Whilst many film festivals around the world were forced to cancel due to COVID-19, this year’s Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) promises to provide a traditional in-cinema experience (popcorn and all!), whilst keeping staff and patrons safe. The festival will launch on Thursday October 1 with the Australian premiere of Stephen Maxwell Johnson’s High Ground, a story inspired by Australia’s untold history starring Simon Baker and Jacob Junior Nayinggul. Other festival highlights include Edson Oda’s poetic investigation into the meaning of life Nine Days, Japanese cult superstar Sion Sono latest film Red Post on Escher Street, and Catherine Dwyer’s powerful documentary on the Women’s Liberation Movement in Australia, Brazen Hussies.

BIFF will also showcase a vibrant selection of international features such as Zoé Wittock’s stylish debut feature Jumbo, as well as mesmerising documentaries including Max Richter’s Sleep, a behind-the-scenes look at the composer’s ambitious eight-hour performance for a sleeping audience, and the exploration of the covert history of the 1950s drag scene in New York, P.S. Burn This Letter Please. The Festival’s Patrons, multi-award-winning Australian actor Jack Thompson and Academy Award-nominated film editor Jill Bilcock, have also chosen a number of films from their many years in the industry to screen at BIFF, including titles like Burke & Wills, Yolngu Boy, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, Never Too Late, Romeo + Juliet, Road to Perdition, Blessed and The Dressmaker. 

Cinephiles can enjoy a very-special screening of the captivating Cannes-selected documentary The Truffle Hunters, which will be followed by a one-night-only truffle-inspired dining experience curated by GOMA’s Executive Chef Douglas Innes-Will. Music + Film will also return to strike a tune at GOMA’s Cinémathèque this year, with a screening of the restored and tinted 1915 feature film, Filibus. The festival will conclude on Sunday October 11 with the world premiere of Wayne Blair and Nel Minchin’s inspiring documentary Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra. 

BIFF 2020 will be presented at QAGOMA’s Australian Cinémathèque and at valued partner venues Dendy Cinemas Coorparoo, The Elizabeth Picture Theatre, New Farm Six Cinemas, Reading Cinemas Newmarket and the State Library of Queensland.

Tickets are now on sale for the 2020 Brisbane International Film Festival. Secure your seat in front of the silver screen here.