We are mere days away from the hotly anticipated Sydney Film Festival, and their lineup just got even more stacked! We already knew many Cannes titles would be premiering at the festival, including Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Payal Kapadia’s Grand Prix-winning film, “All We Imagine as Light,” and Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance,” which would serve as the closing night gala – but another wave has also been announced.
They include the widely discussed “The Seed Of the Sacred Fig” from Mohammad Rasoulof, a film that was widely considered one of the favorites to win the Palme d’Or due to its spectacular reception. The film, for which the director was forced to flee the country in order to attend the Cannes premiere, ended up taking home a special jury prize. The question is not, will the film continue to receive unanimous acclaim? This feels like a safe bet, but rather, will Rasalouf be able to make it to Sydney for the showing?
Joining this will be the Un Certain Regard winner, “Black Dog,” from Guan Hu, about a man who begins to form a relationship with a dog he had been tasked with killing, a film showered in an equal abundance of praise. More winners include Raoul Peck’s “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,” the winner of the best documentary award at Cannes, a Magnolia Pictures feature about a young black photographer who exposed the horrors of Apartheid.
“Ghost Trail” is a revenge film from director Jonathan MIllet in his debut, and “The Girl with the Needle” by Magnus von Horn follows a Danish serial killer helping mothers kill their unwanted children – both have also been added to the lineup. “Rumours,” a political satire starring Cate Blanchett from Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, appears in the lineup. Finally, and perhaps surprisingly given its divisive reception at Cannes, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” makes the cut. The film has been largely panned by critics, although some have pointed out its merits. Perhaps Coppola is hoping that the Syndey audience will be a little warmer to the film, as it still needs to secure distribution. Especially if it wants a limited IMAX run later this year.
