Franca was one of our team discovering all that SXSW SYDNEY had to offer. Here are her highlights:
This year’s SXSW SYDNEY opened with Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White as the iconic singer. The film was not a biopic of Springsteen’s career, but rather a close look into his life during the making of his album Nebraska, before his rise to stardom in 1984 with his next album Born in the U.S.A. What most stuck with me about this story was the in-depth look at the creative process, at Bruce’s pursuit of perfection, and the bond he formed with his manager and record producer John Landau, portrayed brilliantly by Jeremy Strong.
The next highlight was the Australian premiere of Our Hero, Balthasar, co-written, co-produced and directed by Oscar Boyson, and featuring a live Q&A with executive producer and cast member Noah Centineo. This “jet-black comedy” managed to, at once, address and ridicule some of the most pressing issues faced by young people in the US today including school shootings, pervasive online culture and gun control. Centineo’s piece of advice that stuck with me was: ‘For the actors: meet the filmmakers in the room. For the filmmakers: keep telling your stories with whatever resources are available to you!’
One unexpected find in this year’s programming was The Virgin of The Quarry Lake, an fantasy/drama/horror directed by Argentinian director Laura Casabe who identifies “raging female desire” as the driving force behind the story. It is a co-production between Argentina, Mexico and Spain, and it cracks open the surrelist reality of living through the real 2001 crisis in Buenos Aires. It has magic, witchcraft, and gore, all contrasted by the beautiful backdrop of Argentina’s Mendoza Province.
After a film about a teenager who seeks revenge through magical powers (The Virgin of the Quarry Lake), followed a headlining feature which also put into question whether our leading woman, in this case a corporate CEO, posessed inhuman abilities. Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming film Bugonia presents a masterclass in negotiation, deception and the barebones of human essence, throughout each of Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons’ scenes. Is it the perfect blend of tension, laughter, insanity and crystal clear truth, that astutely pierces holes into the facade of the societal expectations which govern our lives.
I would also be remiss not to mention the Screen Breakfast Sessions hosted by Screen NSW throughout the whole week, featuring industry leaders discussing topics like indie horror producing, women’s take on genre filmmaking, soundtracks for film, and 90-minute film school. The highlight for me was the very first session with Jimpa writer and director Sophie Hyde, who highlighted the importance of rehearsals in the pre-production process and shared insights into the journey of making a film based on her life.
And finally, the winner of Best Film at SXSW SYDNEY 2025 – and one of my favourite films of the program – The Weed Eaters, directed by Callum Devlin. A film that perfectly combined the gore of cannibalist horror with immpeccable Kiwi humour, it portrays four unlucky visitors who spend 95% of the film stoned out of their minds in the middle of the woods. Unmissable.