by FilmInk Staff
DARING, DELIGHTFUL, DYNAMIC, DELECTABLE, DEADLY, DIRECTORS, DRAMAS, DOCOS
DEVOUR SOMETHING DIFF-ERENT AT DIFF2026 – 10-20 SEPTEMBER
The 17th Darwin International Film Festival (DIFF) last night unveiled its 2026 program of cinematic treasures to entertain, challenge, move and delight audiences lighting up the screen September 10-20.
For 11 days, with 38 sessions across four incredible venues, 30+ special guests and a record number of 6 international guests will be joining us to set Darwin buzzing with film fever.
The dazzling program sees the world premiere two NT-made features, nine Australian short films (seven made here in the NT), and the top titles from the world’s leading festivals.
In total, 24 features and 70 short films from more than thirty countries will screen across the program.
DIFF2026’s Opening Night on Thursday 10 September is the NT Premiere of exhilarating Sundance sensation LEVITATING (Para Perasuk), screening under the tropical stars at Darwin’s iconic Deckchair Cinema, presented by acclaimed director/writer Wregas Bhanuteja – the first Indonesian director to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.
While there’s no better place to experience cinema than the Deckchair Cinema, DIFF is thrilled to present a parallel program of 11 days and nights of screenings, events and industry workshops in the air-conditioned comfort of the beautifully upgraded theatrette at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT).
The magic of DIFF’s stunning outdoor screenings under starry skies at Deckchair Cinema will be replicated on both Saturday nights in Palmerston’s Goyder Square with the return of free family-friendly screenings, in partnership with the City of Palmerston.
DIFF and Screen Territory present an Event Cinemas VMAX ‘blockbuster experience’ with a one-night-only special red carpet world premiere of the SPARK Short Film Showcase.
DIFF Manager Erin Lucas said, “We’re so excited to finally share the full DIFF2026 program! One of the things that makes DIFF so special is our connection to our region, and this year’s festival celebrates that more than ever. We’re incredibly proud to welcome six international guests from Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, making this our biggest international guest line-up yet.
Across the 11 days and nights of the festival, audiences will have the chance to meet filmmakers and artists every day, hear the stories behind the films, and be part of the conversations that make film festivals so much more than just going to the movies. It’s these shared experiences that make DIFF an unmissable event on Darwin’s calendar.”
Minister For Tourism, Hospitality and Major Events Marie-Clare Boothby said, “The Darwin International Film Festival has become one of the NT’s signature annual events, attracting filmmakers, audiences and visitors to Darwin while strengthening our visitor economy and showcasing the Territory to the world.”
“We’re proud to support the Festival because it creates opportunities for our growing screen industry, backs Territory storytellers and contributes to the vibrant and unique Territory lifestyle you can’t find anywhere else in Australia.”
“Our investment in the upgraded MAGNT theatrette through the Community Benefit Fund ensures DIFF, local productions and Territory audiences will benefit from a first-class cinema experience for many years to come. I congratulate everyone involved and look forward to celebrating this fantastic festival in September. “
DIFF2026 @ DECKCHAIR CINEMA
DIFF at Deckchair Cinema features the World Premiere of Jacob Hazeldine’s NT-made breakthrough feature ABOUT THE SOUFFLÉ, and the NT Premieres of new compelling works from PNG, NZ and Australia, all taking their place amongst some of the biggest winners from the world’s most prestigious international film festivals.
ABOUT THE SOUFFLÉ is an intimate character study of a young man thrust into the streets of Darwin with no safety net. A chance encounter with a local band of creatives leads him on a journey of growth and self-discovery as he battles to overcome personal traumas that threaten to destroy the only community he has left. Presenting the screening is director Jacob Hazeldine and lead actor Connor van Helsing.
SUKUNDIMI WALKS BEFORE ME, a powerful and moving celebration of cultural knowledge and winner of the Sydney Film Festival’s 2026 Sustainable Feature Award. The documentary follows activist Emmanuel Peni together with Indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea who are united in defending the Sepik River when a proposed mining project threatens one of the world’s great waterways. Presented by international guests, Emmanuel Peni and producer Kerry Warkia.
The NT premiere of local feature film FACING THE NUMBERS reveals the lived experiences behind First Nations over-representation in Australia’s justice system through powerful personal testimonies and innovative storytelling that blends oral history, dance and cinematic expression. A deeply moving portrait of truth-telling and the enduring strength of communities determined to create lasting change, presented by Darwin-based storyteller Kylie Hampton.
Curated from the Toronto Film Festival lineup comes three very different features. MĀRAMA blends Gothic horror with Māori spirituality morphing a tale of revenge into a powerful reclamation of identity and ancestral strength, while BLUE HERON (Canada/Hungary) is the tender and quietly devastating story of eight-year-old Sasha who watches her family’s hopeful new beginning slowly unravel as her older brother’s behaviour becomes increasingly volatile. And in South Korea’s indie breakout hit, THE WORLD OF LOVE, a 17-year-old girl known for her infectious energy and vivacious spirit unleashes chaos with some words spoken in a moment of anger.
Winner of the Berlinale Golden Bear for Best Film, Turkish drama YELLOW LETTERS (GELBE BRIEFE) is an emotionally charged portrait of artistic freedom under pressure when a celebrated theatre couple’s life is upended when a single act of defiance brings the full force of an authoritarian regime crashing down around them.
Joining Levitating from the official selection of the Sundance Film Festival are three DIFF highlights. Iranian portrait of courageous friendship in contemporary Tehran, THE FRIEND’S HOUSE IS HERE (KHANEH DOOST INJAST) is a moving, drama which celebrates the enduring power of art and sisterhood, filmed in secret and smuggled out of Iran. Nigerian feature LADY, winner of the Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble, is a vibrant portrait of female friendship, survival and self-discovery, in which a fiercely independent taxi driver in Lagos finds her life transformed when she becomes the driver for a gutsy group of sex workers. And named by the New York Times as one of the best films of 2026, critically acclaimed documentary EVERYBODY TO KENMURE STREET features Emma Thompson as you’ve never seen her before. When immigration officers attempt to detain two men in Glasgow’s Pollokshields, an extraordinary act of community resistance transforms an ordinary street into the centre of a movement. Capturing a remarkable true story as it unfolds, this inspiring documentary celebrates solidarity, compassion and the power of ordinary people standing together. Winner of the fest’s Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance.
From the official selection of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival comes Grand Prix winner MINOTAUR, a powerful portrait of moral collapse using one man’s disintegration (and the 14 sacrifices of the ancient Minotaur myth) to reflect the fractures of a nation, by master filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan). Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG (TINIHARU) is set within a rarely portrayed Nepalese third-gender Kinnar community, where a respected matriarch is forced to choose between the future she longs for and the people who depend on her when a young woman disappears. Wildly inventive animated comedy JIM QUEEN, nominated for the Caméra d’Or, sees Paris’ most celebrated gay influencer struck by a mysterious virus that begins turn queer men straight! This razor-sharp satire and joyous celebration of queer identity is set to become a cult classic. From acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) comes ALL OF A SUDDEN (SOUDAIN), a deeply moving meditation on compassion, friendship and what it means to care for one another which was awarded the Best Actress prize, shared by the two leads. Set between France and Japan, two women from very different worlds form an extraordinary bond that reshapes their lives.
Closing Night of the 2026 DIFF program is Winner of the Best Director Award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best International Feature at the Sydney Film Festival, LA BOLA NEGRA, an unforgettable drama inspired by the unfinished work of Federico García Lorca. Spanning three generations of queer lives across modern Spanish history, filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi weave together stories of love, loss and resilience, brought vividly to life by an outstanding cast including Penelope Cruz, Glenn Close and Julio Torres in supporting roles.
Short films selected for DIFF @ Deckchair are the NT Premieres of Rae Choi’s SOME KIND OF BLUE, Keinan Pethybridge’s MAN WEARING A HELMET, Siena Mayutu Wurmarri Stubbs’ Sydney Film Festival winner MAŊUTJI (CATCHING EYES) presented by produced Libby Collins, and Tak Nakano’s CHASING THE SUN with special guests director Tak Nakano, lead actors Kimie Tsukakoshi and Adam Rapanaro, DOP Mikey Hamer, Producer Dianna La Grassa and Executive Producer, Bus Stop Films CEO Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM.
Every night at Deckchair is an event, with live music and different caterers creating the culinary delights for a sunset dinner.
The Australian Cinematographers Society NT Awards returns to Deckchair to recognise the Northern Territory’s finest cinematographers for their skills and accomplishments.
MOVIES AT MAGNT
DIFF @ MAGNT is captivating cinematic curation headlined by the World Premiere of Andrew Hyde’s insightful and compelling documentary, CHASING CHAOS. The 11 days and nights at MAGNT feature a phenomenal 66 short films curated across eight program collections, two feature films, four feature documentaries, a full day takeover by Bus Stop Films, four industry workshops and an incredible 25 special guests.
Filmed over some years, CHASING CHAOS is a documentary examining global emergency health and disaster relief inequality. As climate change and shifting geo-politics become reality in the Indo-Pacific, an unlikely alliance sets sail aboard the experimental medical ship HELPR 1, hoping to establish a new way to prepare and respond to medical emergencies in the Pacific. Followed by a Q&A with director/producer Andrew Hyde.
Deepening the experience of viewing the film, Andrew Hyde brings his 35 years in documentary and television production to the first of DIFF’s 4 free ticketed industry workshops: Solo Doco – The role of the shooter/director in modern documentary and factual production.
Fresh from its world premiere event at MIFF, Professor Juli Coffin will present the NT Premiere screening of documentary GUIDED BY HORSES. Amid the breathtaking vistas of the Kimberley, a groundbreaking equine sanctuary guides Aboriginal teenagers to discover reconnection and healing through life-changing bonds with horses.
DIFF is thrilled to welcome award-winning disability-led global leader in inclusive filmmaking BUS STOP FILMS back to Darwin, for a full takeover of MAGNT on Thursday 17 September. Starting with an industry workshop, The Perfect Short Film in a Day: Behind the Lens with a DOP Mikey Hamer and Producer Dianna La Grassa, the takeover continues with a short film showcase featuring the World Premiere of Darwin local Adnan Reza’s DARWIN 74. Perfecting the takeover is the NT Premiere of feature film BOSS CAT, a heartfelt coming-of-age drama about Sonja, a young woman with Down syndrome who discovers confidence, purpose and her own voice through the electrifying world of KRUMP dance, proving that independence is something to be earned, not denied. With special guests writer/director Genevieve Clay-Smith and lead actor Olivia Hardgroder, Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM, Dianna La Grassa, DOP Mikey Hamer, and from CHASING THE SUN, director Tak Nakano and lead actors Kimie Tsukakoshi and Adam Rapanaro.
Presented in partnership with the Filipino Australian Association of the Northern Territory and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and in honour of the 80th year celebrating Philippines-Australia Friendship Day, a special screening of BIRD OF PREY (2017) will open with a cultural performance and be followed by a conversation with Dr. Jayson Ibanez, Director for Operations at the Philippine Eagle Foundation. In Bird of Prey wildlife cinematographer, Neil Rettig, embarks on what could be the most challenging assignment of his career: to find and film the rarest eagle on the planet, exploring the vanishing world of the Great Philippine Eagle and revealing the courageous heroes that are determined to save it.
Winner of the Sydney Film Festival Documentary Audience Award, AMERICAN DOCTOR follows three American doctors – Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian – united by a shared commitment to saving lives as they volunteer in hospitals under siege in Gaza. Director Poh Si Teng’s award-winning documentary is an urgent and deeply human portrait of courage, compassion and the moral responsibility to bear witness.
Winner of the inaugural Queer Palm Revelation Award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival is FLESH AND FUEL (DU FIOUL DANS LES ARTÈRES) from French director Pierre Le Gall. What begins as a chance encounter between two long-haul truck drivers becomes a tender romance that stretches across the highways of Europe.
Among the eight Short Film Showcases on screen at MAGNT is a range of special guests, and a world premiere film presented in five of the collections. For the first time in 2026, DIFF presents a curated program of Animated Shorts in addition to the festival favourite collections from prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
- DIFF2DIFF: ASEAN edition curated by Lena Lenzen, Director of the Dili International Film Festival, celebrating the best short films from the ASEAN region with special guests from Timor-Leste, Abrao de Carvalho Nobre, Ana Agostinha Boavida and Megalichandra Silva, and fresh films from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
- INDIGENOUS SHORTS with special guests Fraser Pemberton (director) & William Jaka (actor) from FACELESS, Keinan Pethybridge (director) & Marcus Raymond (director) for MAN WEARING A HELMET, Tully Hemsley (director), Levi Nichaloff (actor) from CORNWALLIS, and the World Premiere of INJALAK.
- AUSTRALIAN NARRATIVES featuring the World Premiere of Isabel Nicketa James’BO’S DIARY.
- AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARIES featuring the World Premiere of Caddie Brain’sRETURN TO CAMP CONCERN
- ANIMATED SHORTS featuring the World Premiere of Jins M.Jose’sHEAVEN
- BEST OF ANNECY KIDS 2026
- BEST OF ANNECY 2026
- BUS STOP FILMS Short Film Showcase featuring the World Premiere of Adnan Reza’s DARWIN 74
Completing the lineup of free industry workshops at MAGNT is ABOUT THE SOUFFLÉ director Jacob Hazeldine’s Making Something Out of Nothing – A Workshop in Guerrilla Filmmaking. And returning to DIFF, 2025 guest Kalu Oji (Pasa Faho) brings his workshop, YADDA, Practical Cinema School presents: Approaches to Independent Filmmaking.
DIFF IN PALMERSTON
The City of Palmerston has partnered with DIFF to present FREE family fun at Goyder Square on Saturday nights during DIFF. Entertainment by Fairy Jill, food trucks and an incredible light show by Northern Lights NT, is followed by a little Deckchair magic with a film under the stars. THE POUT POUT FISH screens on Saturday 12 September and BUFFALO KIDS screens on Saturday 19 September.
SPARK NT ON SCREEN PREMIERES AT DIFF
Four incredible new Territory-made SPARK short films will world premiere on the VMAX megascreen at Event Cinemas Palmerston during DIFF. Each team interpreted the theme “in a pickle” to produce a fresh and eclectic group of NT films.
- Director, writer, producer Bridget May’s LATCH stars Pedrea Jackson as a hit man out of his depth in the outback with body in the boot and his sleeve caught in the latch when along comes a park ranger, played by Trisha Morton-Thomas, who stops to help. The slow-burn dark comedy has cinematography by Dylan River.
- Director, writer, producer Laurens Goud’s WITH YOU stars NT newcomer Claudia Wyles alongside Georgina Haig and Josh Mapleston, as a teenage girl, unseen by her overwhelmed parents in the moment she most needs them. Coming apart on a remote Northern Territory road she must find her own way back, alone, from deep in the bush. Co-written and produced by Phil Tarl Denson with cinematography by Jayden Moyle.
- Director, writer, producer Ethan Grahek’s HARDCASE stars and Amelia Aberasturi as a young ex-scientist fleeing her own invention jumps who into a taxi with a very reluctant, sharp-witted indigenous driver, Kamahi King, hiding a deadly secret. Produced by Grahek with Bridget May and Connor Manzie with cinematography by Tor Burns.
- Director, writer, producer Penelope McDonald’s THE LONG DROP stars Madeleine Madden and Emily Taheny in a grounded comedy about dignity, friendship, the strange situations life drops us into and the unexpected insight that can emerge when we find ourselves stuck at rock bottom. Produced by Samantha Alexis Laughton with cinematography by Dylan River.
The SPARK films were produced with funding and support from Screen Territory, with a package of support from Panavision, KOJO, Trackdown Studios, AFTRS and Sydney Acting Studio.
The 11-day Darwin International Film Festival is presented by the Darwin Film Society, NT Government Community Benefit Fund, Tourism and Events NT and Screen Territory. DIFF gratefully acknowledges the support of its Major Government Partner, Screen Australia, alongside City of Palmerston, and Randazzo Properties. We also thank our key venue partners: Deckchair Cinema and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT).
FLEXIPASSES ON SALE NOW
Our fabulous FLEXIPASS is back for 2026! At $150 you’ll get to experience the magic of DIFF at member’s prices.
Already a member? Purchase a FLEXIPASS and receive a special MEMBERS ONLY thank you gift.
At only $150 for 10 sessions, and able to be shared, or used to purchase multiple tickets to a single session, the DIFF FLEXIPASS is the ultimate way to enjoy the festival – flexible, affordable and perfect for those who want to dive into bold stories, global gems and local favourites.
Darwin International Film Festival 10-20 September 2026
https://www.diff.net.au | DIFF Facebook | DIFF Insta
And DIFF2026 SPECIAL GUESTS – DAY BY DAY LIST
Sept10: Opening night: Levitating (Para Perasuk) – Indonesian writer/director Wregas Bhanuteja
Sept11: About the Soufflé (World Premiere) – Darwin’s Jacob Hazeldine (director), Connor van Helsing (actor)
Sept12: Chasing Chaos (World Premiere) – Darwin’s Andrew Hyde (director, producer)
Sun13: Indigenous Shorts / Faceless director Fraser Pemberton & actor William Jaka, Man Wearing a Helmet directors Keinan Pethybridge & Marcus Raymond, Cornwallis director Tully Hemsley & actor Levi Nichaloff.
Sun13: Guided By Horses / Professor Juli Coffin (producer, protagonist)
Mon14: Workshop / Solo Doco with Andrew Hyde – The role of the shooter/director in modern documentary and factual production
Tues15: Workshop / Making Something Out of Nothing with Jacob Hazeldine – A Workshop in Guerrilla Filmmaking
Wed16: Chasing The Sun Tracey Corbin-Matchett OAM, Dianna La Grassa, DOP Mikey Hamer, Tak Nakano (director), Kimie Tsukakoshi (actor), Adam Rapanaro (actor)
Thur17: Workshop / Bus Stop Films The Perfect Short Film in a Day: Behind the Lens with DOP: Mikey Hamer and Dianna La Grassa – COO and Head of Screen at Bus Stop Films
Thur17: Boss Cat actor Olivia Hardgroder and director Genevieve Clay-Smith
Thur17: Sukundimi Walks Before Me / Emmanuel Peni (subject), Kerry Warkia (producer)
Fri18: Workshop / YADDA, Practical Cinema School presents: Approaches to Independent Filmmaking with DIFF Alumni Kalu Oji (PASA FAHO, 2025)
Fri18: Catching Eyes / Libby Collins (producer)
Fri18: Facing the Numbers / Kylie Hampton (storyteller)
Fri18: SPARK Short Film Showcase @Event Cinemas Palmerston – filmmakers, stars and industry!
Sat19: Bird of Prey / Dr. Jayson Ibanez (researcher)
Sat19: DIFF2DIFF / Abrao de Carvalho Nobre (producer), Ana Agostinha Boavida (Dili DIFF rep) and Megalichandra Silva (director)
Sun21: Man Wearing a Helmet / Keinan Pethybridge (director), Marcus Raymond (director)
