Lauren DeFilippo Kenya, United StatesFreedom Is Beautiful Angus McDonald AustraliaJoonam Sierra Urich United StatesKim's Video David Redmon, Ashley Sabin United States, France, United KingdomNam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV Amanda Kim United States, South Korea On the Adamant Sur L'Adamant Nicolas Philibert France, Japan Orlando, My Political Biography Orlando, Ma Biographie Politique Paul B. Preciado France Paradise Paradis Alexander Abaturov France, SwitzerlandPray for Our Sinners Sinéad O'Shea IrelandQueendom Agniia Galdanova France, United StatesStephen Curry: Underrated Peter Nicks United StatesA Storm Foretold Christoffer Guldbrandsen DenmarkSubject Jennifer Tiexiera, Camilla Hall United StatesTotal Trust Jialing Zhang Germany, NetherlandsTransition Jordan Bryon, Monica Villamizar Australia, Iran, Afghanistan While We Watched Namaskar! Main Ravish Kumar Vinay Shukla United StatesWho I Am Not Tünde Skovrán Romania, Canada
First Nations English title Original title Director(s) Production countryThe Dark Emu Story Allan Clarke Australia Gaga 哈勇家 Laha Mebow TaiwanKeeping Hope Tyson Mowarin AustraliaKindred Adrian Russell Wills, Gillian Moody AustraliaThe Last Daughter Brenda Matthews, Nathaniel Schmidt AustraliaThe New Boy Warwick Thornton AustraliaTwice Colonized Lin Alluna Denmark, Canada, GreenlandShort filmsBabanil Marlikka Perdrisat Australia Dipped in Black Marungka Tjalatjunu Matthew Thorne, Derik Lynch AustraliaKariwa Kiara Rodriguez-Hextall Australia Katele Mudskipper John Harvey AustraliaMamirnikuwi Rebecca Parker AustraliaPower to Country Josef Jakamarra Egger AustraliaTo Be Silent Tace Stevens Australia Where Have All the Mala Gone? Nyarrpararla Malaju? Anna-Marie Harding Australia
Europe! Voices of Women in Film English title Original title Director(s) Production countryBand Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir Iceland Behind the Haystacks Πίσω από τις θημωνιές Asimina Proedrou Greece, Germany, North MacedoniaElaha Milena Aboyan Germany Family Time Mummola Tia Kouvo Finland, Sweden The Girl from Tomorrow Primadonna Marta Savina Italy, France The Quiet Migration Stille Liv Malene Choi Denmark Smoke Sauna Sisterhood Savvusanna sõsarad Anna Hints Estonia, France, IcelandSunlight Claire Dix Ireland That Afternoon Die middag Nafiss Nia Netherlands Thunder Foudre Carmen Jaquier Switzerland
Sounds on Screen English title Original title Director(s) Production countryJoan Baez: I Am a Noise Karen O'Connor, Miri Navasky, Maeve O'Boyle United StatesLittle Richard: I Am Everything Lisa Cortés United StatesPianoforte Jakub Piątek PolandThree Chords and the Truth Claire Pasvolsky Australia
Late Announce English title Original title Director(s) Production country Anatomy of a Fall Anatomie d'une chute Justine Triet FranceAnselm Wim Wenders Germany Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry შაშვი შაშვი მაყვალი Elene Naveriani Switzerland, GeorgiaClub Zero Jessica Hausner Austria, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Qatar Four Daughters بنات ألفة Kaouther Ben Hania France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia Inshallah a Boy Inshallah Walad Amjad Al Rasheed Jordan, Qatar, France, Saudi ArabiaMay December Todd Haynes United StatesThe Persian Version Maryam Keshavarz United StatesTiger Stripes Amanda Nell Eu Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, QatarShort films Strange Way of Life Extraña forma de vida Pedro Almodóvar Spain
Awards The following awards were presented at the festival: Sydney Film Prize: The Mother of All Lies by Asmae El Moudir Documentary Australia Award for Australian Documentary: Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) by Matthew Thorne and Derik Lynch Sustainable Future Award: Against the Tide by Sarvnik Kaur Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films Dendy Live Action Short Award: The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man by David Ma The Rouben Mamoulian Award: Sophie Somerville for Linda 4 Eva Yoram Gross Animation Award: Teacups by Alec Green and Finbar Watson AFTRS Craft Award: Kalu Oji, Faro Musodza, and Makwaya Masudi for What's In A Name? Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award: Robyn Liu for The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award: Chris Godfrey GIO Audience Awards Best Australian Documentary: The Defenders by Matthew Bate Best Australian Narrative Feature: Birdeater by Jack Clark and Jim Weir Best International Documentary: Beyond Utopia by Madeleine Gavin Best International Feature: Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet
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