Written by Chris Swan
September 23, 2024
12 Films To See at the Adelaide Film Festival
The program for this year’s Adelaide Film Festival has arrived!
With a program full of amazing films from around the world, we’ve hand picked 12 great films from this year’s lineup including an Australian premiere, wonderous animation, enlightening documentaries and and heartfelt dramas, that are sure to entice and delight all your cinematic senses.
Tickets are on sale now.
The 2024 Adelaide Film Festival will run from October 23 till November 3rd
Check out the full program HERE
The Wolves Always Come At Night
Australian Premiere – Feature Documentary Competition
The Australian premiere of this intimate hybrid film which follows a young nomadic couple in Mongolia are in the midst of their animals’ birthing season when a devastating storm strikes. Forced to leave their home they must adapt to their new life in the city without their animals.
Directed by Gabrielle Brady.
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Aquarius
Feature Documentary Competition
The age of Aquarius is alive and well in this captivating documentary delving into the 1973 Nimbin Aquarius Festival. Through rare archival footage and compelling interviews, it showcases how this extraordinary event transformed a community and sparked enduring activism in Australia.
Directed by Wendy Champagne, who will be a guest at the festival.
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The Pool
Dive into the vibrant world of Bondi Icebergs, the world’s most photographed pool. This film beautifully captures the lives of those who gather there, revealing how this iconic space fosters a deep sense of community, connection, and belonging.
Directed by Ian Darling, who will be a guest at the festival.
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Future Council
Filmmaker Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film, 2040) takes eight kids on the ultimate road trip across Europe to seek solutions to our greatest ecological challenges. Through heartfelt discussions about eco-anxiety, conversations with CEOs of multinational companies, and playful interactions with nature, both the kids and Damon learn from and inspire one another.
Directed by Damon Gameau.
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Pavements
A genre-defying examination of the iconic 1990s indie band Pavement that only adds to their mythos. Director Alex Ross Perry both mocks and idealises the music documentary/biopic, staying true to a band that made a name out of mockery. Part fact, part fiction, PAVEMENTS blends multiple genres to create a fitting tribute to the legendary band that captured the slacker zeitgeist of the alt-rock era.
Directed by Alex Ross Perry.
Pavement band member Spiral Stairs (Scott Kannberg) will be a guest of the festival.
Good One
Feature Fiction Competition
While on a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam contends with the competing egos of her father and his oldest friend. India Donaldson’s thoughtful debut is a quietly confident portrait of the universal moment when the parental bond is forever broken, anchored by a brilliant breakthrough performance by Lily Collias.
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Crossing
Lia, a retired teacher living in Georgia, made a promise to find her long lost niece Tekla. Together with Achi, a bored and wayward youth who offers to be her guide, she sets off on a soul-searching pilgrimage searching for Tekla in the Istanbul trans community.
Directed by Levan Akın.
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Dig! XX
Revisit the film Dave Grohl described as “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll documentary of all time”, charting the mainstream success of The Dandy Warhols and the spiraling implosion of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. More music, more commentary and even more fights in this epic tale of rock ’n’ roll, reworked for the 20th anniversary.
Directed by Ondi Timoner.
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Flow
This visually stunning and emotionally resonant film follows a cat and other animals navigating survival on a boat post-flood, offering a cinematic experience that will captivate both adults and children alike.
Directed by Gints Zilbalodis.
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Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger
Martin Scorsese guides us through this very personal and insightful new feature-length documentary examining the lives and careers of legendary British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus).
Directed by David Hinton.
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Soundtrack to a Coup D'Etat
One of the most acclaimed and original documentaries of the year, SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT explores the events leading to the assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba in 1961. Featuring jazz legends Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong, it intertwines political intrigue with cultural vibrancy.
Directed by Johan Grimonprez.
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Teaches of Peaches
Celebrate the world of gender-punk icon Peaches in this audacious new documentary that showcases her talent, activism and influence while taking audiences to the heart of why the singer’s raunchy, feminist flamboyance has endured and influenced culture.
Directed by Philipp Fussenegger & Judy Landkammer.
Book ticketsWith an amazing selection of films from all over the world, screening across 11 days this Spring in Adelaide, there’s a whole world of cinematic treasures waiting to be discovered. Be sure to see them all on the big screen at the Adelaide Film Festival 23 October – 3 November 2024.
