Journal

Notes from the festival

Interviews with filmmakers, notes from our programmers and news as the festival unfolds.

Interviews

Hiroto Tanimizu on The Salt Line

Before the film’s Australian premiere, the director talks about tides, surveyors and why he waited six years to shoot on the bay.

Kenta Aramaki · 8 Sep 2026 · 12 min read

Programme notes

Three reels turned up in a garage in 2023. Here is how a film nobody had seen since 1968 made it back to a cinema screen.

Gemma Thorne · 7 Sep 2026 · 8 min read

Programme notes

The Coastal Path is the latest in a long line of films that use the harbour ferry as a place to think. A short history.

Rowan Tidswell · 6 Sep 2026 · 6 min read

Interviews

Arthur Pendelton has projected films at the Kestrel Picture House since 1976. He talks about what has changed, and what has not.

Clara O’Sullivan · 5 Sep 2026 · 10 min read

Programme notes

Seven films, all after eleven. Our late-night programmer on where to start, and which one to bring a friend to.

Clara O’Sullivan · 4 Sep 2026 · 7 min read

Behind the scenes

What happens in the week before opening night, from testing every seat to tuning the sound for a silent film with live music.

Rowan Tidswell · 2 Sep 2026 · 9 min read

Festival news

Six sessions are close to full, and we have added a second screening of The Salt Line on Saturday evening.

Festival team · 1 Sep 2026 · 3 min read

One email each morning of the festival, and a handful through the rest of the year.