DOCUMENTARIES
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AMERICAN DOCTOR
Palace Byron Bay
A vérité documentary following three prominent physicians–Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian—friends who couldn’t be more different but are bound by the shared oath to save lives. Filmed in unfolding, on-the ground scenes, the story follows them from a Gazan hospital under siege, to the halls of Congress.
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BROKEN ENGLISH
Palace Byron Bay + Lismore Cinemas
A survivor, provocateur, and true original, Marianne Faithfull has spent more than six decades defying expectations - releasing over 35 albums while constantly reinventing herself. Broken English is an intimate and unflinching exploration of a fractured yet unbreakable life shaped by fame, creativity and relentless public scrutiny.
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CRACK ME OPEN + Q&A
Palace Byron Bay - World Premiere
When faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis, a young family man is forced into a profound confrontation with fear, death, and the painful truth of not fully being himself. Blending intimate personal testimony with a wider inquiry into the nature of fear, Crack Me Open reveals a cinematic journey of healing, courage, and transformation.
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THE CYCLE OF LOVE
Palace Byron Bay, Palace Ballina + Lismore Cinemas
In 1977, a 23-year-old Delhi street artist from a poor, ‘untouchable’ family, picks up a handful of paintbrushes and a second-hand bicycle and sets off on a cross-continent mission to find Lotta, the woman who had captured his heart. A true-life adventure about the search for self-belief and risking everything for what your heart tells you.
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DEREK VS DEREK
Brunswick Picture House
The idyllic English countryside. An intensive dairy farmer called Derek. One day his neighbour, also a Derek, forsakes tradition and starts to turn his land over to wild nature, sparking a long-running feud. This film charts the two Derek's turbulent, often funny, relationship as tempers fray, wild animals escape, and the land is transformed.
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GANIBARRA + Q&A
Brunswick Picture House
Ganibarra is an invitation for Australia to reimagine our relationship with dingoes, cutting through the hysteria, headlines and sensationalism to understand who - and what - they really are. Ganibarra sets out to re-write their story from the perspective of those who have lived alongside them for thousands of years.
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GUIDED BY HORSES + Q&A
Palace Byron Bay, Palace Ballina + Lismore Cinemas (No Q&A)
In Australia’s outback, where youth suicide rates are among the highest in the world, one woman creates extraordinary healing connections between horses and Indigenous teenagers. This powerful and timely true story celebrates kindness, the resilience of the human spirit, and our deep connection to nature.
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RAISING SUPERHEROES + Q&A
Brunswick Picture House
When Shannon Harvey set out to understand why mental illness is rising among young people, she found herself asking: Is mental illness preventable? Her search takes her from early childhood centres in Boston to remote Himalayan villages in Nepal, and to schools in Adelaide taking power back from the tech companies. What she finds is radical and full of hope.
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SONG OF BREATH
Drill Hall Mullumbimby
An immersive journey through three distant cultures in search of the origin of the breath of life. A spatial and spiritual exploration that moves through singing, sound, and voice, leading to the deepest connection with oneself. A path that evolves on the wave of sounds and the bodies that generate them, unveiling the essence of humanity.
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THAT HALF BARBARIC TWANG + Q&A
Palace Byron Bay, Brunswick Picture House + Lismore Cinemas
Two of Australia’s most recognised actors and a musical wizard. A troubadour trio of conscientious vagabonds. They bring their ‘badass gospel’ country music to the most remote and marginalized people in Australia. They seek fameless perfection through their unique sound. But they also dream of one day playing The Grand Ole Opry - Nashville.
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THE BEST SUMMER
Palace Byron Bay
Immersive found camera footage from a concert tour in 1995 reveals electric performances, candid interviews and intimate backstage life. An an all-access view inside an era-defining moment in music. Featuring the Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill.
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THE OLIGARCH AND THE ART DEALER
Palace Byron Bay + Palace Ballina
When Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier meets Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, he quickly rises through the ranks. From a discreet adviser, to a global power broker and manager of Rybolovlev’s investments in an enigmatic market: where the value of artworks is something agreed upon by a narrow elite of connoisseurs and ultrarich tycoons.
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THE TALE OF SILYAN
Palace Byron Bay + Palace Ballina
A Macedonian farmer abandoned by his family saves an injured bird from a landfill. The two form a bond and find solace and companionship in each other’s solitude. With the tone of a real-life fairytale, the white storks are portrayed as a perfect mirror of humanity. The changes in their behaviour offer a stark warning about where we are heading.