by FilmInk Staff
The CAPITAL FILM FESTIVAL returns to Canberra from Wednesday 30 October to Sunday 3 November; showcasing the best in Australian and world cinema, including premieres and award-winning films from Cannes and Toronto film festivals.
We are thrilled to announce that the 2024 Capital Film Festival will open with the ACT premiere of EMILIA PÉREZ straight from the Cannes Film Festival where it took the prestigious Grand Jury Prize; and in a festival first, the Best Actress Prize shared by the entire female cast. Featuring fearless performances from Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Karla Sofía Gascón, acclaimed French director Jacques Audiard takes audiences on a journey through the Mexican underworld and the self. Be the first to experience this wild, ingenious, and eye-popping spectacle at the Mexican Cantina-style Opening Night Gala on Wednesday, October 30, from 5.30pm.
One of the highlights of the program will be an exclusive film experience of MENUS-PLAISIRS – LES TROIGROS, the latest from 94-year-old iconic documentary trailblazer Frederick Wiseman. In a true celebration of French culture, the audience will watch the epic film while savouring a selection of fine cheeses from Le Cheeserie expertly paired with a glass of premium French wine.
We are excited to announce that the festival has also secured an in-person Q&A with the Chinese-Australian artist Jiawei Shen following the screening of WELCOME TO BABEL: a fascinating documentary that uncovers Jiawei’s incredible journey from growing up in Mao’s China and surviving the Cultural Revolution before emigrating to Australia where he now stands as one of the most important figures in the art world.
Closing the festival will be the critically acclaimed winner of the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, THE ROOM NEXT DOOR. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar and starring Academy Award® winner Julianne Moore and Academy Award® winner Tilda Swinton, THE ROOM NEXT DOOR is a visually exquisite and intimate drama centred on the relationship between two fascinating, complex, and flawed women.
Andrew Perkin, Festival Director, said: “While the program covers a diverse range of genres from first-time filmmakers to established auteurs, there is a recurring theme of isolation and its many forms. This may reflect the effects caused by the worldwide shutdowns of 2020 and the internal conflicts many artists looked to explore.”
The 2024 Capital Film Festival is proudly sponsored by Dendy Cinemas, Bentspoke Beer, Babich Wines, and Le Cheeserie.
The full Capital Film Festival program includes:
A Real Pain – ACT Premiere
Writer/director Jesse Eisenberg delivers his critically acclaimed sophomore directorial effort with A REAL PAIN, a poignant, funny exploration of the unexpected permutations of intergenerational trauma. Eisenberg and Emmy Award winner Kieran Culkin star as mismatched cousins David and Benji who reunite for a tour through Poland.
All We Imagine As Light – ACT Premiere
A groundbreaking masterpiece that scored the prestigious Grand Prix prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT made history as the first Indian film to compete at Cannes in 30 years. A dreamy and intoxicating romantic drama from writer/director Payal Kapadia.
ANORA – ACT Premiere
Winner of the illustrious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, acclaimed writer/director Sean Baker (The Florida Project) returns with the big, bold, and very funny romantic comedy ANORA that’s drawing a rapturous response from critics around the world.
CUCKOO – ACT Premiere
Starring Euphoria break-out star Hunter Schafer, CUCKOO is the sinister new horror centred on the unsettling occurrences at a resort in the German Alps. Directed with inventive flair by Tilman Singer and led by a stellar turn from Schafer, this tense and unsettling thriller will keep you guessing until the very last frame.
Ghost Cat Anzu – ACT Premiere
Based on Takashi Imashiro’s popular manga, GHOST CAT ANZU is an eccentric anime that delivers something unique. Shot live on location and rotoscoped to melt the real world into Japan’s fantastical kami realm, this quirky work paints a sympathetic portrait of the less-than-perfect personalities we often encounter in life and death.
INSIDE – ACT Premiere
Guy Pearce, Cosmo Jarvis, and Vincent Miller star in INSIDE, shot entirely in Melbourne, it’s a gripping portrait of institutionalisation from the local filmmaker and Short Film Palme d’Or winner Charles Williams.
Nightbitch – ACT Premiere
Based on Rachel Yoder’s best-selling novel and adapted for the screen by celebrated director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), NIGHTBITCH stars Academy Award® nominee Amy Adams as an overworked stay-at-home mum trying to catch a break, any break, while caring for her rambunctious toddler.
Piece by Piece – ACT Premiere
A unique cinematic experience that invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of music and cultural icon Pharrell Williams, PIECE BY PIECE is a bright, bouncy, and energetic sensory delight. Told through the lens of LEGO® animation and directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom).
Sing Sing – ACT Premiere
Winner of Festival Favorite at SXSW 2024 and based on the real-life arts rehabilitation programme founded at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, SING SING is the powerful and moving celebration of the transformative power of art. Starring, Academy Award® nominee Colman Domingo.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig – ACT Premiere
From renowned filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil) and winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG is a social drama turned cat-and-mouse thriller that will have you at the edge of your seat.
We Were Dangerous – ACT Premiere
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at SXSW this year, WE WERE DANGEROUS is the fiercely feminist Māori-led directorial debut from Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu centred on three fiery delinquent schoolgirls railing against the colonial system in 1950s New Zealand.
The 2024 Capital Film Festival is proudly sponsored by Dendy Cinemas, Bentspoke Beer, Babich Wines, and Le Cheeserie.
Tickets on sale 9am today, Wednesday 25 September
For more information, please visit:
www.capitalfilmfestival.com.au
