The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is a

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

usually held for two weeks in mid-October in

cinemas A movie theater (American English) or cinema (Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing fi ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October. Subject to funding, the festival has staged full or briefer events in alternating years; some form of event has taken place every year since 2015. From 2022 it takes place annually. It has a strong focus on local

n and

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

produced content, with the

Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund The Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund was established in 2003 by the South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, to boost the local production of films. When the American festival director Peter Sellars was director of the 2002 Adelaide Festival o ...

(AFFIF) established to fund investment in Australian films. Established in 2003 as Adelaide International Film Festival, it dropped "International" from its title after the inaugural edition, as it dropped its FIAPF membership the following year. It was, however, the first film festival in Australia to introduce an international competition, as well as being the first to fund

film production Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

directly. The festival hosts a number of awards, including the Don Dunstan Awards (for lifetime contrtibution); Best Feature Fiction; Best Feature Documentary; Bettison & James Award; and others. In 2017 the International Virtual Reality Award was launched by AFF in partnership with the

Australian Film, Television and Radio School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. Opened to students in 1973 as Film and Television School (FTS), after accredita ...

(AFTRS), known as the AFTRS ADL Film Fest International VR Award. The 2024 festival ran from 23 October to 3 November.

History

Overview

An independently financed Adelaide International Film Festival (AIFF) had been held from 1959 to 1980. The idea of a new film festival to stimulate the local film industry and celebrate the 30th anniversary of the

South Australian Film Corporation South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed ...

was raised by

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Mike Rann Michael David Rann (born 5 January 1953) is an Australian former politician who was the 44th premier of South Australia from 2002 to 2011. He was later Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2014, and List of Australi ...

in 2002, and a director and board were appointed. The

was created to fund the Film Festival and other events. The inaugural Adelaide (International) Film Festival was held from 28 February to 3 March 2003. It ran a programme of screenings, special events and forums in a number of cinemas across Adelaide. It was the first film festival in Australia to introduce an international competition, and also the first to create an investment fund specifically for

. After its first edition, the festival ceased to use "International" in its title, denoting a withdrawal from FIAPF membership. It was known as the BigPond Adelaide Film Festival, or BAFF, for a period until 2011, as its main sponsor had been

BigPond Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 stock index, and is Australia's largest telecom ...

. Since the first event in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, the Festival has been held (originally in odd-numbered years) in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, 2016 (a one-off "Rogue" event), 2017, 2018, and a "pop-up" weekend festival in March 2019. Audiences have grown year on year, with an audience of more than 64,000 people in 2018, and estimated to have had an impact of on the state's economy. The 2022 festival's audience and box office broke all previous records. the festival had been held 11 times since, usually biennially but as an annual event from 2015 to 2018 (with occasional mini-events in intervening years). In 2022 it was announced that the full festival would be presented each year, instead of biennially, after the Malinauskas government pledged annually for the following four years. In May 2024, Adelaide Film Festival launched its "Adelaide Film Festival Goes to Cannes" program. It partnered with

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

's film market, the

Marché du Film The ''Marché du Film'' (), also called Cannes Film Market, is an annual marketplace for films and one of the world's largest film markets. Established in 1959, it is held annually in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival. In the 2020s, mor ...

, to showcase five local projects in an official presentation, as well as taking a group of ten South Australian filmmakers to participate in a program of activities there. The film projects are ''

Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...

'', ''

Lesbian Space Princess ''Lesbian Space Princess'' is a 2025 Australian adult animated science fiction comedy film written and directed Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese in their directorial debut. It features the voices of Shabana Azeez, Bernie Van Tiel, Gemma Chu ...

'', ''

Mockbuster A mockbuster (also known as knockbuster or drafting opportunity) is a film created to exploit the publicity of another major motion picture with a similar title or subject. Mockbusters are often made with a low budget and quick production to maxi ...

'', ''The Iron Winter'', and ''

With or Without You "With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock music, rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, ''The Joshua Tree'' (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. The song was the group's most succes ...

''. Ten filmmakers were selected for the group travelling to Cannes: Sandy Cameron, Ben Golotta, Timothy David, Kelly Schilling, Leela Varghese, Travis Akbar,

Lisa Scott South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are manage ...

, Joshua Trevorrow,

Matt Vesely Matthew Vesely is an Australian filmmaker, best known for his 2022 feature film ''Monolith''. His other work includes the web series ''Wastelander Panda'' (2013) and the short films ''My Best Friend Is Stuck on the Ceiling'' (2015) and ''System ...

, and Nara Wilson.

Locations

From 2017 to 2020, festival events took place mainly at the GU Filmhouse in

Hindley Street Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street, Adelaide, King William Street and West Terrace, Adelaide, West Terrace. Th ...

(defunct as of 1 October 2020), with some sessions at the smaller

Mercury Cinema Mercury CX, formerly Media Resource Centre (MRC), is a not-for-profit film and television training organisation based in the Lion Arts Centre on the corner of Morphett Street and North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, which aims to give scr ...

Morphett Street Morphett Street is a main street in the west of the city centre of Adelaide, South Australia, parallel to King William Street and numbered from north to south. At its northern end it is part of the West End of Adelaide, a thriving cultural and ...

. In 2020, most screenings were hosted by

Palace Nova Palace Cinemas is an Australian cinema chain that specialises in arthouse and international films. Their head office are based in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra and they operate locations in New South Wales (Central Park, Norton Street, ...

at their Eastend and

Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (minin ...

locations, with some showings at Mitcham Wallis Cinemas at Mitcham Square Shopping Centre,

Odeon Star The Odeon Star Semaphore Cinemas, usually referred to as the Odeon Star, is an independent multiplex cinema in the beachside Adelaide suburb of Semaphore, South Australia. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, opened on 22 May 1920 a ...

Semaphore Semaphore (; ) is the use of an apparatus to create a visual signal transmitted over distance. A semaphore can be performed with devices including: fire, lights, flags, sunlight, and moving arms. Semaphores can be used for telegraphy when arra ...

Tandanya The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, usually referred to as Tandanya, is an art museum located on Grenfell Street in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in promoting Indigenous Australian art, including visual art, music an ...

, the Warriparinga Wetlands, and at

Alberton Oval Alberton Oval is a sports oval located in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, a north-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It has been the home of the Port Adelaide Football Club since 1880. The ground is a public park and is exclusive ...

. In 2022, for the first time, screenings also took place at the Capri Theatre in Goodwood,

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

, and Event Cinemas Marion, in addition to the two Palace Nova locations, Wallis Mitcham, and Odeon Semaphore. In 2024, screenings take place at the recently refurbished

Piccadilly Cinema Piccadilly Cinema(s), formerly Piccadilly Theatre and Forum Cinema (The Forum), and also known as The Piccadilly, is a cinema located on the corner of O'Connell Street and Childers Street in North Adelaide, South Australia. History 1940: o ...

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct (Australia), precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. Laid out in a grid plan in three section ...

, as well as the Palace Nova Eastend, Semaphore Odeon, and Mercury Cinema.

Festival directors

Katrina Sedgwick Katrina Anne-Marie Sedgwick (born 27 December 1967) is the CEO and director of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. She had previously co-founded the 1995

Sydney Fringe Festival The Sydney Fringe Festival is the largest independent arts festival in New South Wales with over 450 events presented in over 70 venues across Greater Sydney each year during September. It encompasses genres such as stand-up comedy, music, theat ...

, was the Special Events Producer (1998, 2000) for the

Adelaide Festival of Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

, and the artistic director for the 2002

Adelaide Fringe Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is Australia’s biggest arts festival and is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between ...

. In 2007, Sedgwick introduced an international jury prize to the festival. At the time of her stepping down from the role of Festival director in 2013, Sedgwick said that the festival was the first in Australia to introduce an international competition, and a production fund, and that ticket sales had grown by 20 per cent each year. 2013 was Amanda Duthie's first year as festival director, after spending eight years at the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

and eight years at the

Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...

during the 1990s. After running the festival's programming from 2015 to 2018,

Mat Kesting A mat is a hard or soft floor covering that generally is placed on a floor or other flat surface. Mats serve a range of purposes including: * serving to clean items passed over it, such as a doormat, which removes dirt from the soles of shoe ...

was appointed as the new CEO and creative director in 2019. Kesting is originally from Adelaide, and went to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

to study media and cinema studies. He had become more interested in film while at university, and from 1999 to 2009 ran a filmmaking competition and short-film festival called 15/15 Film Festival, which toured around Australia after an opening event in

that sold out a large venue. He was program manager at the

Brisbane International Film Festival The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, doc ...

from 2006 until 2008; programmed six editions of the "On Screen" strand of

OzAsia Festival OzAsia Festival, or simply OzAsia, is a major arts festival in Adelaide, South Australia. It is an Asia-focused festival presented by the Adelaide Festival Centre for two weeks in late October to early November each year. Founded in 2007, the f ...

in Adelaide; and was exhibition manager at the

. In 2019 he was named at Cannes as one of

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

's Future Leaders. he remains the director of Adelaide Film Festival.

2024 AFF: 23 October — 3 November

In 2024, SA filmmaker

Sophie Hyde Sophie Hyde (born 1977) is an Australian film director, writer, and producer based in Adelaide, South Australia. She is co-founder of Closer Productions and known for her award-winning debut fiction film, '' 52 Tuesdays'' (2013) and the comedy ...

took over from former patrons

Margaret Pomeranz Margaret Pomeranz (born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen, 15 July 1944) is an Australian film critic, writer, producer, and television personality. Early life Pomeranz was born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen on 15 July 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney ...

and

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 1939) is an English-Australian film critic and historian. He has also worked as a journalist, interviewer, educator, television personality, and producer. His career as a film critic, writer, and educator in Austral ...

, who had occupied the role for around ten years. The 2024 event featured over 110 films from 46 countries, with 15 world premieres. The opening night gala film was '' The Correspondent'', based on journalist Peter Greste's memoir ''The First Casualty'', directed by

Kriv Stenders Kriv Stenders is an Australian writer, film producer, and director, best known for his 2011 film '' Red Dog'' (2011) and the 2014 thriller film '' Kill Me Three Times''. His new film '' The Correspondent'', based on a memoir by Australian journ ...

and starring

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including several AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards. He bega ...

, both of whom were in attendance. ''

'', a drama film directed by South Australian ex-pat

Tim Piper Timothy David Piper (born ), also known as Timothy David, is an Australian writer and director based in New York City. He is known for directing many television commercials, including Dove's 2008 "Evolution" ad, as well as '' Farmed and Dangero ...

(aka Timothy David) and set on

, premiered on the closing night. Other films included '' The Order''; '' The Room Next Door''; ''

Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

''; ''

The Brutalist ''The Brutalist'' is a 2024 Epic film, epic Historical drama, period drama film directed and produced by Brady Corbet, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mona Fastvold. It stars Adrien Brody as a History of the Jews in Hungary, Jewish-Hungarian ...

''; ''

Pavements Pavement(s) or paving may refer to: Surfacing * Road surface, the durable surfacing of roads and walkways * Sidewalk, a walkway along the side of a road, called a pavement in British English * Asphalt concrete, a common form of road surface * Co ...

''; and Film Lab/New Voices animated comedy ''

''. The 2024 jury comprised the CEO of Preciosa Media, Claudia Rodríguez Valencia; director Leena Khobragade; Closer Productions founder and co-director

Matthew Bate Matthew Bate (born 24 May 1987) is an Australian rules footballer and former player for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). At the conclusion of the 2012 AFL season, he was delisted by the Melbourne Football C ...

; film journalist and critic Stephen A Russell; and Penny Smallacombe, who is head of scripted at

Blackfella Films Blackfella Films is an Australian documentary and narrative film production company headquartered in Sydney, founded in 1992 by Rachel Perkins. The company produces Australian short and feature-length content for film and television with a part ...

. The films screened at the

Palace Nova Eastend Palace Cinemas is an Australian cinema chain that specialises in arthouse and international films. Their head office are based in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra and they operate locations in New South Wales (Central Park, Norton Street, ...

, Capri Theatre in Goodwood,

, and Odeon Star Semaphore. Events were also held in the

Samstag Museum of Art The Samstag Museum of Art, also known as the Samstag Museum, was opened in October 2007 as the Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, in the Hawke Building of the CityWest campus of the University of South Australia (UniSA). The museum is named in ...

Patrons and board

In 2024 filmmaker

took on the role of patron, after well-known film critics

and

retired from their ten years of service to the festival. The board of the Adelaide Film Festival consists of: *Chair Anton Andreacchio, producer and entrepreneur, board member of the

and Entrepreneurship Advisory Board *

Beck Cole Beck Cole is an Australian filmmaker of the Warramungu and Luritja nations. She is known for her work on numerous TV series, including ''First Australians'', ''Grace Beside Me'', ''Black Comedy'' and '' Wentworth'', as well as documentaries a ...

, prominent Aboriginal screenwriter and director of drama and documentaries *

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is a British actor. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA) and has been recognised as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia. Born in Colonia ...

, actor *Joshua Fanning, company director and entrepreneur; founder of

CityMag Solstice Media is an Australian publisher based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 2004, it was known for publishing the weekly tabloid newspaper ''The Independent Weekly''. Solstice publishes ''InDaily'', which was initially the onli ...

, group creative director for KWP! *Marianna Panopoulos, a certified practising accountant and a graduate of the

Australian Institute of Company Directors The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). History The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...

*Rick Davies, engineer, lawyer and filmmaker *Jessica Gallagher, University of Adelaide's inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement) *Sheila Jayadev, producer ('' Stateless''), co-founder of Emerald Productions

Recognition

In 2007, the AFF featured in Variety Magazine's Top 50 unmissable film festivals around the world, saying: "Of the planet’s 1,000-plus film fests, only a select few pack industry impact. A few dozen more, by virtue of vision, originality, striking setting, audience zest and/or their ability to mine a unique niche, also rank as must-attends". The Adelaide Film Festival's 2020 event was awarded "Best Festival" at the 2021

South Australian Ruby Awards The South Australian Ruby Awards, also known as the Ruby Awards, are annual awards which recognise outstanding achievement in South Australia’s arts and culture sector. They were named in honour of arts champion Dame Ruby Litchfield (1912–2001 ...

, an annual ceremony which recognises outstanding achievement in

’s arts and culture sector.

Jury awards

Don Dunstan Award

The Don Dunstan Award was established in honour of

Don Dunstan Donald Allan Dunstan (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for th ...

Premier of South Australia The premier of South Australia is the head of government in the state of South Australia, Australia. The Government of South Australia follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of South Australia acting as the legislature. The premier i ...

through most of the 1970s, and is presented in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the

Australian film industry The cinema of Australia began with the 1906 production of ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'', arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received international recogni ...

by an individual. Past recipients have included: *2003 -

David Gulpilil David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil (1 July 1953 – 29 November 2021) was an Australian actor and dancer. He was known for his roles in the films Walkabout (film), ''Walkabout'' (1971), Storm Boy (1976 film), ''Storm Boy'' (1976), ''The Last Wave'' (1 ...

, actor *2005 -

Dennis O'Rourke Dennis O'Rourke (14 August 1945 – 15 June 2013) was an Australian cinematographer and documentary filmmaker. Early life and education Dennis O'Rourke was born on 14 August 1945 in Brisbane. For most of his childhood, Dennis O'Rourke lived i ...

, cinematographer and documentary filmmakerCameraWork
(21 January 2005) ''Dennis O'Rourke to Receive Don Dunstan Award at AFF 2005''. Retrieved 9 February 2015. *2007 –

Rolf de Heer Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951) is a Dutch Australian film director. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in the Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old.

, director *2009 –

Jan Chapman Jan Chapman (born 28 March 1950) is an Australian film producer. Films produced by Chapman include '' The Last Days of Chez Nous'' (1992), ''The Piano'' (1993), '' Love Serenade'' (1996), ''Holy Smoke!'' (1999), and ''Lantana'' (2001). While s ...

, producerIF.com
(10 February 2009) ''Jan Chapman to receive Don Dunstan Award''. Retrieved 8 February 2015. *2011 –

Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress. In a career spanning over four decades of both List of Judy Davis performances, screen and stage, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses ...

, actorAdelaide Film Festival
(30 August 2013) ''Don Dunstan Award Recipient Announced''. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
(25 February 2011) ''Judy Davis accepts 2011 Don Dunstan Award'' *2013 – Scott Hicks, director *2015 –

Andrew Bovell Andrew Bovell (born 1962) is an Australian writer for theatre, film and television. Life Bovell was born on 23 November 1962 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and completed his secondary school education in Perth. He graduated from the Universi ...

, screenwriter and playwright *2017 –

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...

s *2018 –

Freda Glynn Alfreda "Freda" Glynn (born 24 August 1939), also known as Freda Thornton, is a Kaytetye photographer and media specialist. She was the first co-director of the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association Group of Companies, which incorpo ...

, pioneering

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

filmmaker, and her family members involved in the film industry: offspring

Erica Glynn Erica Glynn (born 1964) is an Indigenous Australian filmmaker, known for directing, producing and writing documentary film, documentaries and other films. Early life, education and family Glynn was born in 1964. She is the daughter of photogra ...

and

Warwick Thornton Warwick Thornton is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. His debut feature film '' Samson and Delilah'' won the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and the award for Best Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awar ...

, and grandchildren Tanith Glynn-Maloney and

Dylan River Dylan River (born ), also credited as Dylan River Glynn McDonald, is an Australian film director, writer, and cinematographer. He co-wrote and directed the series ''Robbie Hood'' in 2019, and is known for his as cinematographer on the 2020 se ...

*2020 –

Bruna Papandrea Bruna Papandrea (born 1971) is an Australian film and television producer and the founder of production company Made Up Stories. Prior to Made Up Stories, Papandrea co-founded the production company Pacific Standard with Reese Witherspoon. ...

, producer *2022 – David Jowsey, producer, of Bunya Productions *2023 – Sally Riley, producer *2024 – Don McAlpine, cinematographer

Feature Fiction Award

ADL Film Fest was the first Australian film festival to create a juried prize for best feature film. Winners have included: *2006 ''

Still Life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

'' (

Jia Zhangke Jia Zhangke ( zh, s=贾樟柯, born 24 May 1970) is a Chinese film and television director, screenwriter, producer, actor and writer. He is the founder of Pingyao International Film Festival, dean of the Shanxi Film Academy of Shanxi Media Co ...

, China) *2009 '' Treeless Mountain'' (

So Yong Kim So Yong Kim (born 1968) is an American independent filmmaker. She has made four feature films: '' In Between Days'', '' Treeless Mountain'', '' For Ellen'', and '' Lovesong''. So Yong Kim is a recipient of the New York Foundation’s Video Art ...

USA/South Korea) *2011 ''

Incendies ''Incendies'' (; ) is a 2010 Canadian drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve, who co-wrote the screenplay with Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play of the same name, ''Incendies'' stars Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Dés ...

'' (

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...

, Canada/France) *2013 ''

Jîn Jîn (Kurdish for "life") is a 2013 Turkish-German movie directed by Reha Erdem. The movie is about a Kurdish guerilla fighter who deserted her military unit aiming at leaving the conflict region (Eastern Turkey) for the city of İzmir. Plot T ...

'' (

Reha Erdem Reha Erdem (born 1960 in Istanbul) is a Turkish film director and screenwriter. Biography He attended Galatasaray High School and studied history at Boğaziçi University before leaving to study film in 1983. He participated in two Ateliers V ...

, Turkey) *2015 ''

Neon Bull ''Neon Bull'' () is a 2015 Brazilian drama film directed by Gabriel Mascaro. The film premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and won the Horizons (Orizzonti) - Special Jury Prize. It was also shown in the Platform section of t ...

'' (

Gabriel Mascaro Gabriel Mascaro (born September 24, 1983) is a Brazilian visual artist and film director. Biography Gabriel Mascaro was born in Recife, the capital of the State of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil, on September 24, 1983. Belonging to the recent ...

, Brazil) *2017 ''

I Am Not a Witch ''I Am Not a Witch'' is a 2017 drama film written and directed by Rungano Nyoni in her feature debut film. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a ...

'' (

Rungano Nyoni Rungano Nyoni is a Zambian- Welsh director, screenwriter and actress. Consulted 15 March 2024. She is best known for her feature-length films ''I Am Not a Witch and On Becoming a Guinea Fowl'', both of which she wrote and directed. Both films r ...

, France/United Kingdom) *2019 '' The Seen and Unseen'' (

Kamila Andini Kamila Andini (born 6 May 1986) is an Indonesian film director known for her critically acclaimed debut, '' The Mirror Never Lies''. Biography Andini was born on 6 May 1986 and is the eldest daughter of filmmaker Garin Nugroho. Although uninteres ...

, Indonesia/Netherlands/Australia) *2020 ''

Beginning Beginning may refer to: *''Beginning'', an album by Pakho Chau * ''Beginning'' (play), a 2017 play by David Eldridge * ''Beginning'' (2020 film), a Georgian-French drama film * ''Beginning'' (2023 film), an Indian Tamil-language drama film *"Begin ...

'' ( Déa Kulumbegashvili,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

) *2022 ''

Autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

'' (, Indonesia) *2023 ''Empty Nets'' (Behrooz Karamizade, Iran) * 2024 '' In the Belly of a Tiger'' ( Jatla Siddartha)

Feature Documentary Award

The Feature Documentary Award, also known as the

Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

International Documentary Award, was first awarded in 2013, with the inaugural prize going to '' Blush of Fruit'' (Australia, Vietnam), directed by Jakeb Anhvu. Since then it has been won by: *2015 ''

Speed Sisters ''Speed Sisters'' is a 2015 documentary film by Amber Fares that follows the all-female Palestinian racing team the Speed Sisters and explores the social issues surrounding their career. It was pitched at the 2011 MeetMarket part of Sheffield ...

'' ( Amber Fares) *2017 ''

Taste of Cement The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor cells located on tas ...

'' ( Ziad Kalthoum) *2018 ''

Island of the Hungry Ghosts ''Island of the Hungry Ghosts'' is a hybrid documentary film by director Gabrielle Brady that explores the conflict faced by trauma therapist Poh Lin Lee, who works in the Australian Detention Centre for Asylum Seekers on Christmas Island. It pre ...

'' ( Gabrielle Brady) *2020 ''

Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born C ...

'' ( Nel Minchin and Wayne Blair; about the

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-bor ...

) *2022 '' The Hamlet Syndrome'' (set shortly before

Russia's invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

) *2023 '' Hollywoodgate'' (Ibrahim Nash'at, Egypt) *2024 '' Simon and Marianne'' ( Pier-Luc Latulippe and

Martin Fournier Martin Fournier may refer to: *Martin Fournier (filmmaker), Canadian documentary filmmaker *Martin Fournier (gymnast), a medalist at the 1992 Junior Pan American Artistic Gymnastics Championships *Martin Fournier (writer), Canadian historian and ch ...

)

Bettison & James Award

The Bettison & James Award, formerly Jim Bettison and Helen James Award, presented in collaboration with the Jim Bettison and Helen James Foundation, was established to recognise Australians who "have contributed exemplary and inspiring lifelong body of work of high achievement and benefit; and that the completion, extension, recording and/or dissemination of such work would have benefits for both the individual concerned and for the wider Australian community". The annual award of is made to an individual who has contributed significantly in whatever their area of expertise is, be it

arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creativity, creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive ...

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

the environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all life, biotic and abiotic component, abiotic things occurring nature, naturally, meaning in this case not artificiality, artificial. The term is most often applied to Earth or some parts ...

or something else. The foundation was established by the estates of the

Jim Bettison Jim or JIM may refer to: Names * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy People and horses * Jim, the nickname of Yelkanum Seclamatan (died April 1911), N ...

and his partner Helen James (artist), Helen James. Bettison created the Developed Image Photographic Gallery, co-founded communications company Codan and served as Deputy Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, his alma mater (an honorary position). Helen was an exhibiting studio artist, who served on a number of arts committees and was one of the founding members of the National Library of Australia’s Foundation Board. *2015: Greg Mackie , founder of the Adelaide Festival of Ideas *2016: Meryl Tankard , dancer, choreographer and director; and ::Tim Jarvis, adventurer and environmental scientist *2017: Robert McFarlane (photographer), Robert McFarlane, social documentary and arts photographer *2018: Jackie Huggins , author, historian and Indigenous rights advocate, for researching the social impacts of Aboriginal Australian, Aboriginal soldiers going to fight in both World Wars. *2019: John A. Long, John Long, paleontologist, academic, and author of popular science non-fiction and fiction. *2020: David Vaux, scientist and expert on cell death, 2019 co-recipient of the Florey Medal for Lifetime Achievement *2021: Bob Brown, environmentalist, human rights campaigner and former political leader of the Australian Greens party. *2022: Pat Rix, artistic director *2023: Moogy Sumner, Uncle Major ‘Moogy’ Sumner AM, Ngarrindjeri cultural ambassador and performer *2024: Angela Valamanesh, independent visual artist

Change Award

The Change Award was established in 2020. Worth and sponsored by Zambrero, it is awarded "for positive social or environmental impact and cinema expressing new directions for humanity", initially selected by audience vote, and in later years by a jury. *2020: ''

'' ( Nel Minchin and Wayne Blair; about the

) *2022: ''Luku Ngarra'', directed by Sinem Saban and produced by Djiniyini Gondarra and Saban, about the history and culture of Arnhem Land *2023: ''Black Cockatoo Crisis'' *2024: ''Union (film), Union'' (Stephen Maing and Brett Story)

Short Film Award

In 2024, the jury short film prize was sponsored by Flinders University. *2024: ''Finding Jia'' (Alice Yang)

Audience Awards

Audience Award for Feature Fiction

*2022: ''Ribspreader'' (Dick Dale) *2023: ''Poor Things (film), Poor Things'' (Yorgos Lanthimos) *2024: ''Lesbian Space Princess'' (Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese)

Feature Documentary Audience Award

*2022: ''The Last Daughter'' (Nathaniel Schmidt and Brenda Matthews) *2023: ''Bromley: Light After Dark'' (Sean McDonald) *2024: ''Songs Inside'' (Shalom Almond)

Short Film Audience Award

Established in 2022 as the Flinders University Short Film Prize, this award is determined by audience vote. *2022: ''Are You Really the Universe'', directed by Tamara Hardman and starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey *2023: ''Blame the Rabbit'' (Elena Carapetis) and ''The Unrequited Life of Farrah Bruce'' (Daisy Anderson) *2024: ''Finding Jia'' (Alice Yang)

Former awards

INSITE Award

The Adelaide Film Festival teamed up with the Australian Writers' Guild to present the INSITE Award at the 2013 Festival. The Award celebrates and acknowledges outstanding work produced by AWG screenwriters and provides an important development opportunity for both writers and the industry. The winner gets to meet industry directors and producers, with a view to moving the project onto the screen. It has not been awarded since 2017 and is not mentioned on the 2020 list of awards. Past winners have included: * 2003 ''Cut Snake'', by Blake Ayshford, was filmed by director Tony Ayres. * 2005 ''Moving South'', by Cath Moore. * 2007 ''Salt (2009 film), Salt'', by Priscilla Cameron and Heather Phillips, was directed by Michael Angus in 2009. The film played at the Adelaide Film Festival that same year. * 2009 ''Writing Rain'', written by Ben Chessell. * 2011 The Unlikeliest Hero, by Barbara Connell, was planned to be filmed by New Zealand director James Cunningham (director), James Cunningham in an official Australia/New Zealand co-production, with completion of the film timed to coincide with the 100-year commemorations of Anzac Day. (However, it was last reported as being pitched as an animated film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2015.) *2013 ''Tigress'', written by Jane Hampson. *2015 ''Martingale'', written by Harry Aletras. *2017 ''Petrova'', written by Bec Peniston-Bird.

AFTRS International VR Award

In 2017, ADL Film Fest introduced the AFTRS ADL Film Fest International VR Award, the first competition of its kind in Australia, in collaboration with the

(AFTRS). ''Nothing Happens'', by Michelle and Uri Kranot, won the inaugural award, while ''The Other Dakar'' by Selly Raby, based on Senegalese mythology, received a Special Mention. In 2018, ''The Unknown Patient'', by Australian director Michael Beets won the award.

Indigenous Feature Documentary Initiative

In partnership with Screen Australia, KOJO (company), KOJO and the National Film and Sound Archive, this initiative, the first of its kind, was created in 2015 to support an "innovative, observational and/or social justice documentary" with a funding package of up to . The award provided funding for an established

film-maker to make a feature-length documentary, providing funding for the director and a producer. Eualeyai/Kamillaroi writer and academic Larissa Behrendt, along with Michaela Perske as writer and producer, were awarded the funding in 2016 to work on their feature documentary project, ''After the Apology''. On 9 October 2017, AFF held the world première of the resulting film, and it was sold out at the Winda Film Festival in Sydney in November of that year. The film focuses on a group of grandmothers (Grandmothers Against Removals) taking on the system over the increase in Indigenous child removal in the years following Kevin Rudd's Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples, in which he offered an apology on behalf of the Australian Government to the Stolen Generations resulting from historic child removal policies in Australia. It won Best Direction of a Documentary Feature Film from the Australian Directors Guild in 2018, and was nominated in three categories in the 2018 AACTA Awards: Best Direction in Nonfiction Television (Larissa Behrendt); Best Documentary or Factual Program (Michaela Perske); and Best Original Music Score in A Documentary (Caitlin Yeo).

Juries

Jury members for the International Feature Film Prize have included Afghani people, Afghani actor Leena Alam and Portuguese people, Portuguese filmmaker João Pedro Rodrigues (2017); Palestinian people, Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir and Adelaide filmmaker

(2015); actor/filmmaker Wayne Blair and writer Lawrence Weschler ( 2013); Hossein Valamanesh (2011); J. M. Coetzee (2007 & 2009), Naomi Kawase and

(2009);

and Ana Kokkinos (2007). Jury members for the Flinders University Documentary Prize have included Eva Orner (2017);

(2015) and Michael Loebenstein (2015). Amanda Duthie, AFF artistic director and virtual reality champion, sat on the jury for the inaugural AFTRS International VR Award in 2017. * 2020:

, Khoa Do, Zak Hepburn, Rebecca Summerton (of Closer Productions), and Natasha Wanganeen * 2022: Ali Gumillya Baker, Luke Buckmaster, Jim Kolmar,

, and Tusi Tamasese * 2023: Kitty Green, Alexander Matius, Sally Riley, David Rooney, and Goran Stolevski * 2024: Claudia Rodríguez Valencia, Leena Khobragade;

, Stephen A Russell, and Penny Smallacombe of

AFF Youth

Adelaide Film Festival Youth (or AFF Youth) is a section of the AFF dedicated to young filmmakers. It hosts the Statewide Schools Filmmakers Competition, which is a competition open to South Australian students to submit their short films into.

Awards

Best Primary School Film

* 2023 - ''Selma'' directed by Harrison J Thomas and ''The Tree Of Wellness'' directed by Buddhima Polwatte, Lily Gration, Steven Wang and Ava King * 2024 - ''The Forgotten Suitcase'' directed by Neo Dama

Best Middle School Film

* 2023 - ''Unmasked'' directed by Aurora Chan * 2024 - ''Coexistence'' directed by Gabriel Zurbrugg

Best High School Film

* ''2023 - GEIGER'' directed by Eddie Gerard, Hamish Headland, Sam Gniel * 2024 - ''Donatello Detective'' directed by Matthew Page, Ethan Alaia, Josh Hynes

People's Choice Award

* ''2023 - Golden Boy – The Untold Story of the Oscars'' directed by Matthew Page & Joshua Hynes

Best Director

* 2024 - Percy McGuire, Ashleigh Penny (''Percy'')

Film Lab: New Voices

In 2021, the Film Lab: New Voices initiative was launched by the

and the AFF, in collaboration with Mercury CX. This program supports emerging filmmakers, with three teams selected for mentoring over an 11-month development period and one team then selected for funding to complete a low-budget feature film which is premiered at the next AFF. The low budget sci-fi thriller ''Monolith (2022 film), Monolith'' was announced as being the first project funded by the initiative. The winning team, comprising director Matt Vesely, producer Bettina Hamilton and writer Lucy Campbell, were given six months to develop, shoot and edit their film, which premiered at the 2022 Festival to much acclaim. ''Monolith (2022 film), Monolith'', which features Australian actress Lily Sullivan, has since gone to screen at pop culture festival South by Southwest, SXSW and will receive a general cinema release in mid-2023. The second project to be funded by the initiative was animated comedy ''

'', by writers and directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese and producer Tom Phillips. The film premieres at the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival.

Past events

2013: 10–20 October

The 6th Adelaide Film Festival took place from 10 to 20 October 2013. This was Amanda Duthie's first year as Festival Director (after eight years at the

and eight years at the

during the 1990s), having taken over from

Katrina Sedgwick Katrina Anne-Marie Sedgwick (born 27 December 1967) is the CEO and director of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.Margaret Pomeranz Margaret Pomeranz (born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen, 15 July 1944) is an Australian film critic, writer, producer, and television personality. Early life Pomeranz was born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen on 15 July 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney ...

and

served as the festival's patrons. Scott Hicks received the 2013 Don Dunstan Award for his contribution to the Australian film industry. The poster in 2013 depicted Screen Worship, which celebrates work for all screens—cinema, television, phone and computer.

2015: 15–25 October

The 7th Adelaide Film Festival was held from 15 to 25 October 2015. Amanda Duthie was again the Festival Director. On the opening night of the festival, director and screenwriter

received the 2015 Don Dunstan Award for his contribution to the Australian film industry. The festival opened with Scott Hicks's documentary film ''Highly Strung'', and closed with Paolo Sorrentino's drama film Youth (2015 film), ''Youth''. More than 180 feature films were screened at the festival, 40 of which were Australian films, 24 South Australian films and total of 51 countries were represented at the Festival. As part of the 2015 Adelaide Film Festival, a public art installation was presented, incorporating a Laneway Cinema in Cinema Place, showing moving image artworks, and a 'Reactive Wall', where six artists created 2D visual artworks live in response to content within the festival.

2016: 27–30 October

Having previously been held biennially, the highlight of "AFF Goes Rogue" in October 2016 was a 4-day "mini-festival" in the in-between year. The first of the works commissioned by the Adelaide Film Festival Fund in that month was the Australian premiere season of Lynette Wallworth's ''Collisions'' (5–30 October). Then there was a free talk by Greg Mackie at the Adelaide Festival of Ideas on 23 October, and the events culminated in a 4-day mini-festival (27–30 October) featuring world premiere screenings of two films – Australia's first Muslim rom-com ''Ali's Wedding'', based on the life of actor, writer and comedian Osamah Sami, and a special "work in progress" screening of ''

's Stories of Australian Cinema'', directed by Sally Aitken (director), Sally Aitken (later released as ''David Stratton: A Cinematic Life''). Other films shown were ''Gimme Danger'', a documentary film about the Stooges, and a retrospective screening of ''Lucky Miles'' (2007).

2017: 5–15 October

At the 2017 festival, the theme "Vive le Punk" celebrated the punk movement's 40th anniversary. It featured ''A Fantastic Woman'', ''Call Me by Your Name (film), Call Me By Your Name'', a set by Adelaide punk band Exploding White Mice and Ai Weiwei's documentary about migration, ''Human Flow''.

2018: 10–21 October

In April 2017, the Premier Jay Weatherill announced that a full festival, including new funding of A$1m for the ADL Film Fest Fund, would run again in October 2018. ''Hotel Mumbai'', ''Can You Ever Forgive Me?'', rock documentary ''Bad Reputation (2018 film), Bad Reputation'' (about Joan Jett) and ''The Nightingale (2018 film), The Nightingale'' (directed by ''The Babadook'' director Jennifer Kent) were some of the films shown.

2019: 5–7 April "pop-up"

In April 2019, a weekend "pop-up" event was held, to showcase Wayne Blair's romcom, ''Top End Wedding'', and Adelaide filmmaker

's Australian/Irish co-production ''Animals (2019 film), Animals.''

2020: 14−30 October

In 2020 the Adelaide Film Festival was scheduled to run from 14 to 25 October, one of the few events of its type during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, but due to the success of the festival, an extended run of selected films was scheduled as part of the ''Best of the Fest'' programme, re-showing ten of the programmed films from 26 to 30 October. To open the festival, the locally filmed sci-fi thriller ''2067 (film), 2067'' played in seven cinemas simultaneously, with extra screenings added due to demand. One of the headlining films was I Am Woman (film), I Am Woman, starring Adelaide actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey, who returned from Los Angeles in September. Other films included the documentary ''The Painter and the Thief'', and ''High Ground (2020 film), High Ground'', and the films include 22 world premieres, 27 Australian premieres and a total of 54 feature films from many countries. The competition jury comprised playwright and screenwriter

, actor Natasha Wanganeen, filmmaker Khoa Do, producer Rebecca Summerton of Closer Productions, and film critic Zak Hepburn. The earliest screening at the festival took place on 22 August, with several early showings of ''I Am Woman''; the final event, a documentary about Port Adelaide Football Club called ''This is Port Adelaide'', premiered at Odeon Star Semaphore from 5–7 February 2021.

2022: 19−30 October

The 2022 edition of the festival is held from 19 to 30 October. Films selected for screening include Todd Field's ''TÁR'' (starring Cate Blanchett, who appeared in a Q&A session after its first showing); ''My Policeman (film), My Policeman'', with Harry Styles; South Australian horror thriller ''Carnifex (film), Carnifex'', with Alexandra Park (actress), Alexandra Park; Ruben Östlund's ''Triangle of Sadness''; Stolen Generations story ''The Last Daughter''; and ''Aftersun'', a debut from Scottish director Charlotte Wells (director), Charlotte Wells. Danny and Michael Philippou's debut, ''Talk to Me (2022 film), Talk to Me'' closed the festival. ''The Survival of Kindness'' by Rolf De Heer had red-carpet parties in the city. The new South Australian film ''Monolith (2022 film), Monolith'' had its world premiere at the festival on 27 October 2022. It was announced after the opening weekend that several films would get a second outing in the week following the festival, including ''TÁR'', ''Monolith'', ''Talk to Me'', ''The Last Daughter'', and ''Triangle of Sadness''.

2023: 18–29 October

The 2023 festival ran from 18 to 29 October at five cinemas across Adelaide, with Palace Nova Eastend the main venue. Gala events screened ''The Royal Hotel (film), The Royal Hotel'', directed and co-written by Kitty Green and filmed in South Australia; true crime documentary ''Speedway'', directed by Luke Rynderman and Adam Kamien; and the closing gala featured director Scott Hicks' symphonic concert documentary ''My Name's Ben Folds - I Play Piano'', about musician Ben Folds.

2024: 23 October–3 November

The 2024 festival was held from 23 October to 2 November across six venues. Setting a new box office and attendance record, over 12 days AFF hosted a sold-out Opening Night Gala, screening '' The Correspondent'' with guests including

and Peter Greste, a Mexican fiesta following the Opening Weekend Gala screening of Cannes winner ''Emilia Pérez, Emilia Pérez'', Australian actress Marta Dusseldorp walking the red carpet for the World Premiere of ''With or Without You'' and Dacre Montgomery being flocked by fans at the Australian premiere of ''Went Up the Hill''.

References

External links

* * {{Adelaide Film Festival Adelaide Film Festival, 2002 establishments in Australia Film festivals established in 2002 October Australian film awards Annual events in Australia Film festivals in Adelaide