Film censorship is a heated and ongoing debate. Constructed from redacted film clips of vice, [CENSORED] reflects on the role of the viewer and the censors who seek to protect us.
Dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi again shows his skill in blending documentary with fiction under difficult circumstances, in this winner of the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes 2018.
Writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof has been increasingly critical of the Iranian system, which he describes as a profoundly sick structure, and his A Man of Integrity is scathing.
In a bustling market street in Hong Kong, an elderly shop owner shares stories of her wares as the world passes by.
Engaging and resourceful Abbas (Eriq Ebouaney) is father to two school-age children in Paris. The three have fled the Central African Republic’s civil war and hope to build a new life.
An unusually poetic study of six male bodybuilders in provincial Canada, auteur Denis Côté’s A Skin So Soft is a thoughtful examination on the quest for masculine physical perfection.
Drawing on Erik Jensen’s award-winning biography, actor and theatre director Thomas M Wright’s feature debut is an expertly crafted portrayal of the complex artist Adam Cullen.
An adolescent boy attempts to untangle his memories of a mysterious infestation, the unravelling of his father, and the little creatures inside us all.
A close bond between identical twins is tested when one sister rebels against their shared sense of oneness.
Celebrate director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's new film The Wild Pear Tree with a screening and Skype Q&A with the filmmakers.
Mads Mikkelsen delivers a compelling performance in this rugged survivalist tale of a man stranded amid the unforgiving elements in the Arctic tundra.
Ash Is Purest White is a sprawling tale of crime and troubled romance in China from Jia Zhangke, one of the masters of modern urban cinema.
Jackaroo Bernie Shakeshaft provides troubled kids the possibility of a brighter future with unorthodox teaching methods and deep care for the boys as they run a legendary dog-jumping team.
Drawing from Taoist myth and traditional Chinese fable, Big Fish & Begonia is a visually dazzling coming-of-age tale that wears the influence of Studio Ghibli with pride.
Set in 1634, Black Robe explores the limits of faith and the Catholic drive for conversion in the first encounters between the French Jesuits and the indigenous people of Quebec.
In 1985, German filmmaker Peter Braatz contacted David Lynch requesting permission to document Lynch’s latest production. Lynch replied positively. ‘We are making an extremely low-budget movie’, he warned Braatz, ‘so bring lots of money and help us out.’
A wry French adventure-comedy, Bon Voyage boasts a playful mix of intersecting plotlines involving murder, double-crosses, smuggling and spies.
Sara Driver frames the rise of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat against a vivid portrait of the New York underground art scene from 1978 to 1981.
Breaker Morant, set in South Africa during the Second Boer War, recounts the compelling true story of soldiers who were court-martialled for the execution of prisoners of war.
Melissa McCarthy plays fiercely against type in this riveting drama-comedy about the real life story of Lee Israel, whose falling stature in the publishing industry turned her towards a life of crime and forgery.
Deftly interweaving documentary with performance, Casanova Gene is a tantalising exploration of nature, gender, culture and desire.
After crafting the gangster masterpiece Goodfellas 1990, Martin Scorsese returned to the world of organised crime with this superlatively entertaining crime epic.
As celebrated opera singer Celeste makes plans for a comeback performance 10 years on from the tragic death of her husband, the reappearance of her stepson sets into motion a cascade of events.
Bid farewell to BIFF 2018 with celebratory drinks after the film and relish in closing conversations and rich reflections on the festival.
A young woman suffering with depression and anxiety decides to take back control of her life.
A Japanese tourist driving through the beautiful Australian desert collides with a violent and metaphorical moment in time.
‘Cold Water is one of the great missing films, a nearly unknown tour de force by Olivier Assayas. If it had ever been properly released, it would certainly be considered one of Olivier’s masterpieces.’ — Janus Films President, Peter Becker
Composed entirely of footage shot by director Miles Lagoze during his time as a combat camera operator in the Marine Corps, Combat Obscura is a powerful and shocking portrait of life on the ground for American marines in Afghanistan.
Following Celeste, indulge in a unique dining experience at the award winning, two-hatted GOMA Restaurant.
In Driving Miss Daisy, civil rights and the religious prejudice of America’s Deep South serve as a backdrop to the unlikely friendship between an elderly woman and her African- American chauffer.
A young pianist is forced to confront her fear of motherhood when she marries into a remote island community with unusual fertility rituals.
Dying to Live is a riveting documentary that delves into life on the organ donation waiting list and how it feels when the only thing standing between you and death is the kindness of a stranger.
Louise Denoon Executive Director, Public Libraries and Engagement, State Library of Queensland, will introduce the screening, offering her own insights from her perspective.
French-Senegalese director Alain Gomis weaves together strong characters and Congolese music to illustrate the tale of bar singer Félicité in this impeccably intuitive film.
Filmed over three years, Finke: There and Back explores one of the fastest, toughest and deadliest races from within.
In a vulnerable space — a lingerie fitting room — two strangers are bound by their mission to find the perfect bra.
Seven years in the making yet shot in five weeks, Five Fingers for Marseilles is an assured and stylish Western set on the rural plains of post-apartheid South Africa.
Flight of a Bullet captures the ethical minefield of documentary filmmaking within the quickly changing contexts of a conflict zone.
Western Sydney security guard and professional ‘ghost hunter’ Jason King uncovers some ghosts in his own past when his decades-long search for his missing father lands him in the middle of a current police investigation.
A moving exploration of inner hutong lives in the heart of Beijing, complete with their rich flavours, urban noise and social networks, Girls Always Happy is like no other contemporary Chinese film you have seen.
This strong first feature from a Kurdish writing and directing duo deals with an Afghani couple who have eloped, examining honour, pride and trust in relation to love.
‘High Fantasy is a movie for the woke set in 2017; it’s about the exploration of the beliefs we espouse on the surface, art that bores beneath that surface to mine its characters’ true feelings.’ — Andrew Crump, The Playlist‘
The latest work from the peerlessly prolific auteur Hong Sang-soo, Hotel by the River finds the filmmaker engaging with the eternal themes of life, love and death amid the wintery confines of a riverside hotel.
Join director Catherine Scott of the documentary Backtrack Boys as she discusses the complexities of making an intimate observation documentary.
Join director Bruce Beresford and producer Sue Milliken AO as they discuss their long history of collaborating.
After the screening of the award-winning documentary Ghosthunter, hear from Rebecca Bennet, Producer, and Jackie Turnure, Social Impact Producer.
Following a screening of Mao’s Last Dancer, join Bruce and Li, who is now the Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet, in a discussion of the challenges of making this autobiographical film.
Join writer and actor Miranda Tapsell and producer Rosemary Blight in conversation following the screening of The Sapphires.
Join writer/director Dustin Feneley at the Australian premiere of Stray for a discussion around he created this riveting new drama.
Ulrich Köhler’s Cannes-premiering In My Room is an atmospheric piece of modern German cinema in which a layabout cameraman finds himself totally alone on the planet after a mysterious apocalyptic event.
In a recently reunified East Germany, sparks ignite between two supermarket co-workers in this lyrical tragicomic tale.
Director Gabrielle Brady provides an unprecedented look at offshore detention in her remarkable and lyrical documentary which follows the life of Poh Lin Lee, a trauma therapist on Christmas Island.
A tale of regret and redemption, Jirga tells the story of a former Australian soldier still haunted by the death of an unarmed man during a raid on a small village in Afghanistan three years prior.
Knife + Heart is a wild and sexy thrill ride set amid the 1970s French gay porn industry, brought to life by a lurid giallo-inspired aesthetic and a pounding soundtrack from M83.
Director Bruce Beresford has pulled together a cast stacked with talent to tell this wickedly entertaining story set during a moment of major cultural change in Australia.
Leave No Trace, by Oscar-nominated director Debra Granik (Winter's Bone 2010), is a flawless coming-of-age depiction of familial love and life on the social fringe.
Brisbane International Film Festival and Liquid Architecture present a world premiere performance celebrating the film soundtracks of the late composer Teiji Ito.
The Cameraman screens with a new live score on the Gallery’s 1929 Wurlitzer organ by David Bailey, who brings his jazz sensibilities to this remarkable film.
The stunning intensity of The Passion of Joan of Arc is matched with the tour de force live performance by Brisbane post-rock band, hazards of swimming naked.
Ed is a thorough and practical custodian of a large city transit’s Lost Property Office.
Madeline’s Madeline, a bold American indie starring Miranda July and Molly Parker, weaves a beguiling thread of uncertainty and wonder throughout its story.
The Queensland Emerging Screen Talent (QEST) conference is a free day of industry roundtables, seminars and workshops presented by BIFF and Griffith Film School.
Hosted by online video experts Changer Studios, this workshop has been tailored to teach you tips and tricks for understanding YouTube and how it can work best for you.
Based on Li Cunxin’s bestselling autobiography, this film adaptation traces the extraordinary journey of a boy born in rural China who went on to become an internationally renowned ballet star.
A Sundance award winner, Matangi / Maya / M.I.A uses M.I.A.’s personal video footage to bridge the gap between the musician’s global pop stardom and her activism on behalf of Sri Lanka’s Tamil
A superbly acted drama on the nature of love’s longevity, Mouse focuses on a couple who struggle with the natural world’s encroachment as it echoes their strained relationship.
A gripping thriller from the director of The Third Man 1949, Odd Man Out finds James Mason as a wounded criminal slinking through the streets of Belfast after a robbery goes disastrously
Studying under Japanese horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Yui Kiyohara’s debut boasts a compelling ghost story, an unworldly mystery, and a delicate family drama.
Following the screening of [CENSORED], film historian Frances Bonner will lead a discussion on the history of film censorship in Australia.
Join us after the screening of Dying to Live for a fascinating and personal discussion with producer Ben McNeill.
Don’t miss director Benjamin Gilmour, actor Sam Smith and producer John Maynard after the screening of Jirga.
Following the screening of Wik vs Queensland, join a distinguished panel of gueststo discuss the ongoing reverberations of this extraordinary moment in Australian history.
Personal Problems is a largely unseen masterpiece. A three-hour soap-opera from Bill Gunn, restored by Kino Lorber and presented in Australia for the first time.
Pick of the Litter is a heart-warming and outrageously cute documentary which starts with the birth of five puppies at the Guide Dogs for the Blind headquarters in California.
Putin’s Witnesses is a fascinating portrait of Vladimir Putin produced with unprecedented access to its subject at the time of his ascension to the office of the Russian presidency.
From coded looks to dance parties, the HIV/AIDS crisis and legal landmarks, this exhilarating film is a bittersweet celebration of queer life.
Banned in its home country Kenya for its lesbian romance, Rafiki is the tale of the burgeoning love between Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva).
Forced to contemplate his mortality, Academy Award-winning composer and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto undertakes a new project that may prove to be the defining statement of his musical legacy.
A dark comedy about the power of identical twin sisters and the invisible, unbreakable bond that binds them.
Muscle-tensing Danish thriller 'The Guilty' will screen at the Australian Cinémathèque GOMA!
Japanese auteur Hirokazu Koreeda’s Palme d’Or–winning film is a warm and moving depiction of a makeshift family living on the outskirts of society.
This selection of short films from Australia showcases nuanced and powerful storytelling from emerging filmmaking talent.
This selection of short films from Australia showcases nuanced and powerful storytelling from emerging filmmaking talent.
The mutual feelings between a live-in maid and her ‘sir’ are ever so subtly rendered in this debut feature selected for Cannes Critics' Week.
Louise Denoon Executive Director, Public Libraries and Engagement, State Library of Queensland, will introduce the screening, offering her own insights from her perspective.
Two damaged strangers drift into a complicated relationship in Dustin Feneley’s striking debut feature film, set against New Zealand’s Southern Alps in Otago.
This delicate and quiet film, part family drama yet also an homage to older Iranian artists, comes from veteran director Bahman Farmanara.
Joina a panel of cinematographers and designers as they explore the role of light and colour and its importance in the creation of story and space.
Join an expert panel as they discuss the shifting trends in industry, diversity on screen, release issues and audience management.
This panel brings together industry leaders from across the country to share their expertise in navigating the complexities of funding, from traditional pathways to emerging platforms.
Shown in all their humour and horror, Australian cinema and political footage are remixed into the fast-paced, politically outspoken road movie TERROR NULLIUS.
Ninety years young, The Cameraman remains one of Buster Keaton’s finest films, a towering achievement of action choreography and silent comedy.
An eye-opening exploration of the hidden world behind the glossy facade of major online media companies.
King Richard III has recently been excavated from a carpark. His reckless quest to reclaim fortune is interrupted by a flock of captive ducks.
Drawn from Paul Keating’s searing eulogy at Geoffrey Tozer’s funeral, The Eulogy tells the compelling and tragic story of this unrecognised Australian musician.
A black comedy about two Taiwanese down-and-outers who stumble into a dark underworld of misdeeds transforms into a sobering modern fable.
Director and artist Guy Maddin, along with filmmakers Galen and Evan Johnson, crafts a masterful homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo 1958, full of suspicious looks and haunting cityscapes.
When police officer Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is demoted to desk work, he expects a sleepy beat as an emergency dispatcher.
William Wyler’s The Heiress is a ravishingly produced melodrama in which the dowdy heiress finds herself pursued by a handsome admirer — but her father’s suspicions about this new man threaten her life of comfort.
The recipient of both furious walkouts and a boisterous standing ovation at its premiere at Cannes earlier this year, The House That Jack Built is the controversial new work from arch provocateur Lars von Trier.
A fierce declaration about the state of our world and cinema’s place within it, French New Wave veteran Jean-Luc Godard's The Image Book, was awarded a special Palme d’Or at Cannes this year.
The critic VF Perkins's observation that 'the blurred distinction between authentic and staged events helps to make the cinema a peculiarly vivid medium', finds its prime example in The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
The Little Witch brings to life the whimsical magic of Otfried Preussler’s beloved children’s book in this stunning live-action adaptation.
Carl Theodore Dreyer’s monumental silent masterpiece is presented with a live score composed and performed by Brisbane post-rock band hazards of swimming naked.
The Picture Show Men looks at the remarkable Queensland philanthropist, and former Chairman of Australian Multiplex Cinemas, James C. Sourris AM.
For the 1980s French television series Série Noire, filmmakers were tasked with producing a feature-length screen adaptation of a crime novel — but with Jean-Luc Godard (The Image Book), nothing can ever be so straightforward.
The feel-good true story of four young Indigenous Australian women who became a powerhouse vocal group in the late 1960s, The Sapphires is a rollicking journey punctuated by rousing musical performances.
When the deep bond between twin sister and brother Tantri and Tantra is shaken because of Tantra’s serious illness, Tantri’s attempt to stay close to her brother becomes a hauntingly beautiful and artistic experience.
Distinctly erotic, tropical and surreal, The Wild Boys is a gender- and genre-bending treat.
The Wild Pear Tree is the latest strikingly crafted work from Nuri Bilge Ceylan, the Palme d’Or–winning Turkish filmmaker behind Once Upon a Time in Anatolia 2011 and Winter Sleep 2014.
When a young, newly-widowed flight attendant has a one-night stand during a layover in Paris, she finds herself becoming dangerously obsessed with her new fling.
Shifting along the boundary of documentary and fiction, Adina Pintilie’s Golden Bear winning Touch Me Not follows Laura, a middle-aged British woman, on a journey of reconciliation around her relationship with sex and physical intimacy.
German auteur Christian Petzold relocates this adaptation of a Holocaust drama to a contemporary Marseilles, creating a Kafkaesque fable about human migration and dislocation.
Searching for 'Boonie' (famous cricketer, David Boon) brings writer-director Ted Wilson closer to his Tasmanian family in this delicate and humorous reflection on familial relationships.
Both confronting and quietly optimistic, Undermined: Tales from the Kimberley does not shy away from difficult conversations happening in Australia’s north.
Uncle (Tom E Lewis) inflicts an impromptu visit on his wayward nephews, imposing two cultural traditions — one literary, one personal.
Charting the closure of skating rinks across the United States, this documentary uncovers a rich and vibrant African– American subculture.
Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive, Barbara Loden’s Wanda re-emerges as one of the absolute rarities in 1970s American cinema: a distinctly naturalistic female voice, remarkably poignant and unsparingly honest.
American Western tropes — lone figures arriving amid frontier tensions — are redeployed by director Valeska Grisebach onto a Bulgarian village whose inhabitants are suspicious of the newly arrived camp of German construction workers.
When a man is tasked with clearing out his deceased grandmother’s house, a large jelly gets in the way of someone buying her old fridge.
In the wake of the High Court’s landmark 1996 decision to grant native title co-existence to the Wik People of Far North Queensland, a small community becomes embroiled in a divisive national debate with far-reaching consequences.
Paul Dano’s empathetic and remarkably assured directorial debut Wildlife stars Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal as a couple navigating the complexities of marriage.
Woman at War is a delightfully offbeat comedy about Halla, a 49-year-old choir director and eco-warrior, who single-handedly wages war against heavy industry in the mountains near her hometown.
This documentary follows Guo Pei, the designer of the show-stopping gown worn by Rihanna to the 2015 Met Gala.
In a remote Aboriginal community, a young man and his disabled brother must get free of their raging father.
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