Gold Coast Film Festival 2024 top picks
The Gold Coast Film Festival has officially kicked off with the city’s biggest celebration of screen back for its 22nd year. Here’s our top pick of free and ticketed events from this year’s program.
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The 22nd Gold Coast Film Festival has officially kicked off with the city’s biggest celebration of screen back from April 17 to 28.
This year’s program will see more than 100 film screenings, panels, premieres, parties and events taking over the HOTA precinct.
We’ve picked the top seven things to see and do at this year’s festival.
1. Queensland premiere of Sting – ticketed
Date: Saturday April 20.
Time: Red carpet from 5.30pm with director Kiah Roache Turner and producer Chris Brown screening at 6pm
Synopsis: “One cold, stormy night in New York City, a mysterious object falls from the sky and smashes through the window of a rundown apartment building. It is an egg, and from this egg emerges a strange little spider. The creature is discovered by Charlotte, a 12-year-old girl obsessed with comic books. Keeping it as a secret pet, she names it Sting. As Charlotte’s fascination with Sting increases, so does its size. Growing at a monstrous rate, Sting’s appetite for blood becomes insatiable. Soon Charlotte’s family and the eccentric characters of the building realise that they are all trapped, hunted by a ravenous super-sized arachnid with a taste for human flesh – and Charlotte is the only one who knows how to stop it”.
2. SIPFEST (Shorts in Paradise) – free
Date: Saturday April 27
Time: HOTA outdoor stage at 6.30pm
SIPFEST is a short film festival competition. The event showcases 15 of the best short film finalists from across Australia and the world. Hosted by festival ambassador Lincoln Lewis the night is filled with entertainment, live music, food trucks and bars in a picnic setting. The event is free but ticketed – register online.
3. World premiere of He Loves Me Not staring festival ambassador Lincoln Lewis – ticketed
Date: Saturday April 27
Time: Red Carpet 1.30pm and screening at 2pm
Synopsis: “An aspiring actor chosen as a wildcard for a reality TV dating show uses a secret elixir to win the heart of the star, but when her deception is revealed, she discovers a messy but real chance for love”.
4. Australian premiere of Bleeding Love starring Ewan McGregor (closing night) – ticketed
Date: Sunday April 28.
Time: Red carpet from 5.30 film screening at 6.30pm
Synopsis: “In an effort to reunite with his daughter after a period of absence, a father takes her on a road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Along the way they encounter some interesting characters and obstacles while sorting out their relationship”.
5. World premiere of Diamond of the Sea, a Bonnie Hancock documentary
Date: Friday April 26
Time: Red carpet 5.30pm screening at 6pm
Synopsis: “During her record-breaking circumnavigation of Australia by paddle, Bonnie Hancock encountered sharks, crocodiles, huge seas, gale force winds and near hypothermia, but these challenges were just the beginning. Dive into a life-changing adventure around our island home, experiencing Australia from a perspective never seen before”.
6. World premiere Growing Happiness, a documentary
Date: Sunday April 21
Time: Red Carpet 5.30pm screening at 6pm
Synopsis: “In the heart of the unforgiving Outback, a relentless drought tightens its grip on the land and small town of Kalbar, Queensland. Two resilient farmers; Jenny and Russ, hatch a daring plan in an attempt to save their dying town. Undeterred by the seemingly insurmountable odds, they rally the community to stage a vibrant Sunflower Festival, an audacious celebration against nature’s harshness. As sunflowers bloom, so does hope, and their small idea not only rejuvenates the spirits of the town but sends ripples of happiness on an International scale.”
7. World premiere Demon Disorder
Date: Monday April 22
Time: Red carpet 5.30pm screening at 6pm
Synopsis: “Graham Reilly, a man who has retired from life, lives alone in his garage workshop and hides from the world. It has been this way since the death of his father and the estrangement from his two brothers. Haunted by his past, this is a life he has accepted.
Then one day, his brother calls. Visiting without warning, Jake confides in Graham that something is horribly wrong with their younger brother, Phillip. Jake believes that Phillip is possessed by their deceased father George”.
For tickets or to register online visit www.gcff.com.au
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