69th Sydney Film Festival opens to packed auditorium           

The 69th Sydney Film Festival (8th to 19th June) opened tonight to a packed auditorium at the State Theatre with the World Premiere of the First Nations anthology feature film ‘We Are Still Here’.

After two COVID-interrupted years, Festival Director Nashen Moodley was excited to welcome audiences back with the opening night audience including We Are Still Here’s Australian directors Beck Cole, Tracey Rigney, Dena Curtis, New Zealand directors Tim Worrall, Richard Curtis, Renae Maihi, Miki Magasiva, Chantelle Burgoyne, and producers Mitchell Stanley, Toni Stowers and Mia Henry-Teirney.

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore (pictured below) said the Festival’s return was a wonderful sign that Sydney was ready to re-emerge from the difficulties of the pandemic and added “The Sydney Film Festival is a highlight of our cultural calendar, helping us access new worlds, new ways of thinking and a greater understanding of ourselves.

“The City of Sydney is proud to continue our support for the Sydney Film Festival. We are also proud to once again offer the Sydney Film Festival a home for The Hub in Lower Town Hall – where you can gather to discuss the films you’ve seen, attend a post-screening party, or one of the brilliant talks or panels with filmmakers.

“The past two years have been incredibly tough for those in the creative and cultural sectors – from our actors to our producers and agents, behind-the-scenes technicians and hospitality teams. I encourage everyone to come out to see a film, support our creative community and local businesses and have a great time while doing it!”

NSW Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin enthused “I am so proud to see the Sydney Film Festival back bigger and better than ever following two years of disruptions. It is exciting to see the creative efforts of our local talent come to life. With over 200 films, 44 of which are Australian productions or co-productions, there is absolutely something for everybody to immerse themselves in.”

“The NSW Government is proud to support the event through initiatives like the Travelling Film Festival as well as the popular Screenability program. The ongoing success of this Festival makes it one of the world’s best, and I can’t wait to see and experience the productions being showcased over the coming weeks.”

Sydney Film Festival Board Chair, Deanne Weir noted “after two disrupted years that have had such a huge impact on the screen industry and our audiences, we couldn't be more delighted to be back with a full Festival experience. We have an extensive film program, a fabulous schedule of events and celebrations, and some thought-provoking and inspiring guests from around the world.  We are so grateful to all of our partners and patrons who have continued to support us through some difficult times to ensure we can all be back together in the dark to share new and exciting stories on the big screen.

We Are Still Here is told through the eyes of eight heroic protagonists. Traversing over 1000 years, it shows the strength of love and hope required to overcome the shared traumas Indigenous people from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the South Pacific continue to face.

The film was conceived as a right of reply to the 250th anniversary of James Cook’s maiden voyage to the Pacific and as an opportunity for Indigenous filmmakers to tell stories of the colonisation of native peoples throughout the region.

SFF 2022 jury members, filmmakers and cast also attended, including: 2022 SFF Official Competition Jury President David Wenham, and jury members Jennifer Peedom, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Semih Kaplanoğlu and Yuka Sakano; Lonesome director Craig Boreham; Sissy directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes, and Sissy star Aisha Dee; True Colours actor Rarriwuy Hick, and the star of Seriously Red, Krew Boylan.

Other guests included: Hearts and Bones actor Hugo Weaving; Phone Booth actress Radha Mitchell; film critic Margaret Pomeranz; Spider-Man: Far From Home actor Remy Hii; Bump actor Claudia Karvan; Rush actor Nicole de Silva; Love Simon actor Keiynan Lonsdale; and Home & Away actor Tai Hara.

Sydney Film Festival runs in cinemas 8th-19th June 2022

The full Sydney Film Festival 2022 program can be found online at sff.org.au.