Welcome to Adelaide Film Festival 2025!

A message from Sophie Hyde, our AFF Patron and director of AFF's Opening Night Gala film, Jimpa.

How are you all feeling? It’s a bit tough being a human right now. And brilliant, scary, beautiful, right? It feels like we are overconnected and disconnected, accessing constant information and still craving genuine care and community. The whiplash is real. Sometimes we need to focus our attention, and I think films and film festivals are a truly meaningful way to do that.

I honestly believe in film screenings as an opportunity to come together with curiosity about the world and each other, an opportunity to focus our attention, to consider deeply something that has been created with deep thought, to foster connections across cultural and generational divides, and to feel inspired to talk, listen and care.

It’s an antidote to feelings of isolation and fragmentation. Watching films is one of the greatest pleasures of my life and I also really believe in it as a way to share something and to feel together. I look forward to seeing you at the cinema for AFF 2025.

The Hon
Peter Malinauskas MP
Premiere of South Australia

Welcome to the Adelaide Film Festival 2025!

Cinema is a remarkable civic force, fostering dialogue, understanding, and connection within our communities, while celebrating the shared stories that unite us. The State Government has invested in AFF to enable the event to be an annual cultural fixture and double its investment in production through the AFF Investment Fund. I’m excited to see AFF thrive and reinforce our state’s reputation as a place of vibrant festivals and creative endeavor.

AFF offers audiences a unique opportunity to experience the true art of cinema and to engage with courageous, talented filmmakers. This year’s program is exceptional, including AFF Investment Fund productions that distinguish our state’s premier screen event, enriching our cultural landscape and promoting South Australia’s rich narrative.

From the highly anticipated opening night film, Jimpa, by Sophie Hyde, to Dario Russo’s debut comedic feature, The Fox, filmed entirely in SA, and the latest work, Wolfram, from one of our nation’s foremost directors, Warwick Thornton, AFF brings together an extraordinary array of talent and opportunities to revel in. I encourage you to immerse yourselves in the art of cinema and experience as much as you can this October. Enjoy the festival!

The Hon
Andrea Michaels MP
Minister for Arts

I’m excited it’s that time of year again to be immersed at AFF and celebrate the art of cinema with a stellar showcase of Australian and international cinema. It’s especially thrilling to see South Australia feature so prominently in the program, exemplified by this year’s opening night film, Sophie Hyde’s Jimpa alongside nine other much anticipated AFF Investment Fund projects that deliver creative, cultural and economic benefits to our state. The success of films like Talk to Me and Lesbian Space Princess all started their journey at AFF, and have since become international super success stories. Be the first to see the next cohort of films at AFF, at the start of their journey.

With support from the Malinauskas Government, AFF has transitioned to become an annual feature of the cultural calendar each year in October activating screens across the city. Notably, AFF’s year-round initiatives are working to reinforce screen culture in our state. Audiences can experience the fervour of AFF at regular Film Club events and filmmakers can benefit from AFFs ‘Festival Bridges’ fostering connectivity with markets such as Cannes, France and Jogja, Indonesia.

There’s something for everyone in this year’s program but be sure to challenge yourself, go see something you might otherwise overlook and I’ll see you in the stalls!

Anton Andreacchio
Chair,
Adelaide Film Festival

We are thrilled to welcome you to AFF 2025 after an extraordinary and busy twelve months. Over the past year, the board and the organisation have been asking a central question: what does it mean to be a great contemporary film festival, and what is our civic role in exploring the ideas, stories and debates shaping our world through cinema?

This year, that exploration takes us into new territory, from grappling with the current and imminent impact of AI on cinema and the broader humanities, to expanding our Festival Bridges initiatives, which connect South Australian filmmakers with international markets in Europe and Asia.

At the heart of it all remains our commitment to authentic storytelling, and our deep affection and enthusiasm for South Australian creators and audiences. This local passion is one of the key foundations of the Adelaide Film Festival, ensuring it remains a place where people come together to share, reflect and imagine.

On behalf of the AFF Board, I want to thank everyone who makes the festival possible: our filmmakers, AFF Luminaries, corporate partners, the South Australian Government, Screen Australia, distributors, our passionate volunteers and our tireless team. And above all, I thank you, our audience. This festival is for you, and we cannot wait to welcome you this October.

Mat Kesting
CEO & Creative Director,
Adelaide Film Festival

If you’re looking for deeper meaning and connection in life, cinema may well be your panacea. Cinema is the most powerful artform in which to see the world anew. Light reflected on the silver screen - it is a starting point for discussion, whether it excites, validates or polarises - cinema is immersive and potent, the antithesis to the banalities of life and counter to the short attention spans cultivated by modern technologies.

This is your invitation to be part of South Australia’s premier celebration of the art of cinema. Presented in this program is a selection of extraordinary films by filmmakers courageous enough to bare their souls, delight, entertain and grapple with challenges in the world through what is the most collaborative of creative processes: filmmaking.

It’s worth remembering we are what we eat (or watch) and AFF is harvest season. The best of world cinema is showcased within a program that also elevates our own stories as told by Australian filmmakers. Be the first to see the films that everyone will be talking about in the months to come.

Homegrown films help reinforce our culture and convey us to the world. To name just three, these include the opening night film Jimpa, the feature directorial debut The Fox and the amazing true story of a circus family in The Colleano Heart - dive into the following pages to find more. Bear witness to premieres, meet the makers and other festival guests at numerous Q&A sessions and in the talks program.

Come and immerse yourself in the art of cinema, have a fun time, let your hair down at one of our parties, connect and be welcomed among your kin. See you in one of Adelaide’s screen temples this October!