Everybody’s Oma, We Are Still Here, Blaze and Seriously Red

He has now made a documentary describing his mother’s last years, All – Ohm, the world premiere will take place at the Sydney Film Festival next month. Described as an “uplifting film that depicts a playful, moving and hopeful family journey in the public spotlight and behind the scenes,” it is competing for $ 10,000 for Best Australian Documentary.

Festival director Nashie Mudley has shown a large line-up of Australian feature and documentary films for the 69th festival, which will take place from 8 to 19 June.

Returning to the traditional winter slot after the pandemic forced it to be postponed until November last year, the festival opens with a film anthology We are still here a celebration of the resilience of Aboriginal, Maori and South Pacific residents from 10 mostly novice directors.

“We have international directors coming back,” says Mudley. “We have parties and events. It feels like we are approaching the fact that the festival was before the pandemic. “

Contrary to tradition, the closing film of the evening has not yet been selected, but it is unlikely that any of the country’s two major films in Cannes this month will be the music biopic Base Luhrmann Elvis or George Miller’s fantasy novel Three thousand years of sorrow – there will be later additions to the program.

The official $ 60,000 competition for “bold, advanced and brave” films includes two bold Australian films that have been well received at foreign festivals: artist Del Catherine Barton, Archibald Award winner. Burndescribed as a magical story about a 12-year-old girl who witnessed a shocking crime and Goran Stalewski You will not be alonea supernatural tale of a witch who changes her appearance in a Macedonian village.

Also in the competition – the main winner of the Berlin Film Festival (Spanish drama Carla Simon Alcarras), an Indonesian drama set in the turbulent 1960s by Camila Andini Before, now and then) and a tense Mexican thriller about a teenager searching for his long-lost father (Lorenzo Vigas) Box).

As well as a political thriller set in a small Turkish town (Emin Alper Hot days), there is a documentary about a French couple who became brave daredevils (Sarah Dosa) The fire of love) and a love story about an elderly indigenous couple struggling to maintain their way of life in Bolivia (Alejandro Loise Grisi Utama).

Among the promising Australian films shown elsewhere in the festival is a film by Gracie Otto. Seriously red, a comedy about a woman who becomes an importer of Dolly Parton; Craig Boreham Lonely, about a country boy who discovers a culture of gay dating in Sydney; and David Eastill Plainsa documentary drama set in a car when a lawyer from Melbourne drives home.

Particularly relevant in Rauen Devere Evicted: Modern Romance, about four householders trying to survive in the rental market in Sydney.

Maya Newell’s film has been shortlisted for the $ 10,000 documentary The life of a dream by Georgie Stoneabout a transgender teenager, Luke Cornish Keep walkingwhich is dedicated to the two street dancers of Sydney and Brody Poole General Herculesabout the bizarre mayoral election in Kalgoorlie.

Moodley says it’s a strong year for comedies at the festival, citing Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smoothabout a college graduate played by a director who fell in love with his older mother, played by Dakota Johnson, and Australian director Sophie Hyde Good luck to you, Leo Grandein which Emma Thompson is a retiree who hires a young sex worker.

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Then there’s Armagan Ballantyne’s absurd comedy “Kiwi”. Naked Tuesday, in which Damon Herriman and Jackie van Beek are a couple trying to save their marriage at the New Age retreat, and Craig Roberts The ghost of the open, with Mark Rylance as the worst golfer to ever play at the British Open.

Although for Hollywood movies with a big ticket less than if King Richard, Dune and Zola shown last year, Rafe Fiennes and Jessica Chastain starred in John Michael McDonagh’s black comic Forgivenand Amy Schumer, Richard Jenkins and Stephen Young are featured in Stephen Koran’s family drama People.

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Write to the writer at gmaddox@smh.com.au and follow him on Twitter at @gmaddox.