We’re opening next Thursday, 6 February, and tickets are selling fast—five sessions are already sold out, with many others filling up quickly. Due to public demand, we’ve added an extra screening of Johatsu – Into Thin Air at the Chauvel Cinema on Friday, 7 February at 6:30 pm.
We’re also hosting a range of Q&A sessions with local and international filmmakers. See below for highlights.
JOHATSU – INTO THIN AIR (EXTRA SCREENING)
Fri 7 Feb 6:30pm | Chauvel Cinema
In Japan, thousands of people disappear voluntarily every year. And there are companies ready to help those who want to disappear without a trace and start a new life somewhere else. Meet some of them in a film that soberly examines a modern phenomenon.
ABOUT A HERO
Q&A With Director Piotr Winiewicz
After a local factory worker dies under mysterious circumstances, Werner Herzog travels to investigate. However, Herzog, our narrator, is not who he seems, and the film is not what we expect.
FREE PARTY
Q&A With Peter Strong, Maya Gold, Ming D & Graham Power
Follows the inception of the movement, a meeting between ravers and the new age travelers during Thatcher’s last days in power, and the explosive years that followed, leading up to the infamous Castle Morton free festival in 1992 – the largest ever illegal rave, which provoked drastic change.
LOOK INTO MY EYES
Q&A With Editor Hannah Buck
Try your hand at the world of spirits in a true audience favorite from the Sundance Film Festival, where seven New York psychics can put their clients in touch with the supernatural beyond—or maybe just their own emotions.
CONFESSIONS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN
Q&A With Director Penny Lane
Director (and festival special guest) Penny Lane’s decision to become a ‘Good Samaritan’ by giving one of her kidneys to a stranger turns into a funny and moving personal quest to understand the nature of altruism.
TWILIGHT TIME
Q&A With Director John Hughes & Hamish McDonald
A gripping profile of Australian academic Des Ball, who counseled against nuclear escalation and was hailed by Jimmy Carter for averting a potential crisis. An insight into Australia’s role in global strategy, defense, and surveillance.
ONE MIND, ONE HEART
Panel With Director Larissa Behrendt, Professor Nicole Watson, Jacqui Katona, and Pauline Clague
One Mind, One Heart uncovers the story of the three landmark Yirrkala Bark Petitions. When a historic petition is discovered, the community embarks on a ceremonial journey to return it to Yolŋgu Country, honoring a long struggle—through petition, song, dance, and activism—to keep culture strong and ensure a voice for Country.
Special Screening of the Australian Classic
CANE TOADS – AN UNNATURAL HISTORY (1988)
+ Q&A With Director Mark Lewis
Mark Lewis takes the nature documentary into new realms of the humorous, surreal, and downright bizarre with this stranger-than-fiction tale of the ultimate environmental self-own. The cane toad (Bufo marinus), a species native to Central America, was imported by the sack-load to Australia in 1935 in an attempt to rid the country of the greyback beetle, which was rapidly destroying the sugarcane crop. The toads adapted beautifully to their new surroundings. The problem was, the beetle could fly, and they couldn’t. What the cane toad is unusually proficient at, however, is making more cane toads—thousands upon thousands more. Cane Toads: An Unnatural History tells the wild story of this amphibious assault—warts and all.
DOCTALK 2025
DocTalk is a full day of masterclasses, panels, and talks featuring leading international and Australian documentary filmmakers and industry figures. This year’s program is a must-attend for filmmakers eager to gain insider knowledge, refine their craft, and connect with key industry players.
Meet Basil Tsiokos, longtime Sundance Film Festival programmer, as he shares his insights into what makes a documentary stand out. Join renowned editors as they reveal the secrets behind shaping a film’s story. Learn from acclaimed filmmaker Penny Lane, whose masterclass explores humor, experimentation, and pushing documentary boundaries. And don’t miss an in-depth discussion with Maya Newell, reflecting on how a documentary’s impact evolves long after its release.
Feature Image – JOHATSU – INTO THIN AIR