Highlights of Noosa International Film Festival

You have an extra reason to spend time at the beach this month, with the announcement of the Noosa International Film Festival (NIFF) program. Taking place from 26–29 October, the festival will present four days of film, rock, parties, talks and workshops across Noosa.

Having launched last year, NIFF is back with a bigger program that includes 100 short and feature length films from 31 countries. The program includes global blockbusters, retrospectives, documentaries with a coastal flavour and immersive film and music events.

There’s a lot on the bill, with the short film selection setting the festival apart.

“Short films are a wonderful way to share stories from around the world that add to our national and regional conversations about a diverse range of topics,” says Festival Organiser, Alison Cooper. “We received more than 180 submissions from 31 countries and our curating team have shortlisted the Official Selections to screen.”

To help you decide what to see as you prepare for a movie-filled coastal jaunt, we’ve put together a list of highlights.

Opening Night: Jungle
Thriller

This new Australian thriller starring Daniel Radcliffe (pictured) kicks off festival celebrations. It’s based on the true story of Israeli Yossi Ghinsberg, who becomes lost in the jungle of Bolivia and endures a harrowing quest for survival. Parts of Jungle were shot in Mount Tamborine with Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) as director.

27 October at BCC Cinemas Noosa

Loving Vincent
Drama

Loving Vincent is the world’s first fully painted feature film and it explores the death of Vincent van Gogh, which has long been shrouded in mystery. The film is produced in the artistic style of van Gogh, using 65,000 frames that were hand-painted with oil paints.

28 October at BCC Cinemas Noosa

Short Film Program
Multi-genre

Short films often fly under the radar, but not at NIFF. The festival will present nine short film sessions that span a range of genres. Films to see are The Gallant Captain, an animation that has won a number of awards both here in Australia and overseas, and Solitude, a short film about falling in love that was selected to screen at the last Cannes Film Festival. They’re both showing at Short Film Session 3 and you enter to win tickets to this session here.

28 October at The J Theatre Noosa and 29 October at Noosa Arts Theatre

John Seale Revisits The English Patient
Retrospective

The English Patient won Australian Cinematographer John Seale the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. So what went on behind the scenes of the award-winning 1996 romantic drama set in WWII? Find out at this event, where Seale will introduce the film and host a Q&A following the screening.

28 October at BCC Cinemas Noosa

Taking your film & television project to world markets
Workshop

From finding agents to distribution and being selected for festivals like Cannes, this workshop covers all bases of getting your film out of the editing room and into cinemas. It is presented by Jim Henry, who has worked for the Australian Film Commission in the USA. He’ll be joined by Diya Eid, Vice President Operations & Screen Queensland Initiatives Content Team.

26 October at Peppers Noosa Resort & Villas

Men Of Wood & Foam
Music on film

Surf culture is deeply entrenched in Australia, and the pioneers who took the sport mainstream are known as The Brookvale Six. Documentary Men Of Wood & Foam traces their journey as they usher in birth of the surf boom and a golden decade of surfing. Sunshine Coast musicians Band of Frequencies will perform the original soundtrack live.

28 October at The J Theatre Noosa

KEY DETAILS

Noosa International Film Festival
26–29 October, 2017
View full program and buy tickets

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