Northern Rivers Premiere

Saturday 25 October 4pm

In her 50s and not an extreme athlete, Dianne Whelan spent six years hiking, biking, paddling, snowshoeing and skiing across Canada’s 24,000 km trail network - from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic. What began as a solo quest became a journey of resilience, connection and transformation.

Saturday 25 October 7pm

In a Guatemalan barrio silenced by fear, two teenage sisters lead a luminous rebellion - unleashing giant puppets, fire, and artful performance to protest gender violence in a joyful fight for survival.

Creating Safer Communities for Women

After the screening of Comparsa, join a vital community panel with Mandy Nolan, Mayor Sarah Ndiaye, Ambyr Johnson and Simone O’Brien exploring the realities of women's safety in our region.

Sunday 26 October 1pm

Through The Local Lens, this Saturday afternoon session at the Brunswick Picture House, is a showcase of the imaginative and hardworking talent that we have in our region.

Sunday 26 October 4pm

Isolation tanks, dolphin communication, and LSD-fuelled experiments - neuroscientist John C. Lilly’s life was as strange as it was visionary.

Sunday 26 October 6:30pm

In 2001, Lennox Head’s Joel Taylor was a rising bodyboarding star when a wave at Pipeline left him paralysed. For 20 years, he stayed out of the water, struggling with the loss of identity and purpose. The birth of his son sparked a return to the ocean - and the beginning of a powerful comeback. Through adaptive surfing, Joel found strength, community, and a new path. In 2023, he became a World Champion. A story of resilience, reinvention, and the healing power of the sea.