The Sydney Film Festival is over for 2018, and the people have spoken! Over 170,000 people enjoyed films from 66 countries. Their votes have been tallied and the results are in: the French/Lebanese THE INSULT was the highest voted film of the fest.
Ziad Doueiri’s (The Attack) thrilling, Oscar-nominated legal drama is a film that explores festering historical, political and religious divisions in his native Lebanon. If you missed it at the festival, don’t worry: Palace Films Australia has picked this one up for distribution.
Of the four films rounding out the Top 5, perhaps the most surprising is AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL, the late Hu Bo’s four-hour nihilistic film about self-interest in China. You know, feel good stuff.
READ MORE: SFF 2018: Award winners announced for Sydney Film Festival
It’s an all-Australian selection with the documentary Top 5, and Catherine Scott’s popular BACKTRACK BOYS leads a collection of five local documentaries that explored identity, fandom, and cinema itself. The film follows three youths on the path to no good, until they meet Bernie Shakeshaft: a rough talking jackaroo who runs a youth program from a shed on the outskirts of Armidale. Scott is a familiar name in the Australian production industry, with her previous feature Scarlet Road (2011) following Australian sex worker, Rachel Wotton.
A full list of winning features is below. You can check out our full coverage at the Sydney Film Festival 2018 portal.
The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Top Five:
- THE INSULT, directed by Ziad Doueiri (France, Lebanon)
- SEARCHING, directed byAneesh Chaganty (USA)
- RAFIKI, directed by Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya)
- AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL, directed by Hu Bo (China)
- ÁGA, directed by Milko Lazarov(Bulgaria, Germany, France) + LEAVE NO TRACE, directed by Debra Granik (USA)
The Audience Award for Best Documentary Top Five:
- BACKTRACK BOYS, directed by Catherine Scott (Australia)
- TEACH A MAN TO FISH, directed by Grant Leigh Saunders (Australia)
- I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY, directed by Jessica Leski (Australia)
- OYSTER, directed by Kim Beamish (Australia)
- JILL BILCOCK: DANCING THE INVISIBLE, directed by Axel Grigor (Australia)
