The 66th annual Sydney Film Festival was held from 5 to 16 June 2019. Comedy drama film Palm Beach opened the festival and musical romantic comedy film Yesterday was the closing film.
Bong Joon-ho's dark comedy thriller film Parasite won the Sydney Film Prize.
Juries The following were named as the festival juries:
Sydney Film Prize John Maynard, Australian film producer – Jury President Ana Kokkinos, Australian filmmaker Wagner Moura, Brazilian actor Gaylene Preston, New Zealand filmmaker Ritu Sarin, Indian filmmaker
Documentary Australia Foundation Award Robert Nugent, Australian filmmaker Jialing Zhang, Chinese director Toni Stowers, Australian film producer
Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films Dany Cooper, Australian film editor Bill Gosden, New Zealand International Film Festival former director Teona Strugar Mitevska, Macedonian director
Official selection In competition English title Original title Director(s) Production countryBacurau Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles Brazil, FranceBellbird Hamish Bennett New ZealandDirty God Sacha Polak United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija Gospod postoi, imeto ì e Petrunija Teona Strugar Mitevska Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia, France, CroatiaHearts and Bones Ben Lawrence AustraliaJudy and Punch Mirrah Foulkes AustraliaMonos Alejandro Landes Colombia, Argentina, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Uruguay Never Look Away Werk ohne Autor Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Germany Pain and Glory Dolor y gloria Pedro Almodóvar Spain Parasite 기생충 Bong Joon-ho South KoreaThe Souvenir Joanna Hogg United Kingdom Synonyms Synonymes Nadav Lapid France, Germany
Highlighted title indicates Sydney Film Prize winner.
Documentary Australia Foundation Award English title Original title Director(s)I Am No Bird Em BakerIn My Blood It Runs Maya NewellIt All Started with a Stale Sandwich Samantha LangThe Leunig Fragments Kasimir BurgessLife After the Oasis Sascha Ettinger EpsteinLili Peter HegedusMartha: A Picture Story Selina MilesSanctuary Kaye HarrisonShe Who Must Be Loved Erica GlynnWhite Light George Gittoes
Special Presentations English title Original title Director(s) Production countryThe Biggest Little Farm John Chester United StatesBlinded by the Light Gurinder Chadha United Kingdom Children of the Sea 海獣の子供 Ayumu Watanabe JapanThe Dead Don't Die Jim Jarmusch United StatesThe Final Quarter Ian Darling AustraliaHigh Life Claire Denis France, Germany, United KingdomMarighella Wagner Moura BrazilMystify: Michael Hutchence Richard Lowenstein AustraliaPhotograph Ritesh Batra India, United States, GermanyRolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese Martin Scorsese United StatesSkin Guy Nattiv United StatesSlam Partho Sen-Gupta Australia, France So Long, My Son 地久天长 Wang Xiaoshuai ChinaStanding Up for Sunny Steven Vidler AustraliaVarda by Agnès Agnès Varda France
Features English title Original title Director(s) Production countryAkasha Hajooj Kuka Sudan, South Africa, Qatar, GermanyAlpha, The Right To Kill Brillante Mendoza PhilippinesAmerican Woman Jake Scott United StatesAngelo Markus Schleinzer Austria, LuxembourgAnimals Sophie Hyde Australia, Ireland, United KingdomBait Mark Jenkin United KingdomBrittany Runs a Marathon Paul Downs Colaizzo United States Clean Up 호흡 Kwon Man-ki South Korea Cold Sweat عرق سرد Soheil Beiraghi IranDanger Close: The Battle of Long Tan Kriv Stenders Australia Divine Love Divino amor Gabriel Mascaro Brazil, Uruguay, Denmark, Norway, Chile, SwedenDolce Fine Giornata Jacek Borcuch Poland The Extraordinary Journey of Celeste Garcia El viaje extraordinario de Celeste García Arturo Infante Cuba, GermanyFlatland Jenna Bass South Africa, Luxembourg, Germany Ghost Town Anthology Répertoire des villes disparues Denis Côté CanadaHer Smell Alex Ross Perry United StatesHappy New Year, Colin Burstead Ben Wheatley United KingdomI Am Mother Grant Sputore AustraliaIn Fabric Peter Strickland United Kingdom Jesus 僕はイエス様が嫌い Hiroshi Okuyama Japan Journey to a Mother's Room Viaje al cuarto de una madre Celia Rico Clavellino Spain, FranceKursk Thomas Vinterberg France, Belgium, LuxembourgLadyworld Amanda Kramer United States Manta Ray กระเบนราหู Phuttiphong Aroonpheng Thailand, France, ChinaThe Mountain Rick Alverson United StatesThe Nightingale Jennifer Kent AustraliaÖndög Wang Quan'an Mongolia Our Time Nuestro tiempo Carlos Reygadas Germany, Mexico, France, Sweden, DenmarkPapi Chulo John Butler United States, Ireland Piranhas La paranza dei bambini Claudio Giovannesi ItalyThe Public Emilio Estevez United States Saturday Afternoon Shonibar Bikel Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Bangladesh, Germany School's Out L'heure de la sortie Sébastien Marnier France Screwdriver Mafak Bassam Jarbawi Palestine, United States, QatarSequin in a Blue Room Samuel Van Grinsven AustraliaSibel Çağla Zencirci, Guillaume Giovanetti France, Germany, Turkey, LuxembourgSuburban Wildlife Imogen McCluskey Australia The Sweet Requiem སྐྱོ་དབྱངས་མངར་མོ། Ritu Sarin, Tenzing Sonam India, United States A Tale of Three Sisters Kız Kardeşler Emin Alper Turkey, Germany The Third Wife Vợ ba Ash Mayfair Vietnam This Is Not Berlin Esto no es Berlín Hari Sama MexicoThe Wedding Guest Michael Winterbottom United KingdomThe White Crow Ralph Fiennes United Kingdom, United States, SerbiaYuli: The Carlos Acosta Story Icíar Bollaín Spain, Cuba, United Kingdom, Germany
International Documentary English title Original title Director(s) Production countryThe Amazing Johnathan Documentary Ben Berman United StatesAmerican Factory Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert United StatesAnthropocene: The Human Epoch Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky CanadaApollo 11 Todd Douglas Miller United StatesThe Biggest Little Farm John Chester United StatesThe Brink Alison Klayman United StatesBuddha in Africa Nicole Schafer Sweden, South AfricaThe Edge of Democracy Petra Costa BrazilHail Satan? Penny Lane United StatesHalston Frédéric Tcheng United StatesHoneyland Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska Macedonia Just Don't Think I'll Scream Ne croyez surtout pas que je hurle Frank Beauvais FranceThe Kleptocrats Sam Hobkinson, Havana Marking United KingdomLeftover Women Hilla Medalia, Shosh Shlam GermanyMaiden Alex Holmes United KingdomMeeting Gorbachev Werner Herzog, André Singer United States, United Kingdom, GermanyMerata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen Heperi Mita New ZealandMidnight Family Luke Lorentzen United States, MexicoMidnight Traveler Hassan Fazili United States, Qatar, Canada, United KingdomThe Miracle of the Little Prince Marjoleine Boonstra NetherlandsMonrovia, Indiana Frederick Wiseman United StatesNothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy Elizabeth Carroll United StatesOn the Inside of a Military Dictatorship Karen Stokkendal Poulsen Denmark, FranceOne Child Nation Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang China, United StatesPicture Character Ian Cheney, Martha Shane United States, Germany, Japan, Argentina, Austria, United Kingdom, ScotlandReason Anand Patwardhan IndiaSchool of Seduction Alina Rudnitskaya DenmarkSea of Shadows Richard Ladkani AustriaShooting the Mafia Kim Longinotto Ireland, United StatesTalking About Trees Suhaib Gasmelbari France, Germany, Sudan, Chad, QatarTrixie Mattel: Moving Parts Nick Zeig-Owens United StatesUntouchable Ursula Macfarlane United StatesUp the Mountain Zhang Yang ChinaVarda by Agnès Agnès Varda France The Wandering Chef 밥정 Park Hye-ryeong South KoreaWhat Will Become of Us Steven Cantor United StatesXY Chelsea Tim Travers Hawkins United States
Sounds On Screen English title Original title Director(s) Production countryAmazing Grace Alan Elliott United StatesDavid Crosby: Remember My Name A. J. Eaton United StatesA Dog Called Money Seamus Murphy United Kingdom, IrelandInna de Yard: The Soul of Jamaica Peter Webber FranceMarianne & Leonard: Words of Love Nick Broomfield United KingdomMiles Davis: Birth of the Cool Stanley Nelson Jr. United States, United Kingdom
Europe! Voices of Women in Film English title Original title Director(s) Production countryThe Best of Dorien B. Anke Blondé Belgium, Netherlands Caviar Kaviar Elena Tikhonova Austria The Deposit Tryggð Ásthildur Kjartansdóttir Iceland Ever After Endzeit Carolina Hellsgård GermanyOnly You Harry Wootliff United Kingdom Pause Παύση Tonia Mishiali Cyprus, Greece Queen of Hearts Dronningen May el-Toukhy Denmark, SwedenRetrospekt Esther Rots Netherlands, BelgiumScheme Birds Ellen Fiske, Ellinor Hallin Sweden, United KingdomWhen Tomatoes Met Wagner Marianna Economou Greece
Focus on New Zealand English title Original title Director(s) Production countryCapital in the 21st Century Justin Pemberton New ZealandThe Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps Julia Parnell New ZealandDaffodils David Stubbs New ZealandThe Heart Dances Rebecca Tansley New ZealandMerata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen Heperi Mita New Zealand
First Nations English title Original title Director(s) Production countryThe Body Remembers When the World Broke Open Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn Canada, NorwayDark Place Kodie Bedford, Perun Bonser, Rob Braslin, Liam Phillips, Bjorn Stewart AustraliaShe Who Must Be Loved Erica Glynn AustraliaVai Nicole Whippy, Amberley Jo Aumua, Becs Arahanga, Matasila Freshwater, Dianna Fuemana, Mīria George, ʻOfa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Sharon Whippy New Zealand
Awards The following awards were presented at the festival:
Sydney Film Prize: Parasite by Bong Joon-ho Documentary Australia Award for Australian Documentary: She Who Must Be Loved by Erica Glynn Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films Dendy Live Action Short Award: All These Creatures by Charles Williams Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director: Charles Williams for All These Creatures Yoram Gross Animation Award: Sohrab and Rustum by Lee Whitmore Event Cinemas Australian Short Screenplay Award: Michael Hudson for Ties That Bind Special Mention: Victoria Hunt for Take Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award: Darren Dale and Rachel Perkins of Blackfella Films
References
External links
66th Sydney Film Festival program guide