Festival Flashbacks

Take a look across the decades with our Festival Flashbacks and visit pivotal moments in SFF history.

1950s: A Great Educative Venture
The first instalment of our Festival Flashback series takes a look at the 1950s, when seeing new films around the world was considered a ‘great educative venture’, as recalled by former SFF Board member and Australian journalist, Allan Ashbolt.

1960s: Eastern Bloc Cinema, ASIO & the Cold War

Sydney Film Festival was founded in 1954, in the depths of the Cold War. Around 1960, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) showed great interest in Sydney Film Festival, which was to last many years. Hear from Dr. David McKnight reflect on this period of time, as told at the 23rd Ian McPherson Memorial Lecture.

1969: The Censorship Crisis
“During the 60s, censorship in Australia was very tough and very stupid,” recalls SFF luminary, David Stratton. Which films caused a controversy?

1970s The Wintergarden Years
From 1968, Sydney Film Festival moved off campus from the University of Sydney and moved to the Wintergarden Theatre at Rose Bay, where SFF screened for five years. In this Festival Flashback, two veteran Festival-goers reflect on the Wintergarden years.

1987-2021: From The Fringe Dwellers to The Drover’s Wife
Australian actor, director and screenwriter Leah Purcell recalls her journey from The Fringe Dwellers to The Drover’s Wife.

1992: A Splendid Opening Night
Look back at a seminal moment in Australian film history, the premiere of the Australian classic, Strictly Ballroom, which opened Sydney Film Festival in 1992.