After 12 days, with more than 100 filmmaker guests and –
for the second year in a row – a record-breaking box office
achievement, the 73rd Sydney Film Festival came to a
spectacular conclusion at the State Theatre tonight. At the
official closing night ceremony, the prestigious Sydney Film
Prize was awarded in person to acclaimed Russian filmmaker
Andrey Zvyagintsev for his explosive thriller,
Minotaur.
The winner of the $60,000 cash prize
for ‘audacious, cutting-edge and courageous’ film was
selected by a prestigious international jury headed by
Brazilian Oscar-nominated-film director, Kleber Mendonça
Filho.
The announcement was made at the State
Theatre ahead of the Australian Premiere screening of James
Gray’s Family-Thriller Paper
Tiger, concluding the highest selling Festival
in Sydney Film Festival’s history.
Known for
his engrossing and provocative portraits of contemporary
Russian society, Andrey Zvyagintsev has been a powerful
force in international cinema, since his Venice Gold Lion
winning debut The Return in 2003. As well as
screening Minotaur in competition, the 73rd Sydney
Film Festival hosted a Masterclass with Zvyagintsev prior to
his win.
After more than a decade since his last visit
to Australia, Zvyagintsev was in Sydney to accept the award
in person, and on stage said, ”I would like to thank the
jury for this decision, because this film means a lot to
people who are struggling at the moment in Russia. The
Russian language is struggling. This film is very important
to them.”
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“Thank you to the audience. Thank you to the
wonderful State Theatre and thank you to the organisers of
the Sydney Film Festival.”
As part of Sydney Film
Festival’s prestigious awards program, New Zealand and
Australian filmmakers Mataslia Freshwater
and Lachlan McLeod were awarded the
Sustainable Future Award $40,000 cash
prize, the largest environmental film prize in the world,
for Sukundimi Walks Before Me, a
powerful doc following an Indigenous PNG community’s
campaign to preserve their future.
The 2026
recipient of the $20,000 Documentary Australia Award
was announced as Australian filmmaker Vee
Shi, for Time and Tide, a
compelling, hybrid docu-drama on a multigenerational family
navigating the pressures of familial
obligation.
The recipient of the largest cash
prize for First Nations filmmaking, the $35,000
First Nations Award proudly supported by Truant
Pictures, is Banchi Hanuse for
Ceremony, a hybrid film that traces
memory, ceremony, and the ripples of colonialism.
The
$10,000 Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award,
bestowed by Screen NSW to a trail-blazing NSW-based screen
practitioner, went to writer/director Fadia
Abboud.
Also acknowledged at the ceremony
were the five short film prizes awarded for The
Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films, at a
ceremony held on Saturday night. The $7,000 Dendy Live
Action Short Award was awarded to Maŋutji
(Catching Eyes), directed by Siena
Mayutu Wumarri Stubbs. The $7,000 Yoram Gross
Animation Award was awarded to Our Choir Has
Always Been Travelling, directed by
Judith Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie ’Nunga’
Williams and Nelson Armstrong, who
were also was awarded The Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award
for Screenwriting as co-writers on the film, with an
additional cash prize of $7,000.
The $7,000
Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director was presented to
Cristabel Sved, director of Date
3. The AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner
(a $7,000 cash prize) went to Angelina
Kovacs and Sophie Ravant,
production designers of Flesh
Fruit.
Sydney Film Festival
CEO, Frances Wallace said, “SFF73 was such a buzz
from Opening to Closing and again for the second year in a
row, making history by becoming the highest selling box
office in the Festival’s 73 years. SFF73 has increased its
audience by a projected 10% to 170,000 attendees (157,000 in
2025). We also saw a 30%+ increase in Youth Pass sales –
seeing the cinemas fill with these new young generations of
film lovers was such a delight. SFF plans to continue to
build the calibre of the Festival – and create a Festival
for all, that continues to garner national and global
attention.”
Sydney Film Festival
Director, Nashen Moodley said, “It has been a
terrific edition of Sydney Film Festival and such a delight
to see cinemas full every day and all around the city. We
welcomed over 100 filmmakers from around the world who
presented their films to very enthusiastic and engaged
audiences. It really feels that cinema as a collective
experience is thriving. Congratulations to all the winners
of awards and all filmmakers with films at the festival and
our thanks to the juries who made the difficult
choices.”
Executive Director for Screen NSW,
Kylie Munnich said, “it is exciting to see that
after 73 years, the Sydney Film Festival continues to go
from strength to strength with this year seeing the highest
selling Festival to date. I extend my congratulations to all
the winners and nominees across the awards programs, and
congratulations to the Sydney Film Festival team, volunteers
and of course audiences who turned out in droves to
celebrate the best cinema on offer and made this a year for
the history books.”
Minister for Jobs
and Tourism, Steve Kamper said, “Sydney Film
Festival just keeps getting better. This year’s program was
bold, diverse, and genuinely world-class, exactly the kind
of storytelling that puts Sydney on the global cultural map.
Beyond the cinema, the city has been alive throughout the
festival. People out at bars, restaurants, and venues before
and after screenings, that’s what great events do. They
don’t just fill seats; they energise the whole city.
Congratulations to the organisers and every winner tonight.
You’ve made Sydney proud.”
Sydney Lord
Mayor, Clover Moore AO said, “each year, Sydney
Film Festival invites us to see the world through fresh
eyes. From powerful local stories to remarkable films from
across the globe, this year’s program showcased the
imagination, talent and diversity that make cinema such a
powerful art form. Congratulations to this year’s award
winners, filmmakers and organisers for another exceptional
festival. Their work not only entertains and inspires, but
strengthens Sydney’s standing as a city that celebrates
creativity, welcomes new ideas and embraces cultural
exchange.”
THE SYDNEY FILM
PRIZE
On awarding the Sydney Film Prize
to prolific Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev’s
Minotaur, the Jury said in a joint
statement:
“This is a film about something which
unfortunately never go out of style, which is power used to
crush people. And it’s all done in a way that feels
strongly Hitchcockian, strongly cinematic. The Sydney Film
Prize goes to this chronicle of contemporary Russia which is
Minotaur by Andrew Zvyagintsev.”
The Festival
Jury was comprised of acclaimed Brazilian director, writer
and producer Kleber Mendonça Filho (The Secret
Agent) as Jury President, joined by Hungarian filmmaker
Ildikó Enyedi (Silent Friend), Singaporean filmmaker
Boo Junfeng (Apprentice), Australian cinematographer
Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog), and Australian
First Nations producer and director Sally Riley (Mystery
Road).
Previous winners include: It Was
Just an Accident (2025), There’s Still Tomorrow
(2024), The Mother of All Lies (2023), Close
(2022), There Is No Evil (2021), Parasite
(2019), The Heiresses (2018), On Body and Soul
(2017), Aquarius (2016), Arabian Nights
(2015), Two Days, One Night (2014), Only God
Forgives (2013), Alps (2012), A Separation
(2011), Heartbeats (2010), Bronson
(2009), and Hunger
(2008).
The competition is endorsed
by FIAPF, the regulating body for international film
festivals, and is judged by a jury of five international and
Australian filmmakers and industry
professionals.
The 13 films in Competition for
the 2026 Sydney Film Prize are listed HERE
THE
DOCUMENTARY AUSTRALIA AWARD
The $20,000
Documentary Australia Award, proudly supported by
Documentary Australia was awarded to Vee
Shi for Time and Tide. The
Jury comprising of Ben Lawrence, Hannah Buck, and Kiki Fung,
said in a joint statement:
“This year’s award
goes to a film that challenged our ideas of what documentary
can be and what it can do. This transcendent work delivered
raw and authentic emotion, demonstrating the capacity of
filmmaking not only to capture a process of healing, but
also to create the conditions for
it.”
Previous winners: Songs Inside (2025),
Welcome to Babel (2024), Marungka Tjalatjunu
(Dipped in Black) (2023); Keep Stepping
(2022); I’m Wanita (2021); Descent
(2020); She Who Must Be Loved (2019);
Ghosthunter (2018); The Pink House (2017); In
the Shadow of the Hill (2016); Only the Dead
(2015); 35 Letters (2014); Buckskin
(2013); Killing Anna (2012); Life in Movement
(2011); and The Snowman (2010). In 2009 the
inaugural prize was shared between Contact and A
Good Man, and each film received a $10,000 cash
prize.
The 10 finalists for the 2026
Documentary Australia Award are listed HERE.
FIRST
NATIONS AWARD PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY TRUANT
PICTURES
The First Nations Award, proudly
supported by Truant Pictures, is the world’s largest cash
prize in global Indigenous filmmaking, rewarding $35,000 to
the winning First Nations filmmaker.
The winner
of the First Nations Award is Banchi
Hanuse’s hybrid documentary
Ceremony, which flows through Nuxalk
lands, lives and rivers where the ooligan fish no longer
swim – tracing memory, ceremony, and the ripples of
colonialism.
The Jury comprising of Beck Cole,
Mark Coles Smith, and Shozo Ichiyama, said in a joint
statement:
“Filmed across ten years, and
utilising a range of immersive storytelling techniques,
Ceremony is a deeply layered, complex and intimate
journey into the history and landscape of the Nuxalk people.
A moving declaration of sovereignty that leaves you
championing for the hearts and homeland of her
community.”
The 16 films shortlisted for the
2026 First Nations Award are listed HERE.
SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE AWARD
The 2026 recipient of the
$40,000 Sustainable Future Award, the world’s largest
environmental film prize, was presented to the documentary
Sukundimi Walks Before Me directed
by Mataslia Freshwater and Lachlan
McLeod.
The Award is presented to a
film that explores the social, economic, political, and
environmental consequences of climate change and highlights
the urgent need for action to mitigate its
effects.
The Guardian is the Official Media
Partner of the Sustainable Future Award
films.
The powerful documentary Sukundimi
Walks Before Me, follows an Indigenous PNG community’s
campaign to preserve their future, when the Sepik River,
‘the Amazon of the Asia-Pacific’, is threatened by
mining.
The Jury was comprised of Amanda Maple
Brown, Emma Camp, and Jordon Giusti, and together said in a
joint statement:
“Sukundimi Walks Before
Me is an incredibly important and timely documentary
depicting the immense power of grassroots resistance in a
world deeply impacted by colonialism and corporate greed.
Masterfully told with reverence and respect for the majestic
Sepik River flowing throughout the film, it follows the
individuals and communities fighting to save the river, and
their livelihoods, from destruction by the proposed Frieda
River Project by PanAust, a Brisbane-based, Chinese owned
mining company.”
The five films shortlisted
for the 2026 Sustainable Future Award are listed HERE.
DENDY
AWARDS FOR AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILMS
A jury
composed of Emilie Lesclaux, David Ma, and Leela Varghese
judged the Festival’s short film awards, and said in a
joint statement:
“Australia is a vast
country. Sometimes we forget that there are communities and
lives incomprehensibly different from our own. In these
films, we see that life can be unsettling, painful, wacky,
sensual, and tender. We want to give a special mention to
all the actors who embodied these feelings. In each film,
the performances were wonderful. It is a generous act to
share your little plot of life, and we want to express our
gratitude to all the filmmakers for doing so. In the end, we
were moved by the films driven by love. A love for their
home, their community, and their
people.”
The Dendy Awards for
Australian Short Films were awarded to
Maŋutji (Catching Eyes), directed
by Siena Mayutu Wumarri Stubbs (Best Live
Action Short), Our Choir Has Always Been
Travelling, directed by Judith Pungarta
Inkamala, Marjorie ’Nunga’ Williams and
Nelson Armstrong (Yoram Gross Animation
Award), Cristabel Sved, director of
Date 3 (Rouben Mamoulian Award for
Best Australian Director), Angelina Kovacs
and Sophie Ravant, production
designers of Flesh Fruit (AFTRS
Craft Award for Best Practitioner), and Judith
Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie ’Nunga’ Williams
and Nelson Armstrong, the co-writers of
Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling
(Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award).
A list of
the Dendy winners are:
The Dendy Live
Action Short.
Winner:
Manutji (Catching Eyes)
The
Yoram Gross Animation Award for Best Australian
Animation.
Winner: Our
Choir Has Always Been
Travelling
The Rouben Mamoulian
Award for Best Australian
Director.
Winner:
Cristabel Sved for Date 3
AFTRS
Craft Award for Best
Practitioner.
Winner:
Angelina Kovacs and Sophie Ravant, production designers of
Flesh Fruit
The Event Cinemas
Rising Talent
Award.
Winner: Judith
Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie ’Nunga’ Williams and Nelson
Armstrong, co-writers of Our Choir Has Always Been
Travelling
The competition for the
Australian Short Films was established by the Festival in
1970. Winners of the Best Live Action Short Film Award and
the Yoram Gross Animation Award (sponsored by Sandra and Guy
Gross in memory of the late Yoram Gross) are Academy
Award-eligible, opening new pathways for many Australian
filmmakers.
The 10 films shortlisted for the
Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films are listed HERE.
THE
UNESCO SYDNEY CITY OF FILM AWARD
The
$10,000 Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award, bestowed by Screen
NSW to a trail-blazing NSW-based screen practitioner, went
to writer/director Fadia
Abboud.
SFF Official Competition
filmmaker nominees in attendance: Andrey Zvyagintsev
(Minotaur), Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo
(Ben’Imana)
SFF Filmmaker VIP Guests
attending included: Kleber Mendonça Filho (Sydney
Film Prize Jury Present), Ildikó Enyedi (Jury Member and
Film Director), Boo Junfeng (Jury Member and Film Director),
Ari Wegner (Jury Member and Cinematographer), Sally Riley
(Jury Member and Film
Director/Producer)
Additional VIP Guests
attending included: Ash Magic, Claudia Karvan,
Conrad Coleby, Craig Hall, Grace Chow, Holly White, Jeremy
Sims, Krew Boylan, Lincoln Younes, Luke Arnold, Matt Day,
Nova Onas, Tess Haubrich, Tom Ryan and Will
McDonald.
The full Sydney Film Festival 2026
program can be found online at sff.org.au.
