by FilmInk Staff
First Films turns five with bold, daring debuts at Golden Age Cinema & Bar and Sydney Opera House with 4 Australian Premieres!
The 5th Edition of First Films returns from 27 October – 1 November at Golden Age Cinema & Bar, and expands to the world-famous Sydney Opera House for the very first time. Continuing its tradition of championing bold voices, this year’s program brings together new daring debuts never screened in Sydney before, alongside significant retrospective debuts.
Opening the festival is the Sydney Premiere of the stunningly beautiful Super 8 film Super Nature directed by Ed Sayers, which captures a hopeful vision of our world through the eyes of forty people from across Australia and around the globe. The screening will be preceded by an introduction and followed by a post-screening Q&A by one of the contributors on the film, Oliver Birt.
The program also features the Australian premieres of Xinyang Zhang’s striking Panda, which played at this year’s Berlinale, and Vincho Nchogu’s powerful One Woman One Bra, which premiered at Venice and was selected as Kenya’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards, following award wins at the London and Tribeca Film Festivals.
We are also thrilled to present the NSW Premiere of The Last Critic, the 2026 SXSW Special Jury award for documentary directed by Matty Wishnow, which tells the story of Robert Christgau, the self-described “dean of American rock critics”. Christgau helped shape the very language of rock criticism, with his sharp wit and legendary reviews cementing his place in music history.
Other program highlights include the Australian Premiere of a stunning new 4K restoration of award-winning director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s acclaimed feature debut The Return, approved by the director himself. Zvyagintsev earned the top prize at Venice for The Return and this year picked up the Sydney Film Prize for Minotaur at Sydney Film Festival; the 25th anniversary of Silas Howard and Harry Dodge’s groundbreaking By Hook or By Crook, presented in a new 4K restoration will have its Australian Premiere; and a special 30th anniversary screening of Cheryl Dunye’s Teddy Award-winning landmark The Watermelon Woman.
The festival closes with the NSW Premiere of 2026 Cannes’ Award-Winning documentary Rehearsals For A Revolution, the breathtaking directorial debut from Iranian actress and filmmaker Pegah Ahangarani.
Tickets are on sale now through Golden Age Cinema & Bar and Sydney Opera House for Rehearsals For A Revolution and The Return.
Paul Struthers, Founder and Festival Director of First Films: “We’re thrilled to return to Golden Age Cinema and Bar and, for the very first time, bring First Films to the iconic Sydney Opera House with a program that reflects the power of cinema to inspire change. This can be seen in our opening and closing film choices, Super Nature and Rehearsals for a Revolution. First Films continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in debut cinema, showcased perfectly in Panda, whose striking visual language, coupled with magical realism, makes it one of the most unforgettable debuts of this year.”
Ing Dieckmann Head of Programming, Golden Age Cinema & Bar saying “Golden Age is delighted to host the fifth edition of First Films, a unique film festival delivering never-before (or rarely) seen gems to Sydney audiences.”
Sydney Opera House Head of Screen Stuart Buchanan describes: “We are proud to bring First Films to Sydney Opera House for the first time, with two award-winning debuts screening from Paul Struthers’ daring and timely program: the NSW premiere of Rehearsals for a Revolution, Cannes 2026 winner for Best Documentary, and the Australian premiere of a 4K restoration of The Return, the feature film that established Andrey Zvyagintsev as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary cinema.”
With five years of championing exciting new voices, rediscovering essential cinema and bringing bold filmmaking to Sydney audiences, First Films’ fifth edition promises a celebration of cinema that is not to be missed.
