This October, Brisbane is Australia’s home of sun, surf, and cinema. The 27th Brisbane International Film Festival has announced its stunning program of 81 feature films, 22 shorts, and ten exciting industry events, all taking place from October 21 to 31.
You might’ve already built up a bit of hype over the festival’s opening night film, the debut feature from Leah Purcell The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson. We’ve been awaiting this epic revisionist western for ages, and now it’s kicking off BIFF‘s killer lineup—looks like Queensland is the place to be this October for Aussie cinephiles.
The full 2021 lineup is available now on their official website. There’s a stunning selection of international must-sees that were previously announced for Sydney and Melbourne’s own (postponed and reduced) film festivals, like Zola, Wash My Soul In The River’s Flow, and new works from Hamaguchi, Wright, Sciamma, and Schrader. Wow. Colour us acid-green with envy.
The 22 Australian-made films in BIFF’s 2021 lineup are all highlights, too: Adam Briggs’ first film Paris Funeral, 1972 is included, as is the documentary on friendship and ocean conservation Alick and Albert.
The closing night selection is just as surrounded by positive buzz: Indonesian master Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s latest atmospheric drama Memoria. Tilda Swinton stars as a woman visiting Colombia who is disturbed by strange sonic events, in a film that nabbed the Jury Prize at Cannes this year.
Program manager Sasha Close spoke proudly about the festival’s stunning variety and quality: “Between these glorious film events is an incredible, diverse program that invites audiences to celebrate the moviegoing experience together.”
There’s indeed too much good stuff going on at BIFF this October to summarise here, with categories focusing on everything from sports, ‘future movies’, and cult film, to an Ernest Lubitsch retrospective. So just check out the festival’s official website and pick up some tickets if you’re a movie-loving resident of Bris Vegas. And please know that movie fans across Australia are very jealous of you right.
