Sydney Film Festival 2021 Teaser

Anticipation for this year’s Sydney Film Festival (SFF) should exceed expectations owing to the absence of last year’s live festival, which was replaced by a viral edition owing to COVID-19.

This year the festival will be smaller in terms of the program owing to COVID-19 restrictions. Approximately 80% of the program has been selected, and judging by the 22 teaser films that have been announced the festival should prove to be an enjoyable and stimulating event.

“From the Ivory Coast comes an incredible film called Night Of The Kings set in a West African prison. The film follows the Arabian Nights theme where somebody has to tell a story in order to survive the night. It’s a fantastic story involving kings, myths, rituals and magic,” enthused SFF Director Nashen Moodley.

There Is No Evil was the winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlinale in February 2020 and is from Mohammad Rasoulof, a director who was imprisoned and banned for life from making films in Iran.

“It’s four stories that he brings together in an incredible way. It’s about how the death penalty is carried out in Iran and its impact on the individuals involved, whether it’s those who are compelled to carry out the executions or those who are left behind. It’s a very morally complex and powerful film.”

Undine is a German film that should appeal to audiences who enjoy romance films with a touch of evil. The story surrounds a supernatural nymph who has to kill her lover if he betrays her.

“It’s a very clever film, a sort of A Little Mermaid story but going back to a myth that long predates that.”

Watch out in coming issues for more stories on the Sydney Film Festival