SXSW Sydney has unveiled its full 2025 Screen Festival program, with more than 100 films set to screen across seven days from 13 to 19 October. The packed lineup spans world premieres, local debuts, and a series of headline features, shorts, and live experiences across venues including Dendy Newtown, Ritz Cinemas, Palace Cinemas and, for the first time, the Seymour Centre.
Among the highlights is opening night film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White, alongside buzzy titles such as Bugonia, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie, and Black Phone 2 from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse.
The festival will feature five world premieres and 39 Australian premieres, with a strong presence of international cinema including Cannes-winner The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, and Japanese horror-thriller Exit 8, based on the viral video game.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Australian stories and standout debuts
Local productions include Proclivitas, from debut filmmaker Miley Tunnecliffe, and the Foxtel-backed documentary The Great Entertainer, celebrating the life of Brian Walsh. That film will premiere on 16 October at the Ritz, accompanied by an in-conversation event moderated by Deborah Hutton OAM.
Also screening is the experimental Western Heads Or Tails? starring John C. Reilly, and Ben Wheatley‘s new feature Bulk. Other Showcase titles include The Ice Tower with Marion Cotillard, and Magic Farm, led by Chloë Sevigny and Alex Wolff.
Magic Farm
Shorts and episodic spotlight
The festival’s short film program has expanded significantly this year, with new spotlights on television pilots, horror anthologies, and First Nations filmmakers. Standout titles include Charlie Kaufman‘s How To Shoot A Ghost, Stomach Bug (BAFTA-nominated), and Help, I’m Alien Pregnant.
Shorts will also screen in Tumbalong Park as part of the free SXSW Sydney Unlocked program.
In episodic content, audiences can preview Jungle Entertainment’s Stan Original series He Had It Coming, followed by a Q&A with creator Gretel Vella. Other international episodics include The Sleeping Beauty from Mattie Do and Jacques The Giant Slayer from Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson.
How To Shoot A Ghost
Events, live reads, and retrospectives
Comedians Alexei Toliopoulos and Gen Fricker will lead a live script read of the 1983 classic BMX Bandits on 17 October. Also returning is the Paul Feig Retrospective, featuring screenings of Bridesmaids, The Heat, and a 14-hour Freaks and Geeks marathon.
A double-feature spotlight on The Wicker Man will present both the 1973 original and the infamous 2006 remake starring Nicolas Cage.
The Wicker Man (1973)
Judges and jury highlights
This year’s competition will be judged by a mix of filmmakers, comedians, and programmers including Michael Shanks, Mish Wittrup, Ben McLeay, and Gen Fricker.
Jordan Bastian, Screen Festival Director, said: “We are not here for safe choices or predictable cinema. We want stories that stay with you, that make you feel something long after the credits roll.”
Full program and ticket details are available at sxswsydney.com.