64th Festival 2017

NASHEN MOODLEY

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

The Sydney Film Festival is the culmination

of a year of hard work, and in many ways,

the Festival is the same as the films we screen.

Both are the products of people with a wide

range of knowledge, skills, talents and points

of view all working together to create a cohesive

whole. Now in its 64th year, SFF continues

to bring together all those disparate and

often-rarely-seen international points of view,

opening a window into the lives of people and

places you might never otherwise experience.

Hundreds of films from across the world come

together in one place, to show all the world

from every angle. It’s a multidimensional

survey of who, what, where and why we are

today: a status report on the human condition,

the state of the planet and the hopes, fears

and dreams of all who share it.

When you consider the festival as this kind

of polysided, multi-angled gem, it helps us

realise what a powerful phenomenon it is.

A true one of a kind, typified by the dozens

of incredible films from around the world that

Sydneysiders won’t get another chance to

experience on the big screen.

This year we also proudly celebrate the tenth

anniversary of the Sydney Film Prize, and all

the wonderful films and filmmakers that have

appeared in the Official Competition over this time.

It is a slate of exciting films yet again, but I’m

also eager for audiences to experience our

many other sections. We offer the genre delights

of Freak Me Out, the Indigenous cultures of First

Nations, our spotlight on Canada, our expanded

VR programs at The Hub and much more.

I must also mention our Festival Chairman

Chris Freeland, in his last year as Chair after

eight years. He has been instrumental in the

Festival’s continued success and we thank him

for his leadership and support.

Every year, Sydney Film Festival creates a time

and a space for us to reflect on what is

important, good and bad and scary and hopeful

and, well, everything, to everyone, everywhere.

Welcome once more to that special time of year.