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Sydney Film Festival returns as an entirely online event PAGE 1-2
67TH SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL GOES VIRTUAL BY MARK MORELLINI any film festivals around the world have unfortunately been cancelled owing to the COVID-19 lockdowns, but the 67th Sydney Film Festival returns as a virtual event screening a concise program of 33 films. There will be seven feature films, 13 documentaries, and 13 shorts collectively in four sections, which will all be competing for the prestigious awards. Festival director Nashen Moodley explained that it was traumatic having to cancel the in-cinema festival, but he was determined to do something to support the Australian and international film industries.
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“We wanted to maintain the connection with our audience but initially we had no idea how we’d go about that because a virtual film festival had never been done before. We had to do a lot of research and find the right platform. It was a lot of work even though we were screening approximately 10% of what we normally screen. It’s not about the number of films but about the different ways of finding and working the system and the negotiations with the filmmakers.” Moodley said there is the possibility that the virtual edition of this film festival may attract a whole new audience who had previously never attended the cinematic festival.
“What this virtual festival has enabled is that the festival is nationwide rather than just Sydney based, so people, wherever they are in Australia, can access the virtual edition. That’s a fantastic thing and a chance to expand our audience this year to people who may have wanted to come to this film festival but were never able. They can get a small taste of the territorial style and atmosphere of the festival.” This year for obvious reasons there won’t be an opening or closing night, or any red-carpet premieres but there will be a virtual awards ceremony where the prize-winners in the four sections will be announced.
Can film festival enthusiasts expect the Sydney Film Festival back in cinemas next year? “I really hope so but of course before we go back into cinemas it needs to be safe to do so and hopefully people will have the enthusiasm to return to cinemas.”
THERE ARE FILMS FOR ALL TASTES AND THE FOLLOWING ARE THREE FILMS WHICH SHOULD PROVE QUITE POPULAR:
MORGANA: This controversial and sexually explicit Australian documentary may divide conventional audiences owing to the sensitive subject matter. Continued on page 2