By FilmInk Staff
Located on the far north coast of NSW, Byron Bay is a hustling, bustling tourist destination boasting a rich tradition of art, culture and creation. It’s no surprise then that The Byron Bay International Film Festival is one of the most highly anticipated events on the picturesque town’s calendar. And in 2022, the festival returns to in-cinema with their partners Palace Cinemas!
Leading with the tagline, “Shining Light in Darkness”, the 2022 festival marks a return to connecting local and visiting filmmakers with film lovers and a full program that embodies the zeitgeist, and honours age-old traditions and pastimes.
Famed for its crystalline water and rolling waves, the festival will host fascinating surfing films on the programme, with the likes of Birth of the Endless Summer, Savage Waters, Waterman and The Road to Patagonia shifting the boundaries of what a surf film can do and say. There are many other documentaries on offer (Gloriavale, My Old School, Dosed 2: The Trip of a Lifetime, The Power of Activism, Manscaping), with a major highlight certain to be See Mandy Run, which looks at Byron stalwart and comedian Mandy Nolan’s disappointingly unsuccessful 2022 tilt at Federal Parliament.
There are also feature films (opening night title Triangle of Sadness, Decision to Leave, The Noise of Engines, Everybody Hates Johan, Faithbreaker and more), which come backed by a host of short films in the form of dramas, mini-docos, music videos, animation, and surfing snippets.
Outside of the cinema, there is a diverse and exciting range of events on offer – from the glamour of the Opening Night red carpet welcome to extended reality opportunities (within a dome!), talks, workshops, and opportunities to meet and mingle with some of contemporary cinema’s most remarkable creatives.
One of the judges assessing the work of nominees in the Festival’s Young Australian Filmmaker Award competition will be Aussie legend Jack Thompson, a long-standing supporter of the Byron Festival. Jack will also be present at a lunch event on Saturday, October 22. Another judge is recent Byron Bay seachanger Paul Weigard, MD and founder of Madman Entertainment.
The Byron Bay International Film Festival will run from October 21-30. For all information on The Byron Bay International Film Festival, head to the official website.
