by FilmInk Staff
The 2025 Sydney Science Fiction Festival (SSFFF), Australia’s premiere celebration of speculative storytelling, has confirmed a strategic partnership with 76th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the world’s largest annual gathering of space sector industry leaders and community figures.
To be held at the Darling Harbour precinct from September 29 to October 3, IAC 2025 affords attendees access to the latest advancements and trends, academic works, industry connections, and partnership opportunities. The Congress is being held in Sydney for the first time, having previously taken place in Melbourne in 1998 and Adelaide in 2017; in 2024, it was hosted by the city of Milan, Italy.
Now in its sixth year, The Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival was invited by IAC to participate as an Adjacent Event Partner, an honour that reflects the shared goals and unified vision that both organisations have regarding the promise of space and its exploration.
“We are proud beyond measure to be in partnership with the International Astronautical Congress,” said SSFFF Director, Simon Foster. “From our inception, the beautiful immensity of space and what it has yet to reveal to us has influenced so many of our programming decisions and creative partnerships. Realising a better future for mankind is so much of what both IAC and our festival represents.”
The guiding theme of this year’s Congress is ‘Sustainable Space, Resilient Earth’, its aim to explore the essential connection between space innovation and sustainability. The focus will be on three central areas – space-based applications for Earth; sustainable space activities; and sustaining life beyond Earth.
In line with the SSFFF/IAC partnership, the initial programming of 2025 festival titles honours real-life visionaries who have influenced and advanced interstellar exploration. Confirmed for 2025 are:
STARMAN (Dir: Robert Stone; US) Are we alone in the universe? For over half a century, legendary NASA engineer and best-selling science fiction author, Gentry Lee, has explored every aspect of this question in the realms of space science, robotic exploration and the human imagination. At age 82, he has come to a revelatory conclusion.
NEW SOUTH WALES PREMIERE
OPENING NIGHT | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 at 6.30PM
SPACEWOMAN (Dir: Hannah Berryman; US/UK) The spectacular, inspiring account of the life of Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft; an iconic figure who paved the way for the next generation of female space explorers.
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
THE EAGLE OBSESSION (Dir: Jeffery Morris; US) Science fiction creator Jeffrey Morris explores missions to the moon – both real and imagined – and why they are a key stepping stone to the future of humankind. Featuring William Shatner, Alan Tate and Barbara Bain.
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
The 2025 SYDNEY SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL will launch October 3-5 at EVENT Cinemas George Street.
Full program and ticket sales will be available soon at the festival’s Official Website – https://www.sydneysciencefictionfilmfestival.com.au/
