The Sydney Film Festival has announced that “Silenced” will open its 73rd edition, running from June 3rd-14th.
Directed by Selina Miles, the documentary will premiere on opening night at the State Theatre on Wednesday, June 3rd, followed by a celebration at Sydney’s Town Hall.
“Silenced” follows international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, examining how defamation law can be used to silence survivors and journalists. The film investigates a series of high-profile cases, including those involving Brittany Higgins, Catalina Ruiz-Navarro and Amber Heard, transporting audiences inside courtrooms and behind global headlines.
Inspired by Robinson’s book “How Many More Women?,” co-authored with Keio Yoshida, the documentary premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
Nashen Moodley, Director of Sydney Film Festival, said the film sets the tone for the 2026 program. “We are proud to open the Festival with ‘Silenced’,” he said. “Selina Miles has made a clear-eyed and urgent work that challenges audiences to question the systems that decide whose voices are heard and whose are suppressed.”
Miles described the opening slot as a milestone. “The opportunity to play at the State Theatre as the opening night film for Sydney Film Festival is a dream come true, and a testament to the power of storytelling to elevate voices that might otherwise go unheard,” she said.
The documentary is produced by Stranger Than Fiction, with Miles and Blayke Hoffman, renowned for previous Sydney Film Festival selections including “Mountain,” “River” and “Deeper.”
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Tickets for “Silenced” and festival passes are now on sale, with the full Sydney Film Festival slate set to be announced on May 6th. See here for other recently announced films.