Music News Australia: Sydney Film Festival begins; Sydney, Australia

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Sydney Film Festival begins; Sydney, Australia

Sydney Film Festival begins; Sydney, Australia - 5 June 2013...

One of the longest running events of its kind in the world, the Sydney Film Festival prides itself on bringing the best new films from across the globe to audiences in the harbour city each year.

Sydney Film Festival is one of the world's longest-running film festivals and is a major event on the New South Wales cultural calendar. The Sydney Festival returns to its popular Hub venue at the Lower Town Hall, the State Theatre, Event Cinema George Street, Dendy Opera Quays and the Art Gallery of New South Wales this year, and will also stretch its precinct to include sessions at the much loved Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne.

The Festival will screen 190 titles (19 world premieres, 5 international premieres and 122 Australian premieres) from 55 countries, opening with Ivan Sven's Outback-set murder mystery Mystery Road, starring Hugo Weaving, Jack Thompson and Ryan Kwanten, among others. The festival will also host the world premiere of Australian performance artist William Yang's documentary William Yang: My Generation, which is screening in partnership with ABC TV Arts and Vivid Ideas.

The Festival will host the Australian premiere of the highly-anticipated neo-gothic thriller Stoker, directed by Chan-wook Park and starring three Australian actresses: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Jacki Weaver. While award-winning films including The Act of Killing, the winner of the Audience Award at the 2013 Berlinale; Prince Avalanche, winner of a Silver Bear for best direction at the 2013 Berlinale; Blancanieves, the winner of Best Film at Spain's prestigious 2013 Goya Awards; and Stories We Tell, one of 'Canada's Top Ten' films at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival will also screen this year.

Sydney Film Festival will close with the feel-good documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom. Special guests attending this year include Aaron Pedersen, Park Chan-wook, Mia Wasikowska, Hugo Weaving, Toni Collette, Ivan Sen, David Jowsey and more.