SWIFF 2020 Opening Night Film Announced
Thursday, January 9th at the Jetty Memorial Theatre
The fifth annual Screenwave International Film Festival (SWIFF) has announced its Opening Night Gala film will be New Zealand director Taika Waititi’s new World War II Nazi satire Jojo Rabbit.
The Opening Night Gala sets SWIFF off with a bang each January, kicking off 16 days of unique cinema experiences in Coffs Harbour and Bellingen.
From highly anticipated premiere films to lauded and awarded titles, the festival has built a growing reputation as the number one summer vacation for film lovers in Australia, set in the seaside Jetty Memorial Theatre and historic Bellingen Memorial Hall. Bringing utterly one-of-a-kind experiences, including the Nextwave Youth Film Awards and annually anticipated SWIFF Live events, audiences can anticipate the full program of 70 different feature films to shock, soothe, delight, and excite.
Taika Waititi, the New Zealand filmmaker whose genre-diverse films (from indie gems Boy to What We Do In The Shadows to blockbuster Thor: Ragnorok) only consistent theme is their brilliant humour and compassionate commentary.
Waititi’s latest film might just be his most ambitious to date, as Jojo Rabbit follows a passionate Hitler Youth boy whose imaginary friend is none other than Hitler himself (played to bumbling perfection by Waititi). When Jojo discovers his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic, he’s conflicted by his loyalty to both his Mother and his Motherland. An anti-hate satire, Jojo Rabbit is darkly insightful, daring, touching, and comedic to boot.
Those that manage to catch a coveted ticket to SWIFF’s Opening Night Gala will not only enjoy the unlike-anything-else Jojo Rabbit, they will celebrate the opening of SWIFF ’20, which will include live performances and special guests, and with refreshments and canapes served to rub shoulders with the Coffs Coast’s thriving film loving community that has come to rally around the Screenwave International Festival annually.
