The 61st Sydney Film Festival will open with an award-winning documentary about Australian rock musician Nick Cave.
Narrated by Cave himself, 20,000 Days on Earth is the first feature-length film by visual artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, who were still reeling from Thursday's announcement.
"We're blown away to be invited to open the mighty Sydney Film Festival," Forsyth and Jane said in a statement.
"It's a total thrill to bring the film not only to Nick's home country but also back to the city where we shot the climactic live performance at Sydney Opera House that closes 20,000 Days on Earth."
Festival director Nashen Moodley said he was very proud to confirm the doco, an Australian premiere about Cave's 20,000th day on this planet, would kick off the 11-day festival fromn June 4.
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"Imaginative, intimate, daring and defying easy categorisation, 20,000 Days on Earth is not just a scintillating portrait of a visionary artist, but a tremendous work of art in itself," he said.
20,000 Days on Earth screened at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it was awarded the Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary and the Editing Award: World Cinema Documentary.
* Sydney Film Festival runs from June 4-15.
* Visit sff.org.au for details.
