CINEMA PARADISO
An accomplished director looks back at his beginnings, and remembers the man who ignited his passion for film in his small Sicilian village.
Giuseppe Tornatore’s undisputed masterpiece and love letter to cinema is a wonderful trip down memory lane to the days of whirring projectors, 16mm film reels, and serials before films.
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
A beloved character gets his big-screen debut in this hilarious and heartwarming story about finding connection in the smallest corners.
Marcel (Jenny Slate) is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colourful existence with his grandmother Connie (Isabella Rossellini) and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family.
SWIFF LIVE: SAFETY LAST!
Comedy legend Harold Lloyd’s slapstick masterpiece, Safety Last!, celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023, presented at SWIFF with a live-on-stage soundtrack led by Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium Director, Pat Brearley.
Starring in this hilarious romantic comedy as regular country lad, ‘The Boy’, Lloyd plays an upstart fellow that moves to New York City to make some cash to support his loving girlfriend (Mildred Davis), but soon discovers that making it in the Big Apple is harder than it looks.
This all-ages live performance, exclusive to SWIFF, is a collaboration between the Screenwave International Film Festival and the Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium.
THE FABELMANS
Cinematic master Steven Spielberg delivers his most personal film in his 7 times Oscar nominated The Fabelmans – a deeply affecting drama in Spielberg’s signature romantic style, reflecting on family, filmmaking, and love mirrored in his own adolescent life.
BECAUSE WE HAVE EACHOTHER
The Barnes-Sharrock clan is a neurodiverse family living on the suburban fringe, dreaming of something a little bigger.
Janet Sharrock and Brent “Buddha” Barnes have five children between them, having blended their families Brady Bunch style, with a cavalcade of pets making for a busy household. But being neurodiverse comes with both perks and challenges.
Shot over 5 years, Sari Braithwaite’s intimate slice-of-life documentary paints a humanistic, often hilarious and touching portrait of love, life, and a family unlike any other.
RÓISE & FRANK
A delightful Irish-language comedy that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, Róise is a widow who’s lost all motivation following the death of her beloved. When a shaggy pup appears on her doorstep who seems to know her husband’s old routines, the two form a peculiarly sweet bond. Starring the wonderful Bríd Ní Neachtain (The Banshees of Inisherin).