SYDNEY FILM
FESTIVAL
6-17 JUNEFANS OF QUIRKY New Zealand comedies —
that should be just about everyone, then — are in
for a treat come Wednesday 7 June, when Kiwi
ilm The Breaker Upperers kicks off the 65th
Sydney Film Festival as the opening night gala
ilm. Co-directed, co-written and co-starring
comedians Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek,
the ilm leads into the beloved ilm festival which
will offer 200-plus ilms to punters in 2018 —
many of them that can only be caught at the fest.
Expect the typically diverese mix of docos,
debuts and daring cinema the SFF has become
known for between the 6 June opening and the
closing night gala on Sunday 18 June.CHECK OUT WWW.SFF.ORG.AU FOR MORE DATES,
DETAILS AND TICKET INFORMATIONEmpireselects several of the
must-see movies set to hit
screens at the 2018 SFFBEST OF
THE FEST
PIERCING
Directed by Nicolas Pesce
For a jolt of weirdness involving sex, violence and
inappropriate laughs, look no further than the
blackly comic Piercing. Described by Indiewire as
“the horror geek’s answer to Fifty Shades Of
Grey,” this stars Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska
(Alice In Wonderland) as a call girl who gets
entangled with a psychopathic new father intent
on acting upon his murderous impulses.(^) THE BREADWINNER
Directed by Nora Twomey
Nominated for Best Animated Feature at this
year’s Academy Awards, The Breadwinner is based
on the best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis of the
same name and executive produced by none other
than Angelina Jolie. The film tells the story of an
11-year-old girl who must step up and care for her
family after the Taliban arrests her father.
(^) I USED TO BE NORMAL:
A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY
Directed by Jessica Leski
Directed by Melbourne based Australian
filmmaker Jessica Leski, this talks to a wide array
of girls and women who’ve been obsessed with
boybands like One Direction, Take That,
Backstreet Boys and the original BB, The Beatles.
(^) THE BREAKER UPPERERS
Directed by Madeleine Sami & Jackie van Beek
Written and directed by Kiwi comedians
Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek (and
executive produced by fellow Kiwi comedy wizard
Taika Waititi), this tells the tale of Jen and Mel
(Sami and van Beek), a cynical duo who’ll happily
break up couples for cold hard cash. Expect high
levels of NZ quirk and laughs galore.
GHOST STORIES
Directed by Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman
This horror anthology from writer-director-
magician Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson (The
League Of Gentlemen) does what it says on the
tin: three chilling British tales of the supernatural
that are linked, and likely to deliver a sleepless
night or three. Stars Martin Freeman (Black
Panther, The Hobbit) and Alex Lawther (The End
of the Fucking World, The Imitation Game). Boo!