Sydney Film Festival Has Given Us A Sneak Peek Of Its 2019 Line-Up, And Holy Cinema!

Sydney Film Festival has offered a sneak peek of its line-up for this year, and it might be a good idea to check in on your cinephile friends: they might not be okay.

Ahead of the full reveal on May 8, the festival’s let slip 25 films it’ll screen across 5-16 June, including film circuit favourites and a series of world and Australian debuts.

Highlights include the long-anticipated High Life, a sci-fi sexual thriller from Chocolat director Claire Denis, starring Robert Pattinson, André 3000 and Juliette Binoche; British director Peter Strickland’s In Fabric, a dark comedy about a demonic red frock starring Game Of Throne‘s Gwendoline Christie; and The Wedding Guest, starring Dev Patel.

Film festival cuts include Berlinale Silver Bear winner Piranhas, about a group of 15-year-old criminals; controversial German film Never Look Away; multi-festival award winner Manta Ray; and TIFF Award winner and period drama The Third Wife.

Animals, a sapphic Sundance favourite starring Alia Shawkat and directed by Australian Sophie Hyde, will make its Australian debut.

We’ll also see the world debut of The Final Quarter, a documentary by Ian Darling about Adam Goodes’ last years playing for the Sydney Swans, where he routinely stood his ground against booing crowds and racist slurs.

Also making its Australian debut is concert film Amazing Grace, which pays homage to the late Aretha Franklin by resurfacing long-lost footage of an electric 1972 performance. On the music front, A Dog Called Money will screen, a PJ Harvey documentary directed by the musician’s long-time collaborator Seamus Murphy.

Among other things, the festival’s also announced a David Stratton-programmed selection of 10 ‘essential’ films by Australian women directors, ranging from the well-known (The Babadook) to 1929 silent film The Cheaters.

The full first announce can be seen on the Festival’s website, with Flexipasses and tickets for some films already on sale.