Bust out the popcorn: What to watch at Sydney Film Festival

WATCH / Scene stealers

(From left) Will Poulter, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi star in On Swift Horses.

Cinephiles, it’s time to get those corn kernels a-poppin’. Over 12 days (June 4-15) and 13 venues, the Sydney Film Festival will be raising the curtain on 201 films from 70 countries, more than half of them Australian premieres (17 of them world debuts), many still wreathed in glory from recent screenings at Toronto, Sundance and Cannes. These include Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind (’70s art heist), starring Josh O’Connor, It Was Just an Accident (Iranian Jafar Panahi’s reimagining of the road movie) and Cherien Dabis’s All That’s Left of You (sweeping Palestinian family saga).

Expect a heavy sprinkling of stardust, too, namely Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck (Stephen King adaptation, starring Tom Hiddleston) and On Swift Horses (sizzling ’50s love pickle with Daisy Edgar-Jones and leading man-of-the-hour Jacob Elordi). Other Aussies will be out in force, too; don’t miss Slanted, by newbie filmmaker Amy Wang, and the jewel in the opening-night crown, Together (starring real-life double act Alison Brie and Dave Franco), by Michael Shanks. (Fret not, Victorians: the Melbourne International Film Festival kicks off on August 7; watch this space.)

READ / The write stuff

Australian writer Dominic Amerena’s debut novel is a literary thriller and a takedown of book-industry pretensions.

Deception, misappropriation, ethical dilemmas, ambition – I Want Everything, the debut novel from Australian writer Dominic Amerena (Summit Books; $35), has it all. When a down-on-his-luck writer spots an iconic literary recluse at his local pool, he can’t believe his luck. He worms his way into her affections, persuading her to spill the beans on the true stories behind her two celebrated novels and let him write her biography, convinced it will make his name as a writer. First, though, he must put aside his moral scruples. A literary thriller as well as a takedown of book-industry pretensions, with a cracker of an ending. Nicole Abadee

LISTEN / Back to life

Blink documents Jacob Haendel’s remarkable story of surviving “locked-in” syndrome.

Jacob Haendel was handed a death sentence in 2017. Due to complications from his heroin addiction, he contracted a rare, progressive brain disease that kills anyone who gets it within six months. He deteriorated to the point where doctors thought he was brain-dead but, in fact, he was trapped in his body, fully conscious, despite the inability to speak, eat or move a muscle. He was in hell. And he became aware that his wife, who outwardly played the fiercely protective caregiver, was separating him from his family, planning to divorce him; she even announced his death on social media. Spoiler alert: he miraculously survives. In the podcast Blink, host Corinne Vien helps Haendel tell the remarkable tale of someone who lost his life and then clawed his way back. Barry Divola

SHOP / The eyes have it

A 100 per cent cashmere collab between Anya Hindmarch and Uniqlo.

With the mercury plummeting in the thermometer, the sun-blocking baseball cap has had its day – for now. Enter, stage right, the cosy beanie, which, when it comes to comfort, ranks as highly as a mug of hot chocolate. We’re loving this cashmere collab between Brit designer Anya Hindmarch and Uniqlo ($60) for its affordable luxury, something-for-everyone colours (pink, red, grey, brown and navy) and, of course, those super-cute peepers which won’t fail to raise a smile even as they warm your ears. Damien Woolnough

WEAR / Screen savers

Protect your skin and be kind to the reefs with People4Ocean’s new sunscreen.

In 2018, Australian marine biologists Louise Laing and Austin Laing-Herbert launched People4Ocean Sun Care, a sunscreen that delivered safe, high-performance protection while remaining free of all environmental pollutants, particularly those that are harmful to the ocean and its reefs. Its latest product, the SPF50+ Pearlescent Cream ($68/80g), is a waterless, vegan, reef-safe sunscreen enriched with marine antioxidants and calming essential oils that’s formulated to shield skin from sun damage, blue light and free radicals. Every purchase supports reef restoration. Frances Mocnik

GROOVE / The bright side

Credit: Joseph Cultice

The world may be going to hell, but Garbage are embracing optimism on their eighth album, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light. It’s a surprising turn from the US band known for songs such as Only Happy When It Rains, especially since Scottish frontwoman Shirley Manson has recently opened up about travails both personal (the effect of years of sexism and misogyny) and physical (undergoing two hip replacements). The title of first single There’s No Future in Optimism would suggest a gloom-fest but instead, it’s a shuddering electro-rocker about solidarity with the lyrical refrain “if you’re ready for love”. The accompanying music video is like a Black Mirror trailer, with a same-sex interracial couple trying to escape a dystopian, authoritarian world. Manson, it seems, is still a fighter, whether battling to recover her body (Sisyphus) or hitting back at journalists asking ageist questions (Chinese Fire Horse). Barry Divola

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