Screenwave International Film Festival is an annual film and screen celebration that takes place on the northern NSW Coffs Coast (approximately halfway between Sydney and Brisbane). The 2023 event gets underway on April 20 and to celebrate, we've joined forces with the event organisers, Artistic Director Kate Howat, and Festival co-Director Dave Horsley, to bring you a selection of past SWIFF favourites that are now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Howat has pored over the SWIFF archives and curated a special 'best of the fest' collection just for you.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
M
France, 2019
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: Italian, French
Director: Céline Sciamma
Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino
What's it about?
Céline Sciamma's sumptuous story of romance yearning and finally being 'seen', takes place on an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the 18th Century, as a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman. In programming the film in 2020, Howat said: "Seductive, subtle, and sensual – an unconventional love story with a final breathtaking scene that will be talked about for years to come."
Toni Erdmann
MA15+
Germany, Austria, 2016
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Language: English, German, Romanian
Director: Maren Ade
Starring: Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller, Michael Wittenborn, Thomas Loibl
What's it about?
Without warning a father comes to visit his daughter abroad. He believes that she lost her humour and therefore surprises her with a rampage of jokes.
The Furnace
MA15+
Australia, 2020
Genre: Western, History
Language: English, Pashto
Director: Roderick MacKay
Starring: David Wenham, Ahmed Malek, Jay Ryan, Erik Thomson, Baykali Ganambarr
What's it about?
A young Afghan cameleer encounters a mysterious bushman on the run with stolen Crown gold. Roderick McKay's film fills in the blanks of Australian history to explore the role of Afghan cameleers and their role in the making of Australia.
Beats
MA15+
United Kingdom, 2019
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime
Language: English
Director: Brian Welsh
Starring: Laura Fraser, Lorn Macdonald, Cristian Ortega, Gemma McElhinney, Stephen McCole, Rachel Jackson
What's it about?
Music video director Brian Walsh takes you into thick of '90s rave culture in this spirited film. In small town in central Scotland, best mates (and complete opposites) Johnno and Spanner have a deep bond. Now on the cusp of adulthood, life is destined to take them in different directions – Johnno’s family are moving him to a new town and a better life, leaving Spanner behind to face a precarious future. They head out for one final party before going their separate ways.
"Rave against the machine!," says Howat.
We Don't Need a Map
M
Australia, 2017
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Director: Warwick Thornton
Starring: Warwick Thornton, Bruce Pascoe, Ghassan Hage
What's it about?
The Southern Cross is the most famous constellation in the southern hemisphere. Ever since colonisation, it's been claimed, appropriated and hotly-contested for ownership by a radical range of Australian groups. But for Aboriginal people the meaning of this heavenly body is deeply spiritual. And just about completely unknown. An offhand comment to a journalist about compelled Warwick Thornton to make this fun and thought-provoking film, which amounts to a wild ride through Australia's cultural and political landscape.
Drive My Car
MA15+
Japan, 2021
Genre: Drama
Language: Chinese, English, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Tagalog
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada, Reika Kirishima, Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon
What's it about?
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theatre festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.
Another Round
M
Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, 2020
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: Danish, Swedish
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, Magnus Millang, Maria Bonnevie, Susse Wold
What's it about?
Thomas Vinterberg's Oscar winner sees four high school teachers launch a unique experiment: upholding a constant low level of intoxication. It's an incredible, moving ode to Danish culture, with a fantastic central performance by Mads Mikkelsen.
You Were Never Really Here
MA15+
United Kingdom, United States of America, France, 2017
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Crime
Language: English
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Judith Roberts, Ekaterina Samsonov, John Doman, Alex Manette
What's it about?
A traumatised veteran, unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, his nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.
Putuparri and the Rainmakers
M
Australia, 2015
Genre: Documentary
Language: English
Director: Nicole Ma
Starring: Putuparri Tom Lawford
What's it about?
Tom "Putuparri" Lawford is a man caught between two worlds: his past and present in modern society, where he battles with alcoholism and domestic violence; and his future as a leader of his people, reconnecting with his ancestral lands and shouldering his responsibility to pass this knowledge on to the next generation. Director Nicole Ma spent more than a decade documenting Putuparri's journey, travelling with him and his family on numerous occasions as they fight for their native title claim over the area.
The House That Jack Built
MA15+
Denmark, France, Germany, 2018
Genre: Thriller
Language: English, German, Italian
Director: Lars von Trier
Starring: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Therman
What's it about?
The self-styled enfant terrible of European arthouse cinema, Lars Von Trier, lives up to his reputation with this divisive biography of a serial killer. In the 1970s, Jack (Matt Dillon) recounts a handful of gruesome murders which he considers his defining acts as a serial killer. The story fast becomes an allegory of Von Trier's own career, and his treatment by the film industry-at-large.
EXPLORE THE FULL COLLECTION AT SBS ON DEMAND
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Agnès Varda: celebrating the humanism of an outstanding filmmaker
