Sydney Film Festival Implements Further COVIDsafe Measures

The Sydney Film Festival is scheduled to return in August and the SFF Director Nashen Moodley wants to assure all readers that it will be safe to attend in spite of the recent lockdown in Sydney.

“We will reduce the amount of screenings at the festival because of COVID-19 restrictions, for the need to clean the cinemas deeply in between sessions and to make it more comfortable for patrons to enter and exit and to have more space and time to do so. So it will be a smaller festival in terms of the program and the amount of screenings by 25%, but we still hope that the cinemas are as full as possible and we’ll be monitoring all the health advice and regulations.”

With a program that is still being finalised, it’ll be difficult to select what to watch as most films should be quality and mandatory viewing. Filmed in glorious black and white Dear Comrades! is a Russian film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky for discerning audiences that examines a historical massacre. From the US comes Shoplifters Of The World, a tribute to the music of iconic rock band The Smiths. When the band broke up a fan rebelled by hijacking a radio station. Based on true events. Also from the US comes Swan Song, a film that follows a hairdresser who has escaped from his nursing home and travels to Ohio in order to grant a dying client’s wish.

And why should moviegoers who have never attended this festival come along and watch a film or two?

“I think once you come you’ll keep coming because you’ll see something surprising, something which in many cases you’ll never get a chance to see again. Also, what the festival does is by bringing films together from so many countries, it really gives you a sense of what’s happening in different corners of the world. If you’re curious, if you’re open then to come to the festival for the first time will be a very rewarding experience.”

Look out for our next issue for more stories on the Sydney Film Festival!