A spiritual epic road movie for the love of music and country.

Directed by Stephen Dupont whose film KAUGERE: A Place Where Nobody Enters - won BBFF2023’s Best Documentary Award.

Directed by Kent Jones and written by Samy Burch, from Arthur Schnitzler’s novella, Late Fame is a witty, warm-hearted New York story about art, ego, aging and second chances.

With Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe & Emmy nominee Greta Lee

Due to popular demand, a special encore screening. Beautifully photographed, deeply human and ultimately uplifting, Guided by Horses is a story about trust, belonging and the quiet moments that can change the direction of a life - and a reminder that sometimes the way forward begins with learning how to listen.

A special encore screening of BBFF’s Opening Night Film. Visually striking and gloriously unpredictable, THE FOX is a twisted Australian fable about what happens when getting exactly what you wished for turns out to be the beginning of the problem.

Starring Jai Courtney, Emily Browning, and Academy Award winner Olivia Coleman

Sexy, funny, melancholic and unmistakably Almodóvar, Bitter Christmas is a richly layered story about desire, creativity and what happens when the people you love become the raw material for your art.

The first instalment in a planned documentary series, CRACK ME OPEN is a raw, searching act of self-discovery - as much an investigation of the human psyche as it is a personal confession.

A poignant meditation on humanity's relationship with nature. The Tale Of Silyan beautifully weaves reality and magical realism.

A love story like no other, THE CYCLE OF LOVE is an inspiring, heart-warming, epic true-life adventure about the search for self-belief and risking everything for what your heart tells you.

After winning multiple audience awards on the international festival circuit, The Cycle of Love was also runner-up for Best International Documentary in the Sydney Film Festival Audience Awards.

Directed by Kent Jones and written by Samy Burch, from Arthur Schnitzler’s novella, Late Fame is a witty, warm-hearted New York story about art, ego, aging and second chances.

With Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe & Emmy nominee Greta Lee

Beautifully photographed, deeply human and ultimately uplifting, Guided by Horses is a story about trust, belonging and the quiet moments that can change the direction of a life - and a reminder that sometimes the way forward begins with learning how to listen.

THE BEST SUMMER is a loving scrapbook of youth, rock and friendship - a joyous, revealing time capsule of alternative music's golden era, standing as a testament to trusting your instincts and making the film only you can tell.

Sexy, funny, melancholic and unmistakably Almodóvar, Bitter Christmas is a richly layered story about desire, creativity and what happens when the people you love become the raw material for your art.

Visually striking and gloriously unpredictable, THE FOX is a twisted Australian fable about what happens when getting exactly what you wished for turns out to be the beginning of the problem.

Starring Jai Courtney, Emily Browning, and Academy Award winner Olivia Coleman

A spiritual epic road movie for the love of music and country.

Directed by Stephen Dupont whose film KAUGERE: A Place Where Nobody Enters - won BBFF2023’s Best Documentary Award.

Visually striking and gloriously unpredictable, THE FOX is a twisted Australian fable about what happens when getting exactly what you wished for turns out to be the beginning of the problem.

Starring Jai Courtney, Emily Browning, and Academy Award winner Olivia Coleman

Due to popular demand, a special encore screening. Beautifully photographed, deeply human and ultimately uplifting, Guided by Horses is a story about trust, belonging and the quiet moments that can change the direction of a life - and a reminder that sometimes the way forward begins with learning how to listen.

BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY is a tender, unflinching portrait of queer adolescence, class shame, and identity, told through the intimate, unvarnished lens of New Zealand girlhood at a moment when the wider world was beginning to seep in.

THE OLIGARCH AND THE ART DEALER is a thrilling exploration of one of the most sensational and mysterious events to ever hit the art world: the bitter fight between Yves Bouvier and Dmitry Rybolovlev that followed accusations of a billion-dollar swindle.

Directed by Vic Sarin, THE LIGHTKEEPER is a haunting, atmospheric Irish-Canadian drama about grief, penance and the possibility of being seen again.

Premiered at the 2026 Dublin International Film Festival

When award-winning journalist and mother Shannon Harvey (My Year of Living Mindfully) set out to understand why anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide are rising among young people, she found herself asking a bigger question. Is mental illness preventable?

Beautifully photographed, deeply human and ultimately uplifting, Guided by Horses is a story about trust, belonging and the quiet moments that can change the direction of a life - and a reminder that sometimes the way forward begins with learning how to listen.

A celebration of Northern Rivers filmmaking, bringing together locally made short films and short documentaries - and the filmmakers behind them - to showcase the depth, creativity and distinctive voices of our region.

From Academy Award nominee Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, the acclaimed director of Drive My Car, All of a Sudden is an expansive, emotionally rich story of friendship, dignity and two remarkable women refusing to accept that the world simply has to be the way it is.

With Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, joint winners of the Best Actress Award at Cannes for their performances in the film

A sharp, funny and gloriously offbeat collection of shorts for anyone who prefers cinema a little left of centre.

A love story like no other, THE CYCLE OF LOVE is an inspiring, heart-warming, epic true-life adventure about the search for self-belief and risking everything for what your heart tells you.

After winning multiple audience awards on the international festival circuit, The Cycle of Love was also runner-up for Best International Documentary in the Sydney Film Festival Audience Awards.

Directed by Kent Jones and written by Samy Burch, from Arthur Schnitzler’s novella, Late Fame is a witty, warm-hearted New York story about art, ego, aging and second chances.

With Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe & Emmy nominee Greta Lee

A collection of South American surf films travelling through coastlines, communities and very different ways of living with the ocean. From Brazil and beyond, the films capture the energy, characters and cultures surrounding surfing across the continent, from everyday life on the beach to adventure, ambition and the pull of the next wave.

A spiritual epic road movie for the love of music and country.

Directed by Stephen Dupont whose film KAUGERE: A Place Where Nobody Enters - won BBFF2023’s Best Documentary Award.

Indigenous short films exploring culture, language, story, the dingo and connection to Country, and the ways these are being carried forward into the future. Through ancestral memory, personal journeys and cultural revival, the films honour the deep connections between people, dingoes and Country, and what has endured, what is being reclaimed, and what has always belonged here.

Showcasing films from a diverse range of countries, this session epitomizes the power of cinema. While each story is deeply anchored in its unique cultural context, they collectively resonate, stirring emotions and empathy. Significantly, among this global lineup are several nominees for BBFF2026's Best Short Film Award.