Film festival to revive Northern Rivers cinemas

‘Beating heart’ of Northern Rivers set to cash in big on exclusive film festival.

FILM FESTIVAL: Northern Rivers towns to host travelling film festival.

Grab your popcorn – two Northern Rivers towns have been singled out for an exclusive travelling film festival.

Lismore and Murwillumbah are the newest destinations for Sydney Film Festival’s Travelling Film Festival, a major movie offering bringing Australian and international features, short films, and documentaries to regional NSW.

Minster for the Arts Don Harwin said the Travelling Film Festival would be a massive economic boost for local movie theatres following the past year of pandemic uncertainty.

“Local cinemas are the beating heart of our regional communities, and after a tough year where many of us missed our friends, community and culture, people are keen to come back together to enjoy a night out experiencing storytelling at its best,” Mr Harwin said.

“The NSW Government is proud to support the Travelling Film Festival as they provide local communities with the opportunity to experience film in a festival environment that encourages debate, community involvement and interaction.”

Sydney Film Festival CEO Leigh Small said Australia’s longest running travelling film festival was committed to “rebuilding” moviegoer audiences following 2020.

“Expanding the reach of the Travelling Film Festival through NSW will provide opportunities for regional audiences to reconnect with world class cinema in their own city, while also supporting the Australian film industry ecosystem,” she said.

The two newcomers will join Orange, Young, and Warrawong in the festival’s expansion.

A detailed program is yet to be released but for further details, visit www.sff.org.au/TFF