You want Australian films, and we’ve got ’em. Read on for the low down on when and where new Australian-made films are showing, and why you need to add them to your watchlist, like, yesterday.
Supporting the local industry is easy: just get along to one (or more) of these Australian films.
New Australian films coming soon to a screen near you
The Correspondent
Where and when to watch: The Correspondent is in cinemas from 17 April.
Richard Roxburgh is Australian journalist and war correspondent Peter Greste in this biographical thriller from the director of Danger Close.
December 2013, in the shadow of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Greste is confronted with the brutal realities of reporting from one of the most dangerous cities on earth. Accused of terrorism, Greste becomes a pawn in the middle of a deadly game full of corrupt officials and ancient rivalries – with only his wits keeping him alive.
‘As solid as ever, Roxburgh brings a believable weariness to Greste’s rising tension, however well managed with the painted face of professionalism’ writes Stephen Russell. ‘But there’s a hint of reckless bravado there, too, in his assertion that he decided to work without a permit because it would have taken too long to clear and he’d have missed the story.’
ScreenHub: The Correspondent, film review: Peter Greste thriller on a vitally important topic
Pure Scum
Where and when to watch: Pure Scum is in cinemas on 1 May for the Fantastic Film Festival Australia
A gritty thriller which follows two private schoolboys as they escape into Melbourne’s CBD after a drug-fuelled car crash, Pure Scum stars local rising talents Will Hutchens (Single, Out, Here TV) and Nikita Chronis (Time Bandits, Apple TV) and was created by Melbourne production companies Off Kilter and Midnight Toast.
The film is the feature debut of writer/director Gideon Aroni, who grew up in inner Melbourne and said he aimed to capture its ‘essence, energy and grit’ on screen. ‘I’m continuously astounded by how little our city has been depicted on our screens. It’s such a cinematic place. And with a cast and crew who all grew up here, have lived their whole lives here, we think it brings such an honesty and authenticity to the film.’
Fwends
Where and when to watch: Fwends will show at the Sydney Film Festival from 4 June.
Fwends, the debut feature from Sophie Somerville, a two-time Dendy Award-winner (Peeps, linda 4 eva), is a fast-talking buddy comedy about modern female friendship.
Two young women in the world – a reunion weekend in Melbourne. Em’s on a break, Jessie’s always been chill. Dialogue like a babbling brook, sweet, smart, banal to heavy and back again, honest and unafraid of pathos. A generation of happy wounded souls.
Lesbian Space Princess
Where and when to watch: Lesbian Space Princess will also show at the Sydney Film Festival from 4 June, before heading to a wider release on 11 September.
In Lesbian Space Princess, a Berlin Teddy Award-winning animated feature, an introverted heir to the throne goes on a mission to rescue her ex-girlfriend from evil incel aliens.
It’s a ‘queer as fuck’ sci-fi comedy in which a space princess is thrust out of her sheltered life and into a galactic quest to save her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend from the Straight White Maliens.
‘Disney this is not, packed as it is with very Aussie insult-hurling and an omnishambles of genitalia jokes,’ writes Stephen Russell. ‘But this bawdy sci-fi voyage in the Rick and Morty by way of Adventure Time mould has an intergalactic heart that’s as much a beam-me-up-Scotty for loving yourself enough to be loved in return as it is about horny dirtbags.’
ScreenHub: Lesbian Space Princess review: Australia’s Berlinale champion shines
Forgive Us All
Where and when to watch: Forgive Us All is in cinemas from 1 May.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus has transformed humans into violently deranged cannibals, Forgive Us All follows Rory, a bereaved mother who has lost everything and takes refuge in an isolated mountain cabin, until a desperate wounded stranger arrives with a story of hope.
Shot entirely on location in Queenstown, New Zealand, Forgive Us All features an all-Australian cast led by Lily Sullivan alongside Callan Mulvey and Richard Roxburgh.
The Surfer
Where and when to watch: The Surfer is in cinemas from 15 May
Nicolas Cage stars in this Australian crime drama from the director of Vivarium (2019).
When a man returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the US, he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, he decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay. But as the conflict escalates, the stakes spin wildly out of control, taking him to the edge of his sanity.
The Aegean
Where and when to watch: The Aegean is in cinemas from 16 May.
In a world that has started to forget him, Hector, a widowed fisherman, feels the weight of his solitude. Everything changes when he encounters Theodore, a teenager desperately seeking a saviour to rescue him from a dire situation. United by their shared struggles, they embark on a journey across the enchanting Aegean Sea, where amidst the azure waters, they discover a newfound purpose and a reason to carry on.
Ellis Park
In this documentary, an Australian musician guides us through his musical career and his wildlife sanctuary in Sumatra, where rescued trafficked animals are nursed back to health by conservationists.
Where and when to watch: Ellis Park comes to cinemas from 15 June.
A Grand Mockery
Josie leads a life of passive mundane displeasure before his psychic ills deform him and sees him roaming the rainforest hinterlands of Queensland.
As the Fantastic Film Fest people put it: ‘A Grand Mockery is a hypnotic descent into madness, shot on Super 8 and dripping with feverish intensity.’
Winner of Best Feature Film at SXSW Sydney, A Grand Mockery stars co-director Sam Dixon and Kate Dillon.
Where and when to watch: A Grand Mockery comes to cinemas for the Fantastic Film Festival Australia from 2 May.
Salt Along The Tongue
After teenager Mattia’s mother dies unexpectedly, she has no choice but to move in with her aunt Carol, her mother’s identical twin. As Mattia grapples with the loss of her mother and this new way of life with her aunt, a treacherous family secret begins to come to light.
From beyond the grave Mattia’s mother possesses her daughter, not only trying to protect Mattia from the same fate that befell her, but also to find reconciliation with her twin sister, using food as a gateway.
Writer-director Parish Malfitano (Bloodshot Heart) explores his own Italian heritage in this second feature, with a haunting tale rooted in the malocchio (evil eye) superstition.
Where and when to watch: Salt Along The Tongue is in cinemas for the Fantastic Film Festival Australia (FFFA) on 2 May.
Sword of Silence
Shot over the course of five years using only the natural light of the full moon, Sword of Silence is alternative filmmaking at its finest.
‘A mysterious dark figure walks through a world of endless moonlight. Wielding an object of ancient power, the traveller is driven by the call of a cosmic voice, guiding them through a twisted land inhabited by miscreants and wretches.’
This surreal dark fantasy was filmed in Queensland’s hinterland with an unconventional method that involved shooting the whole film chronologically, writing and storyboarding along the way, and scheduling photography on the night of the full moon.
The film also used handmade practical effects, and each scene was reviewed and edited before the filmmakers would move ahead and write the next scene.
Where and when to watch: Sword of Silence will show at FFFA from 2 May.
Primitive War
Written and directed by Luke Sparke (Occupation Rainfall, Bring Him to Me), Primitive War is based on Ethan Pettus’ cult-favorite novel of the same name. Set in 1968, the story follows an elite recon unit, Vulture Squad, sent deep into the jungle to locate a missing Green Beret platoon – only to discover a far more lethal threat: dinosaurs.
The film boasts an impressive international cast, including Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Piven (Entourage, Old School), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Lucifer), Screen Actors Guild nominee Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Red Hill) and Nick Wechsler (Revenge, The Boys).
Where and when to watch: Primitive War is in cinemas from 2025, with an opening date yet to be confirmed.
Kangaroo
Stranded in an Outback town after a car accident, an ex-TV personality finds himself caring for an injured baby kangaroo in this comedic family heart-warmer. Teaming up with 11-year-old Indigenous girl, the pair form an unlikely friendship and work together to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned joeys in the remote but stunning Outback community – an endeavour that proves to be life-changing for them both.
Kangaroo is inspired by the life of Chris Brolga and is directed by Kate Woods.
Where and when to watch: Kangaroo is in cinemas from 18 September.
Together
With a move to the countryside already testing the limits of a couple’s relationship, a supernatural encounter begins an extreme transformation of their love, their lives, and their flesh.
This sci-fi horror, which debuted at Sundance, stars Alison Brie and Dave Franco and is directed by Michael Shanks.
Where and when to watch: Together is in cinemas from 31 July.
Dangerous Animals
Hassie Harrison (Yellowstone), Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad), and Josh Heuston (Dune) star in this survival horror from filmmaker Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones).
When rebellious surfer Zephyr is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer and held captive on his boat, she must outwit her captor before she becomes the next offering to the predators circling below.
Where and when to watch: Dangerous Animals is in cinemas from 12 June.
Bring Her Back
A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother in this A24 horror from the directors of Talk to Me.
We first heard about the brothers’ latest project back in July 2023, in this interview: ‘We’ve written so many different things. I’ve got a romantic comedy that I wrote that I’d love to do one day. I’ve also got another horror film that I’ve finished called Bring Her Back. But we’re just going with the flow.’
Where and when to watch: Bring Her Back is in cinemas from 29 May.
