The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) runs from October 24th to November 3rd. The full programme is here, so you can secure tickets ahead of some film screenings very soon.

Premieres at BIFF 2024 will be Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, Emilia Perez starring Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana, Nightbitch starring Amy Adams, The Brutalist starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce, and the film I would be running out to watch, Sean Baker’s Palme D’or-winning Anora.

Here are all the films that are screening at the Brisbane International Film Festival 2024:

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10 CANOES

A story within a story. In Australia’s Northern Territory, a man tells one of the stories of his people and his land. It’s the story of an older man, Minygululu, who has three wives and realises that his younger brother Dayindi may try to steal away the youngest wife.

So, over a few days and several trips to hunt and gather, Minygululu tells Dayindi a story set in the time of their ancestors when a stranger came to the village and disrupted the lives of a serious man named Ridjimiraril, his three wives, and his younger brother Yeeralparil who had no wife and liked to visit his youngest sister-in-law.

Through stories, can values be taught and balance achieved?

A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA

Having just robbed a jewellery store only to discover their getaway car has been impounded, a notorious criminal and his adult son Paulo (Artus) chance upon an unexpected escape route when they are mistakenly ushered onto a bus bound for a summer camp for young adults with disabilities.

Kicking off a series of misadventures, it also becomes a profound experience that transforms the pair forever. What begins as a desperate escape plan turns into an unexpected journey of personal growth and connection, altering their lives in ways they never anticipated.

Popular French comedian Artus writes, directs and stars in this warm and deeply humanistic comedy, one that promotes acceptance and diversity. And it’s a story that resonated with French audiences too; achieving the second best opening in French cinema history and surpassing 10 million admissions to become one of the highest grossing French titles of all time.

AGENT OF HAPPINESS

How can you measure happiness? The country of Bhutan invented Gross National Happiness to do just that, and Amber is one of the agents who travels door to door to meet people and survey how happy they really are. He is still living with his elderly mother at the age of 40, but dreams of finding love and happiness of his own.

Travelling across the stunning Himalayas we meet citizens from all walks of life. This audience pleaser is heartfelt and humorous but never shies away from the darker tones of loneliness or alcoholism.

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT

All We Imagine as Light follows the lives of two roommates living in Mumbai, India. The eldest, a nurse named Prabha, has been estranged from her husband for more than a year, yet believes he will eventually try reconnecting with her. The youngest, a woman named Anu, spends her day frantically searching for a place in the city where she can be intimate with her boyfriend, a muslim.

When a gift from Prabha’s husband appears at her door all the way from Germany, the three travel to a beach town to find some space, in which their desires begin to manifest.

India’s first film to be selected at the Cannes Film Festival in over 30 years, and the first film by a filmmaker of Indian descent to win the Grand Prix, All We Imagine as Light is an event any cinephile wouldn’t want to miss.

ANDAMOOKA (includes Q&A with director Mara Jean Quinn)

After her East Coast existence falls apart, a sheltered and somewhat naive Alex heads to the outback. Armed with an old ute and a quest to spend this milestone birthday with her best friend, Alex aims for tiny opal mining town Andamooka.

Set amongst natural Australian landscapes Alex must face herself and get accustomed to being alone. Her experiences as a woman are intimately explored alongside her grief. We witness the different selves she presents to the world.

We journey through her awakening to the magic and power of Indigenous culture. Her newfound cultural appreciation forges a deeper relationship with the continent she’s always called home. Alex encounters all sorts of salt of the earth locals, including a charming metal head as well as a Japanese Hitchhiker, adding to the tapestry of her trip.

ANORA

A young sex worker from Brooklyn marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only for her new in-laws to try and annul her Cinderella Story.

Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

AQUARIUS (includes Q&A)

In 1973 Australia, at the height of the anti-consumerism movement, a festival was held in Australia’s Northern NSW town of Nimbin. Thousands flocked to the event; artists, activists, hippies, radical students, gurus and visionaries. A group drawn together by their shared radical visions, unconventional cultural views and beliefs.

Set to be a celebration of alternative lifestyles, music, and communal living, what resulted was 10 days of social and cultural exploration that changed a generation and created a lasting legacy.

Through personal accounts and historical context, Aquarius tells the story of these free-spirited attendees banding together against Australian law enforcement, amidst drugs and personal drama. The documentary provides an historical perspective on the significant role the festival played in shaping the local and national countercultural scene, leaving a lasting impression on Australian society. It’s a perfectly organised blend of Australian hippy chaos.

AUDREY (includes Q&A with cast members Josephine Balzier, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor and director, Natalie Bailey)

Audrey is a dark comedy about forgotten soap star and self appointed Mother of the Year, Ronnie Lipstick, who has spent the better part of her adult life shaping her doppelganger daughter, Audrey, into the star Ronnie always wanted to be.

When, during an all too familiar mother and daughter argument, Audrey falls from the roof and lands in a coma; Ronnie, realising all their hopes and dreams are now under threat, decides to take action the only way she knows how and assumes Audrey’s identity to attend a much-lauded acting masterclass with the potential to launch Audrey’s career.

For most families, a child in a coma would cause them to crumble: Audrey’s coma sees her family go from strength to strength, allowing them for the first time to have success in love, career and home. However, when Audrey unexpectedly regains consciousness, everything starts to crumble and decay.

BABES

Inseparable childhood besties Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) live totally different lives in New York City; Eden is single, wild and living her best life, while Dawn is a steady, married, mother of two.

When Eden finds herself unexpectedly pregnant from a one-night stand, their friendship is thrown into a hilarious tailspin. As she navigates the rollercoaster of pregnancy and her impending motherhood, Dawn, with her own chaotic family life, is dragged along for the ride.

Written by Broad City’s Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz and directed by King of the Hill’s Pamela Aldon, Babes dives into the honest realities faced by women during pregnancy, as well as the messy, and laugh-out-loud world of female friendship. A journey filled with drama, joy, tears and plenty of labour pains, it’s a must see for anyone who loves a good, heartfelt belly laugh.

BLACK DOG

After serving time in prison, Lang returns to his hometown on the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China where he was a local celebrity thanks to his time as a stunt motorcyclist and musician.

Upon release, he takes on a job for the government rounding up stray dogs in the surrounding areas, in preparation for China to host the 2008 Olympics. During this assignment, Lang forms an unexpected bond with a solitary black dog. Discovering compassion he didn’t know he could muster for a canine, the two outcasts embark on a journey together.

Through this poignant narrative, the film’s director Guan Hu offers a glimpse into the lives of those living in China’s neglected rural areas, shedding light on personal stories that have been overshadowed by the country’s rapid industrialisation and subsequent economic growth.

CARNAGE FOR CHRISTMAS (Q&A with star of the film, Jeremy Moineau, alongside Producer/Director, Alice Maio Mackay)

When trans true-crime podcaster and amateur detective Lola returns to her hometown for Christmas after fleeing 16 years ago, she is expecting the reaction to her transition to be the biggest drama. Instead, she finds herself facing a chilling challenge; the vengeful ghost of a historical murderer and local urban legend appears to be on a new killing spree.

Lola must unravel the mystery and stop the bloodshed before her town is torn apart. As she dives deeper and looks below the surface, Lola is confronted by not only a deranged, psychotic killer but also a town haunted by dark secrets and hidden truths. Lola employs her crime-cracking skills and enlists the help of her queer community to put a stop to the grisly yet wildly imaginative murders.

CUCKOO

Gretchen (Hunter Schafer, Euphoria) is forced to relocate to Bavaria with her distant father and stepmother. Eerily picture perfect, soon enough she realises that in this little resort town not everything is as it seems. Plagued by visions and bloody apparitions, Gretchen gets drawn into a bizarre string of conspiracies and experiments. At the head of it all is Herr König (Dan Stevens, Legion).

Fresh from its festival run through Berlin and SXSW, The Cuckoo is a thrilling horror that makes a bloodied final-girl out of Hunter Schafer. And a friendly reminder to always look behind you…

DADDIO

After landing into JFK airport, a woman takes a taxi ride home to her Manhattan apartment. During her journey, she engages in unexpectedly candid conversations about relationships, sex, power dynamics, loss, and vulnerability with her driver, a warm and unassuming middle aged man.

Starring Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson, who also produced the film, the two share an undeniable chemistry. Penn gives a tremendously engaging performance as a salty, working-class New York taxi driver, while Johnson perfectly portrays a vulnerable Manhattan woman navigating the complexities of modern love and a complicated relationship.

DOUBLE OR NOTHING (includes Q&A)

Ex-con cousins Nick and Turbo work at a Mob-run Gold Coast workshop, trying to stay out of trouble. But when their boss Col tangles with a violent rival, chaos erupts.

The workshop is taken over, leaving Nick and Turbo jobless and desperate to support Nick’s sick sister, Mel. Worse, the Mob discovers Turbo’s been skimming, and $50k is missing.

The cousins have 72 hours to recover the cash or face deadly consequences. What follows is a high-energy, comedic race against time as Nick, who’s trying to stay invisible, teams up with Turbo, a wisecracking whirlwind, to retrieve the money, dodge a psychotic Mob boss, and survive their own chaotic partnership. What could possibly go wrong?

EMILIA PEREZ

Rita, a criminal lawyer at a large firm has hit a slump in life. She’s overqualified for her role, severely undervalued and unmotivated, with the company she works for more interested in helping its clients escape justice rather than being held accountable.

Things take a dramatic turn when out of the blue, a Mexican cartel leader, Manitas, offers her a work opportunity. He wants her help to retire from his business, withdraw from the criminal world and disappear for good, by transitioning into the woman he has always wanted to be.

With liberating song, dance and wonderful visuals, Emilia Pérez is a Spanish-language French film starring Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofía Gascón.

FLATHEAD (includes Q&A with director Jaydon Martin)

Shot in striking black and white, Jaydon Martin’s directorial debut is part documentary about day-to-day life in coastal Queensland, with a cast playing themselves, and part dream like narrative.

A former drug addict whose life has been marked by tragedy, the frail Cass leaves Sydney and heads back to Bundaberg to take stock of his life. Religion helps console him, while drinking and partying help pass the time. Most touching of all is a budding friendship with Andrew, a Chinese-Australian chip-shop owner who is dealing with his own grief.

FUTURE COUNCIL

In this powerful feature documentary, director Damon Gameau successfully brings the future generation to the forefront of climate change conversions.

Gameau takes a group of eight adventurous kids who form a ‘Future Council’ on a thrilling road trip across Europe where they challenge businesses and leaders in search of solutions to our greatest ecological challenges. The group treks across the continent in a very fitting bio-fueled “Bumble Bus”, meeting with representatives from some of the world’s largest and most powerful companies. The kids do what kids do best, and ask the hard hitting questions with bold and inquisitive bluntness, in a delightfully innocent way that only children can.

This timely story is set to captivate and inspire audiences of all ages, and provides an honest look at what it will take to make us and the world, a better place.

GRAND TOUR

Edward, a cowardly civil servant, flees from Rangoon in British Burma, after his fiancée arrived from London to marry him.

His fiancee, a young woman named Molly, is amused and gives chase across Asia, hellbent on marrying him.

The two play a game of cat and mouse, as Edward contemplates the loneliness of his existence, while Molly meets another gentleman and we begin to understand the reasons for her actions. Grand Tour won director Miguel Gomes Best Director at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

GREEN BORDER

In the treacherous forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa try to reach the European Union.

Unwittingly trapped in a political game cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to provoke the European powers. Refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU.

Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

30 years after Europa Europa, three-time Oscar Nominee Agnieszka Holland’s poignant new feature Green Border opens our eyes, speaks to the heart, and challenges us to reflect on the moral choices that fall to ordinary people every day.

I SAW THE TV GLOW

Owen’s a typical suburban teenager trying to navigate his way through his emotionally confusing highschool years. His life takes a weird turn when a classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show, that reveals a supernatural world beneath their own.

The pair bond over their obsession with the show which leads them to question their own identities and reality, and creates pressures and conflict within their own personal and families lives.

Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw The TV Glow is an American psychological horror drama film that builds upon the emo-horror genre Schoenbrun created with her debut film, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.

IN VITRO

This thrilling Australian sci-fi meets mystery meets thriller, follows Layla and her husband, Jack, who live on a remote and struggling cattle property in New South Wales.

Jack has been developing innovative livestock breeding processes, however these are failing and the farm is in financial strain, amid ecological disasters.

The isolated rural life is far from what Layla envisioned, and she deeply longs for her son to return home from boarding school. While Jack is absorbed in biotechnology experiments he hopes will save his farm and livelihood, unsettling occurrences on the property heighten Layla’s sense of unease. As the farm’s financial struggles deepen, she becomes increasingly concerned about a disturbing presence around her.

INSIDE

Mel Blight has recently turned 18, and is being moved from juvenile detention, to a maximum security prison for adults.

Upon his arrival, he is quick to discover his new cellmate is Mark Shepeard, one of Australia’s most infamous inmates. Another inmate, Warren Muffet, tries to recruit Mel into murdering Mark, after a hit is taken out on him. With Mark soon set for release and a teenage son waiting a return, Mel must make an impossible decision: give in to Warren and follow his orders, or give his cellmate a second chance at life.

LA COCINA

It’s the lunch rush at The Grill in Manhattan, and money has gone missing from the till. All the undocumented cooks are being investigated, and Pedro is the prime suspect.

He’s a dreamer and a troublemaker, and in love with Julia, an American waitress who cannot commit to a relationship. Rashid, The Grill’s owner, has promised to help Pedro with his papers so he can “become legal”. But a shocking revelation about Julia compels Pedro to spiral into an act that will stop the production line of one of the city’s busiest kitchens once and for all.

MARIA

Maria tells the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest female opera singer, Maria Callas, relived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.

NIGHTBITCH

A woman pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom, but soon her domesticity takes a surreal turn.

One day, the mother was a mother, but then, one night, she was something else. At home full-time with her two-year-old son, an artist finds she is struggling, lonely, and exhausted. Her husband, always travelling for work, calling her from faraway hotel rooms. One more toddler bedtime, and she might lose her mind.

150 (includes Q&A with star Erchana Murray-Bartlett)

150 is an inspiring, hilarious, and downright gob-smacking story that follows Erchana Murray-Bartlett’s dream to break a Guinness World Record by running 150 marathons in 150 days.

Narrated by TV personality Osher Günsberg, 150 captures this seemingly impossible adventure with heart and humour, as one woman battles unavoidable injury, physical exhaustion, and her own mental toughness to run from the top of mainland Australia to the bottom. 6500 kms.

Spanning the most gruelling landscape on the planet, through some of the wildest weather imaginable, this heartwarming documentary celebrates failure, vulnerability, and the pursuit of a childhood dream. With the entire world watching every step, when everything and anything can happen, 150 proves that the only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves.

PIECE BY PIECE

This motion picture reconstructs the magic and brilliance of Pharrell Williams’ music using the beloved LEGO® bricks, piece by piece.

He’s the genius behind some of the most popular songs of the last 20 years, and even a few movie soundtracks too. Now, it’s time for the legendary Pharrel Williams to tell his story, through LEGO®?

To quote the man, just be open. Journey back to his childhood and discover where Pharrell fell in love with music, how he got his start producing, and even how he impressed music royalty. Supported by an all-star cast, and assembled by the LEGO® Group, Piece by Piece brings the most ambitious and magical biographic motion picture in cinematic history to life, brick by brick.

RUMOURS

This satire comedy follows the leaders of the wealthy G7 nations – the US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, France, and the UK – who get lost in the woods amidst trying to address a global crisis. They find themselves in a bizarre situation without any of their staff, having to rely on their own clumsy efforts to escape.

When the cameras are off and they are left to their own devices, things really start to unravel in the most hilarious way.

With a strong cast including Cate Blanchett, Roy Dupuis and Charles Dance, Rumours highlights the impacts that personal dramas and cultural pressure can have on the lives of those in the public eye.

It’s the latest from co-directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, a playfully entertaining film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to glowing reviews.

SASQUATCH SUNSET

A family of Sasquatches, on a quest to find others of their species, instead discover themselves at the centre of an absurd ever-changing world.

Deep In the forests of North America, a family of Sasquatches, possibly the last of their kind, embark on a noble, but ultimately poignant journey over the course of a year. These shaggy giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with an ever-changing world.

SATURDAY NIGHT

Directed by Jason Reitman, Saturday Night is a hilarious comedy that captures the 90 minutes of barely contained chaos leading up to the first broadcast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

Offering viewers a glimpse behind the curtain the night a motley crew of unruly comedians took over network TV, it offers an intimate, albeit, hilarious look at the creative process (if you can call it that) of the show’s cast, writers, and crew as they prepared for the very first live broadcast.

Taking place amidst the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War and a rise in counterculture, what unfolded that night was wild, but truly iconic. Saturday Night Live eventually became the legendary late-night show that introduced audiences to John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Kristin Wiig, Jimmy Fallon and so many more notable comedians we know today.

SEPTEMBER SAYS

Born just 10 months apart, teenage sisters July and September are inseparable, though they couldn’t be more different.

September is the leader, fiercely protective and wary of others, while July is more outgoing, adventurous and eager to explore. They live with their single mother Sheela, who they tolerate as teenage girls do, though she constantly feels overwhelmed with the task of raising them, particularly concerned about their contrasting personalities.

After September is suspended from school, life as they know it changes. July begins to change, she asserts her independence towards her sister and acts on a crush she has on a boy at school which is when things go sour. On a family holiday to rural Ireland tension escalates with a series of unexpected and confusing events.

SHARKO

A documentary about Rugby League legend Mark “Sharko” Graham, and his filmmaker son, Luke.

Together, they travel to New Zealand, where the son learns about his dad’s working class upbringing and the sport he fell in love with. The only player to be inducted into the Australian and New Zealand Halls of Fame, Mark’s experience as a professional sportsman was a far cry from the lifestyle modern footballers enjoy.

Told through the in-depth lens and skewed perspective of his film-maker son, a shared personal history scarred by pain is revealed. As he learns more about his father’s past, Luke comes to a realisation about the man he idolised.

In the 21st century, notions of masculinity, fatherhood, mental health and identity have changed radically from the era Mark came from. Sharko explores what these mean and how generational patterns can change, but only through understanding and reflection.

STRESS POSITIONS

Back when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world, a gay man named Terry was looking after his Morocco nephew Balhul, who recently broke his leg on an e-scooter.

With Brooklyn, like the rest of the world, in a COVID panic, Terry tries to keep Balhul safe and quiet, until their neighbourhood catches wind. Soon, the entire block is finding ways to sneak into the apartment and meet the young model, much to his uncles dismay.

Stress Postions invites you to relive the craziness that was the pandemic, and laugh alongside the ways people tried to survive it.

SUJO

After a cartel gunman from a small Mexican town is murdered, Sujo, his beloved four-year-old son, is left an orphan and in danger.

Sujo narrowly escapes death with the help of his aunt who raises him in the isolated countryside amidst hardship, poverty, and the constant peril associated with his identity. When he enters his teens a rebelliousness awakens in him, and like a rite of passage, he joins the local cartel.

As a young man, Sujo attempts to make his life anew, away from the violence of his hometown. However, when his father’s legacy catches up with him, he will come face-to-face with what seems to be his destiny. An unconventional and uplifting narcos film.

TATAMI

An Iranian Judoka must make a life-changing decision between staying loyal to her country or winning a Gold Medal at the World Championships.

Judoka Leila and Coach Maryam, travel to the Judo World Championships, intent on winning gold. Midway through competing, the Islamic Republic issues an ultimatum, either she withdraws, or be branded a traitor. With her world at stake, Leila must choose between complying with the regime or chase that gold medal.

TEACHES OF PEACHES

Merrill Nisker, known by her stage name “Peaches”, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and performance artist known for her provocative and genre-blending music. She’s a trailblazing feminist queer icon whose work explores themes of sexuality, gender, and identity.

Peaches gained significant attention in 2000 when she released her breakthrough album “The Teaches of Peaches,” which established her as a prominent figure in the music industry.

This explosive Teddy Award–winning documentary chronicles the 20th anniversary album tour, one of the wildest of the decade.

German directors Philipp Fussenegger and Judy Landkammer have seamlessly stitched together archival clips and recent footage from the 20th anniversary shows, giving audiences front-row access to the distinctive sound, bold persona and theatrical performances that have earned this performer a dedicated following and critical acclaim. Boasting copious amounts of nudity, genderqueer dancers and colourful roadies, this film delivers both striking visual artistry and powerful political commentary.

THE AEGEAN (includes Q&A with director, Jacob Richardson)

Hector, an elderly widowed fisherman, finds himself trapped in a world that seems to have moved on without him, leaving him feeling obsolete and forgotten. However, his desolate existence takes an unexpected turn when he crosses paths with Theodore, a teenage refugee in desperate need of a guardian to rescue him from a perilous situation.

As fate intertwines their lives, Hector and Theodore embark on a transformative journey, navigating the vast and captivating expanse of the Aegean Sea. Through their journey, Hector and Theodore not only find reasons to go on, but they also learn valuable lessons about compassion, resilience, and the power of human connection.

The Aegean tells a timeless tale of redemption, where age meets unwavering purpose, revealing that even the most weathered souls can still embark on extraordinary journeys.

THE BALCONETTES

This part-ghost story, part-horror, part-feminist comedy takes place during a scorching Marseille heatwave.

Three female roommates take refuge from the relentless sun on their apartment’s balcony. Unashamedly spying and gossiping about their neighbours, particularly a handsome and enigmatic man. Flirtation, fantasies and imagination lead to a few late night drinks in his apartment. A troubling dispute spirals into bloody chaos as the story delves into the complexities of coercion and consent, along with a generous splash of blood and gore.

This French film is just as dark as it is hilarious and made headlines when it premiered in the Midnight Screenings at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, where it competed for the Queer Palm, an independently sponsored prize for selected LGBT-relevant films.

THE BRUTALIST

When visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client.

Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building.

But power and legacy come at a heavy cost…

THE COLORS WITHIN

A teenage girl with the special ability to see the colors of others, forms a band with two other teenages in this animated treat.

Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the ‘colours’ of others. Colours of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a colour she treasures as her favourite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful colour of all. Although she doesn’t play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practise at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections. Will they discover their true ‘colors’?

THE DEAD DON’T HURT

In the early 1860s, two immigrants meet and agree to settle down together in the quiet town of Elk Flats, Nevada.

They build a life together, finding joy and beauty amid the harsh conditions. The outbreak of the civil war separates them when Olsen makes a fateful decision to fight for the Union. This leaves Vivienne to fend for herself in a place controlled by a corrupt Mayor and his partners.

Both a tragic love story and a nuanced depiction of the conflict between revenge and forgiveness, this is a portrait of a passionate woman determined to stand up for herself in an unforgiving world dominated by ruthless men.

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF WESTERLY WINDINA (includes Q&A)

In the 1960s and 70s, Australian surfer Peter Drouyn was on top of the surfing world. Drouyn dominated the international competitive ranks, changed the way modern surf competitions are run, and introduced surfing to China. But behind the macho surf-star persona and the adoration of contemporaries was an athlete who felt ostracized by a culture that was often hypermasculine and sexist. In the 1980s, Drouyn drifted away from competitive surfing and all but disappeared from the public eye.

In 2008, years after nearly drowning in a traumatic and life-changing surfing accident, Drouyn suddenly resurfaced by coming out as a trans-woman on national television. Her new name, she said, was Westerly Windina. “It was a supernova,” Westerly said of her gender awakening. “It just kicked in one night, and suddenly Peter went; Westerly was there.” The surf community, and Australia at large, were astonished.

Though she’d once been a top-tier athlete with sponsorships and a burgeoning acting career, Westerly was now living in public housing on Australia’s Gold Coast; alone, poor, and often taunted by her neighbours. The Life and Death of Westerly Windina explores Westerly’s upbringing, her years as a surfing titan, and follows her into a new chapter as she searches for acceptance from friends, family, a still hyper-masculine sport, and most importantly, from herself.

THE LOST TIGER (includes Q&A with director, Chantelle Murray)

Like A Photon’s Tales From Sanctuary City grows with its latest addition. Follow Teo, one of the last Thylacines, as he is taken in by a family of Kangaroos.

Teo carries with him a mysterious crystal necklace, the only clue left by those who abandoned him. An adventure for the whole family, The Lost Tiger is the first animated feature from Australia to be written and directed by an Indigenous woman.

THE MOOGAI

A young Aboriginal couple have just had their first child, but what should be one of the happiest times in their lives turns to terror when Sarah (Sharee Sebens, The Sapphires) starts seeing a malevolent spirit she believes is trying to take her baby.

Her husband Fergus desperately wants to believe her, but as she becomes more unstable he is increasingly concerned for the safety of their child. Is Sarah really being visited by a child-stealing spirit or is she the biggest threat to their family’s safety? The Moogai explores post-natal depression, transgenerational trauma and Australia’s stolen generation. But it is also a story of the value of children and the power of family.

THE MOON IS UPSIDE DOWN

Three very different women’s lives fleetingly intersect as they search for belonging in an upside down world.Natalia, a mail-order bride from Siberia, arrives in Aotearoa to discover that her dream of running a café at her new husband’s remote petrol station, is far from reality.

Anaesthetist Briar lives in exhausted chaos, cheered up by an online relationship with her elder sister’s ex boyfriend Tim. Their romantic weekend away disintegrates when Briar hits and injures a kahu in the middle of nowhere and is determined to keep it alive. Faith is shocked when she discovers that a block of flats she purchased on behalf of her absent husband, included a dead tenant in its chattels. Driven by her empathy for Rita’s lonely death, Faith is determined to find a way to honour Rita’s life.

THE NATURE OF LOVE

Sophia, a 40-year-old philosophy professor, is in a long-term stable but somewhat socially-conforming relationship with Xavier, her intellectual equal but a man who is more her best friend than lover. Sylvain is the working-class contractor hired to renovate their holiday home in the Canadian woods.

Despite their differences, Sophia and Sylvain share an electrifying, creative, and uncontrollable sexual chemistry and an unpredictable affair begins. Exploring the nature of desire in a rom -com for the modern age, this film radiates with wit, passion and warmth.

THE ORGANIST (includes Q&A)

When Graham, a broker who buys vital organs on behalf of a shady company, discovers that his purchases land on the plate of a cannibal, his crisis of conscience drives him to befriend Riley, a deeply suicidal universal donor.

Riley has a karmic system, one that tallies his good and bad deeds and weighs them against each other. Graham adopts Riley’s system, granting him hope for redemption. Against the Company’s wishes, Graham and Riley scheme to distribute Riley’s organs to the terminally ill…only for Riley to regain the will to live at the last minute.

Abandoned and alone, Graham is forced to renege on his commitments to the donors he promised a second chance at life. After a round of waterboarding by a sadistic HR manager Tracy, Graham’s guilty conscience drives him to acts far worse than what he originally sought to find absolution for.

THE PIANO LESSON

A brother and sister’s battle over a prized heirloom piano unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived — and who defines a family legacy.

Blood is a chord that resonates through time. Immerse yourself in the melody of the Doaker Charles household.

A story that spans generations, years of history culminate as sister and brother battle over an heirloom piano; ​​one hopes to sell it, the other refuses to give it up. The scuffle unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived and who defines a family legacy.

THE RED

In a remote Australian town, terror takes the form of Rippy, a giant Zombie Kangaroo.

The Red follows the story of young police officer Maddy, who is determined to live up to her deceased father’s legacy. Her courage is put to the test when locals are found brutally ripped to shreds by the zombie kangaroo.

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR

Martha’s strained relationship with her mother fractures completely when a misunderstanding drives them apart.

Ingrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter.

Eventually, they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

When an investigator’s gun vanishes, he suspects his wife and daughters, imposing draconian measures that strain family ties as societal rules crumble

Iman is an investigator in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran; his responsibilities include prosecuting young political protestors. As the nationwide protests intensify, Iman’s family becomes embroiled in the events. When Iman’s work-issued gun disappears, he suspects the involvement of his wife and daughters, and his paranoia leads him to enforce increasingly stringent constraints on his family. As the repression levels rise, the women fight back, leading to an explosive clash.

UNBREAKABLE: THE JELENA DOKIC STORY

Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story is not just a tennis story. It’s the story of Jelena Dokic’s survival, of her overcoming extraordinary odds, and of her ultimate triumph in the face of poverty, bullying and extreme brutality.

It’s about how she survived as a refugee, twice. How she survived on the tennis court as she ascended to become world No.4. But most importantly, how she survived the unimaginable abuse by Damir Dokic, her violent father and coach.

It’s a story of growing up – never being alone, but always lonely. Ultimately, it’s the story of how the tennis world and a nation of fans chose to look away when Jelena needed them most. The question is…why?

WE WERE DANGEROUS

From renowned executive producer Taika Waititi and director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, comes this funny yet frightening drama following three defiant girls entangled in New Zealand’s troubling history of eugenics.

Set in the oppressive 1950’s, the story is centred around Nellie and Daisy, two rebellious Māori teens who make a daring escape from a grim institution for delinquent youth, before getting caught and relocated to a remote island facility. There, they become unlikely friends with wealthy and resourceful Lou.

Life on the island – a former leper colony – is run by The Matron who rules with an iron fist and revels in nightmarish, experimental punishments yet this trio remain undeterred, and hatch a bold new escape plan. This thrilling and ultimately uplifting film celebrates the unbreakable bond of female friendship and the relentless pursuit of freedom. It’s a fierce, feminist Māori-led film that takes an emotionally charged twist on the classic ‘coming-of-age delinquent’ story.

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[Movie synopsis gather from BIFF website]