The Sydney Film Festival has unveiled the first 16 titles set to screen at its 72nd edition, offering an early look at the bold and diverse lineup arriving in June.
Among the highlights are two music-focused documentaries: “One to One: John & Yoko” and “Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao e Rua – Two Worlds”. “One to One: John & Yoko” is Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald’s (“Whitney”, SFF 2018) new film built around John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s historic 1972 Madison Square Garden benefit concert.
“Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao e Rua – Two Worlds” offers a portrait of the beloved Aotearoa musician as he reconnects with his roots and records his first album in te reo Māori.
“This first look offers a cross-section of the bold storytelling and distinctive voices that can be found at this year’s festival,” said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley. “From inventive new Australian work to major prize-winners from the international circuit, these films reflect the ingenuity and diversity of cinema today, and offer a glimpse of the rich and rewarding program to come.”
Two new Australian features will premiere at this year’s event. “Fwends”, the debut feature from Sophie Somerville — a two-time Dendy Award-winner — is a fast-talking buddy comedy about modern female friendship. The animated feature “Lesbian Space Princess”, a Berlin Teddy Award-winner, follows an introverted heir to the throne as she sets out to rescue her ex-girlfriend from evil incel aliens.
Kate Blackmore’s documentary “Make It Look Real” follows intimacy coordinator Claire Warden as she works behind the scenes on an Australian film production.
International standouts include “The Blue Trail”, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2025 Berlinale, and “DJ Ahmet”, which took out the Sundance Audience Award. “Stranger Eyes”, the first Singaporean film to compete at Venice, is a twist-filled thriller about a grieving couple and anonymous surveillance footage.
From Cannes, “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” sees Zambian director Rungano Nyoni examine the fault lines within a family after the death of a relative.
Other selections include Joshua Oppenheimer’s narrative debut “The End”, a post-apocalyptic musical starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, and “Bring Them Down”, featuring Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott in a tale of rural revenge.
Documentary titles include “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”, winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize, and “Farming the Revolution”, which took the top prize at Hot Docs. “Speak.”, from Sundance, follows five U.S. high school orators competing at a national public speaking event, while “Obex” is a lo-fi, ’80s-set genre blend about a reclusive man who enters a mysterious video game to rescue his missing dog.
The lineup also includes “Exergue – on documenta 14”, a 14-hour documentary charting one of the most politically charged art exhibitions in recent history.
The 72nd Sydney Film Festival runs from June 4th to 15th. Flexipasses and subscriptions are on sale now at sff.org.au. The full 2025 program will be announced on May 7th, when individual film session tickets go on sale.