Provocateur. Poet. Piss-taker. 50 years of First Nations activism with artist Richard Bell. Richard Bell is a self-styled ‘activist masquerading as an artist’. His confrontational art and attitude have stirred the Australian art scene while being lauded internationally, having seen the prestigious walls of the Tate Modern. But Bell has one goal: justice and land …
From acclaimed director Jolyon Hoff (SWIFF Live: Surfing Soundwaves, SWIFF’22 – The Staging Post, SWIFF’18) comes a deeply touching journey of self-discovery, identity, and connection through the eyes of Afghan refugee, Muzafar Ali. Muzafar, a father, husband, and photographer living in Rural Australia discovers the rich history of cameleers in Australia, stretching back 160 years. …
Subversive Australian film visionary, Rolf de Heer (Ten Canoes, Charlie’s Country), will present the NSW Premiere of his first feature film in nine years at SWIFF’23, The Survival of Kindness. BlackWoman (Mwajemi Hussein), locked in a cage under the desert’s scorching sun, has been abandoned by her masked captors. Escaping, she ventures through apocalyptic landscapes, …
World-renowned Geelong theatre company Back to Back takes their acclaimed play to film with Shadow, which ponders whether an AI-led society would further disenfranchise those living with disabilities in this ground-breaking crowd pleaser. A trio of intellectually disabled activists call a Town Hall meeting to discuss the impacts of AI on their community. Fearing the …
The lives of two strangers are changed forever when they cross paths on the surfing adventure of a lifetime, discovering love, downshifting and four charismatic Chilean horses. Ecologist Matty Hannon heads out on an incredible solo adventure, from the top of Alaska to the tip of Patagonia. But the joy of travel lies in twists …
Summer, 1999. Two freshly graduated teens, reserved Kol (Elias Anton) and fiery Ebony (Hattie Hook) are partners in a ballroom dance competition. On the big day, Ebony calls Kol in a panic from the other side of Melbourne, needing a ride ASAP. Kol enlists her older brother, the suave Adam (Thom Green) to get him …
“The time for pacifism is gone” Ningla-a-na is the only film shot from inside the heart of Australia’s landmark 1972 Aboriginal Tent Embassy protest. Now, digitally restored and remastered for the film’s 50th anniversary, “Australia’s greatest ever protest movie” (The Guardian) spurs a conversation about what has changed in the last half century. Sparked by …
Two competitive, young street dancers train for a life-changing dance comp in this remarkable peak into the underground Sydney street dance scene. Patricia, Romanian-born and hanging out for a visa, is a break-dancer. Gabi, of Chilean-Samoan heritage, pops with power. Both hope a win at Australia’s largest dance comp, Destructive Steps, will be the platform …
Imagine a house that grows its own food. That’s the vision of environmental campaigner Joost Bakker, who was once dubbed the ‘Poster Boy of Zero Waste Living’ by The New York Times. This inspiring feature documentary follows Bakker as he builds a self-sustaining home, an ecosystem that provides its occupants with water, energy, shelter, and …
The fates of wild forests and humans wrap around and intertwine in The Giants, a poetic portrait of environmentalist Bob Brown and the natural forests he has dedicated his life to protect, from seedlings to forest ancients. Told in Bob’s own words, The Giants interweaves his 50 years of inspiring activism – from the Franklin …