Winda Film Festival returns for its fourth year with a line-up packed with six full-length features, five insightful documentaries, and a jam-packed line-up of live and animated shorts from 16 countries. Expect epic survival thrillers, inspiring true stories and a witty Australian TV series. Most screenings are taking place at Event Cinemas George Street.
The opening night features the Australian premiere of The Sun Above Me Never Sets, the 2019 winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Film at the Moscow Film Festival. Directed by Lyubov Borisova and crewed entirely by Indigenous Sakhi people of Russia, this comedic drama set on an isolated Arctic island follows an unlikely friendship between a young man and his suicidal elderly neighbour.
In addition to screenings, you can check out special events including several immersive VR experiences exploring language, country and Indigenous futurism. The producers of closing night film (and 2019 Sydney Film Festival favourite) Vai will host a filmmaking masterclass. The empowering portmanteau film was beautifully shot over seven Pacific countries, threading together eight seemingly disparate stories. It will be aired at a free open air screening at Barangaroo Reserve.
The stellar selection of shorts includes Australian director Michael Bonnet’s What Do You See, which tells a transgender woman’s journey to empowerment, and New Zealand coming of age story Hinekura. Aussie short-form comedy series Robbie Hood follows a charismatic 13-year-old boy as he skirts the law to right wrongs in his community.
Take a cultural journey across continents and into the heart of Australia with this enlightening program. The festival opens Thursday November 21 and runs until Sunday November 24. Head to the Winda Film Festival website for the full line-up and further details.
