Navigate two weeks of cinema at Adelaide Film Festival with On The Record’s top picks from a stacked line up. (Image: Werner Redlich)
By Sophia Lattas & McKenna Paull | @sophiatlattas @mechllemac
South Australia’s premier screen event Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) returns today, showcasing 112 films from local and international emerging and established talents.
On The Record have rounded up our top picks — from biopics to epic thrillers — to help you navigate two weeks of cinema mania.
This thriller is based on the true story of Journalist Peter Greste — played by Australian actor Richard Roxburgh — and his 2013 imprisonment in Egypt. Directed by the ever–reliable Kriv Stenders (Red Dog), the timely film investigates the ongoing war on truth and the freedom of journalists.
AFF will hold an Opening Night Gala screening on October 23, which marks The Correspondent’s world premiere.
When: October 23 6:15pm | November 2 2:30pm
Where: The Piccadilly
Awarded as the Grand Prix winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this Indian film follows two Mumbai nurses, Prabha and Anu — played by Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha — as they escape to a quiet town. The reflective drama beautifully captures India, contrasting the hustle and bustle of Mumbai and the serenity of the coastal town, and is one of many foreign-language films in this year’s AFF line up.
When: October 26 6pm | November 2 7pm
Where: Capri Theatre | Palace Nova Eastend
When nine-year-old George — newcomer British actor Elliot Heffernan — is sent away from wartime London by his concerned mother Rita — Saoirse Ronan of Atonement and Lady Bird — he defiantly journeys back to be with his family. Setting the film during the World War II bombings, Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave) creates an emotional story about courage and family.
Blitz is headed for Apple TV+ next month so be sure to catch it on the AFF big screen first.
When: October 26 3:30pm | November 3 2:15pm
Where: Capri Theatre | Palace Nova Eastend
Actor turned writer-director Brady Corbet revitalises the term “American epic” with his latest drama The Brutalist. It follows a Hungarian architect — played by the quietly reliable Adrien Brody — who moves to Pennsylvania after World War II. Much of the film revolves around Brody’s character as he works on a project for a wealthy industrialist — reportedly a standout performance by Australian Guy Pearce — that costs him more than he could imagine.
Critically acclaimed and primed to be in the Oscars race, this late addition to the AFF should certainly be worth your time: all three and a half hours of it.
When: October 26 6:45pm | November 2 1pm
Where: The Mercury | Capri Theatre
Premiering at AFF, Maria reimagines the world’s greatest female opera singer, American-born Greek Maria Callas — played by Angelina Jolie — during her final days in 1970s Paris. Directed by the acclaimed Chilean director Pablo Larrain, Maria is his third historical biopic which shines light on iconic women who have grappled with fame.
When: October 27 4:15pm
Where: Palace Nova Eastend
Pavements, described as genre-defying, is a tribute to iconic 1990s indie band Pavement. The film follows the band as they gear up for their sold-out 2022 reunion tour, documenting their journeys and cementing them as the most significant band of their generation.
Director Alex Ross Perry melds fact with fiction by blending documentary, musical, metatextual forms and narrative to capture both the essence of the band and music films themselves.
When: October 31 9pm | November 2 9:30pm
Where: The Piccadilly | Palace Nova Eastend
Access Adelaide Film Festival’s full program here.
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