SBS On Demand presents Sydney Film Festival Selects

Free movie collection curated by Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley

Sydney Film Festival has partnered with Australia’s most distinctive streaming service SBS On Demand to present Sydney Film Festival Selects. Curated by Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley, the movie collection features 40 superb Sydney Film Festival titles for Australians to binge, anytime, anywhere, for free, from 10 June to 10 July.  

SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald, said: “Australians are turning to TV now more than ever to keep us entertained while we’re spending more time at home. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Sydney Film Festival to provide audiences a virtual environment to enjoy the best of cinema from the comfort of your sofa, free of charge. Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley’s expertise in curating films means this handpicked collection will satiate all audiences, whatever you preference – from Australian dramas to international romantic comedies to heartfelt family sagas.”

Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley, said: “We are thrilled to partner with SBS On Demand to present this eclectic line-up of great films from the Festival’s past line-ups. During this challenging time, we hope to unite and inspire audiences, transporting them all over the world, through the shared experience of film.”

Highlights include the wildly emotional Academy Award-nominated Belgian drama The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012), Studio Ghibli's stunning animated fantasy fable The Red Turtle (2016), winner of the Best Australian Documentary category at the Sydney Film Festival last year She Who Must Be Loved (2018) and the quietly powerful triptych Certain Women (2016) starring Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart and Michelle Williams. Some more information on these highlights can be viewed below.

For the list of titles in SBS On Demand’s Sydney Film Festival Selects collection, go to https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/sydney-film-festival

THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN

This 2012 Belgian drama was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86^th Academy Awards, won Best Foreign Film at the 39^th Cesar Awards and won the 2013 Lux Prize. Elise and Didier fall in love at first sight, in spite of their differences. He talks, she listens. He's a romantic atheist, she's a religious realist. When their daughter becomes seriously ill, their love is put on trial.

CERTAIN WOMEN

Starring Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams and Lily Gladstone, this 2016 film is based on three short stories from Maile Meloy’s collections. Four women strive to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest. Laura is a lawyer who finds herself contending with both office sexism and a hostage situation. Gina is a wife and mother whose determination to build her dream home puts her at odds with the men in her life. And Beth is a young law student who forms an ambiguous bond with a lonely ranch hand. As their stories intersect in subtle but powerful ways, a portrait emerges of flawed yet strong-willed individuals in the process of defining themselves.

THE RED TURTLE

Produced by Studio Ghibli, The Red Turtle is a 2016 animated fantasy film about a stranded castaway who reflects on what’s most important in life: companionship, love, family, and the stewardship of nature. The film has no dialogue and was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the 89^th Academy Awards.

RAFIKI

Directed by Wanuri Kahiu, Rafiki is a 2018 Kenyan film that explores a romance between two young women amidst family and political pressures. The saying goes that good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives, but Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.

With over 8,000 hours of content available, SBS On Demand gives Australians free, unlimited access to thousands of the world's best programs and movies: sbs.com.au/ondemand.

 

WE ARE ONE: A GLOBAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES THE FIRST-EVER CO- CURATED PROGRAMMING LINEUP FEATURING 21 OF THE MOST PROLIFIC FILM FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD

10-Day Digital Festival, Produced and Organized by Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube, will Feature Programming from Festivals including Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival

Highlights Include Online Premiere of Ricky Powell featuring Natasha Lyonne and LL Cool J, Global Premiere of Third Eye Blind’s Motorcycle Drive By, Talks Including Francis Ford Coppola with Steven Soderbergh, Song Kang-ho with Bong Joon-ho, and Jackie Chan and a DJ set by Questlove

NEW YORK, May 26, 2020 – Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube announced today the programming slate for We Are One: A Global Film Festival, which will feature over 100 films co-curated by 21 prolific festivals, hailing from 35 countries, in addition to talks, VR content and musical performances. The 10- day digital event will celebrate global voices, elevate films that have the power to create change and bring audiences from around the world together to create meaningful connections. Assembling some of the world’s most talented artists, storytellers and curators around a central effort to provide entertainment and offer relief in the form of supporting organizations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival will run exclusively on YouTube May 29 - June 7 at YouTube.com/WeAreOne.

We Are One: A Global Film Festival will give audiences an opportunity to experience different cultures through an artistic lens - each official selection was handpicked for inclusion to highlight the singularities of each participating festival, while also providing a voice to filmmakers on a global stage. Many of these titles will have significant debuts at the festival, with programming consisting of over 100 films, including 13 world premieres, 31 online premieres, and five international online premieres.

A truly international festival, the programming will represent over 35 countries and will include 23 narrative and eight documentary features, 57 narrative and 15 documentary short films, 15 archived talks along with four festival exclusives and five VR programming pieces.

Notable film presentations will include Ricky Powell: The Individualist, a documentary about legendary street photographer Powell featuring interviews with Natasha Lyonne and LL Cool J; the online premiere of Eeb Allay Ooo!, a unique satire about professional “monkey repellers” and winner of the Mumbai Film Festival’s Golden Gateway Award; and the world premiere of Iron Hammer, a compelling documentary feature directed by Joan Chen about legendary Chinese Olympic volleyball star Jenny Lang Ping, a true trailblazer who forged connections across the globe. Audiences will have access to over 50 narrative and documentary shorts with exciting entries such as the world premiere of Japanese narrative short Yalta Conference Online [working title], created exclusively for the festival by Director Koji Fukada; the global premiere of the Third Eye Blind documentary short Motorcycle Drive By, as well as the first short pieces made by Dreamworks Animation, Bilby, Marooned and Bird Karma. Episodic programming features the world premiere of Losing Alice, an Israeli female-led neo-noir psychological TV thriller and And She Could Be Next, a two part documentary series on the experiences of women of color running for office, including Stacey Abrams and Rashida Tlaib.

We Are One: A Global Film Festival will host a number of specially-curated talks, both archived from past festivals and brand new discussions, that will offer viewers a chance to revisit important moments in film. Talks will feature Francis Ford Coppola with Steven Soderbergh, Song Kang-ho and Bong Joon-ho, Guillermo del Toro, Jane Campion and Claire Denis. 360 VR selections will feature Emmy-nominated documentary Traveling While Black and Atlas V, a sci-fi narrative starring Bill Skarsgard, as well as additional titles with notable talent including John Legend, Oprah Winfrey and Lupita Nyong’o. There will also be special musical performances, including a 30 minute DJ set by Questlove.

“We are so excited to share the combined efforts of our festival partners and YouTube with the world this week,” said Tribeca Enterprises and Tribeca Film Festival Co-Founder and CEO Jane Rosenthal. “Together, we were able to curate a compelling slate of programming that succinctly reflects the subtle variations in style that make each festival so special. We Are One: A Global Film Festival will offer audiences an opportunity to not only celebrate the art of film, but the unique qualities that make each story we watch so memorable.”

“One of the beautiful things about films and other visual content is the ability to tell stories and bring people together, no matter where they live or where they’re from. This is a phenomenon we’ve seen at YouTube throughout the years but especially today, as people look to connect and be entertained,” said Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer, YouTube. “The programming coordinated by Tribeca Enterprises for We Are One: A Global Film Festival has that magical ability to transport viewers from all around the world to a special moment in time, through the unique lens that our esteemed festival partners bring.”

The global festival will include programming curated by and unique to the identity of all participating festival partners, including: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM), International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Jerusalem Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival.

“Cinema is not only a collective work, but also a shared experience. In these times of social distancing, the spirit of cooperation and a sense of community are needed more than ever before. Therefore, we are happy to participate in the We Are One initiative. We wish all those wonderful artists that their audiences will be able to see their work on the big screen again soon,” said the Berlinale Director Duo Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian.

"We are honored and happy to join We Are One, as a sign of friendship and solidarity for our friends of Tribeca, at the same time offering to the worldwide audience a taste of what we do in Venice in order to support new filmmakers concretely,” added Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera.

Sydney Film Festival Director, Nashen Moodley said, “Sydney Film Festival is delighted to be part of We Are One: A Global Film Festival, a free, global, online film festival, opening 29 May for audiences everywhere.  This first-ever collaboration of the world’s greatest film festivals presents selections from each of the festivals involved. The Sydney Film Festival’s contribution is two ground-breaking Australian films from First Nations directors: Mabo (Rachel Perkins), and Mystery Road (Ivan Sen).  The Festival encourages audiences to donate if they can, as the funds raised from the Sydney Film Festival films will assist the GO Foundation provide educational pathways for Australian Indigenous students through school (and beyond) following the COVID-19 crisis.”

True to its mission, We Are One: A Global Film Festival will seek to bring artists, creators and curators together around an international event that celebrates the exquisite art of storytelling. In doing so, it will aim to provide not only solace and entertainment for audiences during a time when it’s needed most, but also opportunities for these individuals to give back through donations to the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNHCR, Save the Children,, Doctors Without Borders, Leket Israel, GO Foundation and Give2Asia, among others. Audiences will be able to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts through a donate button or link on every film page.

The full festival schedule is available at www.weareoneglobalfestival.com.

About Tribeca Enterprises

Tribeca Enterprises is a multi-platform storytelling company, established in 2003 by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. Tribeca provides artists with unique platforms to expand the audience for their work and broadens consumer access to experience storytelling, independent film, and media. The company operates a network of entertainment businesses including the Tribeca Film Festival; the Tribeca TV Festival; and its branded entertainment production arm, Tribeca Studios.

About YouTube

Launched in May 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch, and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube is a Google company.

About We Are One

The global festival will include programming curated by and unique to the identity of all participating festival partners, including: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM), International Film Festival Rotterdam, Jerusalem Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival. All programming will be screened globally on YouTube at no cost. Audiences will be able to follow along via scheduling listed on official We Are One channels with a full festival schedule at www.weareoneglobalfestival.com.