Adelaide Film Festival 2020

Overview

Unlike its counterparts in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the Adelaide Film Festival usually only occurs every two years. Don't worry — when it does happen, this cinematic celebration makes the most of it. And, while 2020 hasn't delivered much in the way of good news, AFF is not only taking place this year, but is doing so as a physical event.

Adelaideans, prepare to spend plenty of time in a darkened room that's not in your own house — and plenty of time watching movies that aren't in your streaming queue, too. From Wednesday, October 14–Sunday, October 25, AFF will light up the city's big screens. It'll call Palace Nova East End Cinemas its base; however, this fest always spreads its love around town, so you'll be heading to other yet-to-be-revealed venues as well.

As for what you'll be watching, the full lineup won't be announced until September. That said, the festival has just unveiled its first five films. Cinephiles can say cheers to Another Round, a boozy comedy that reunites The Hunt's filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg and star Mads Mikkelsen, and follows a group of teachers who decide to test an out-there theory: that humans don't have enough alcohol in our blood. Also on the bill is documentary The Painter and the Thief, which tells quite the tale. It's about an artist, the criminal who stole her work and the bond that forms between them.

AFF always has a strong local focus, and that's the case in this initial batch of flicks, too — with frontier western High Ground, which charts the aftermath of the slaughter of an Indigenous tribe by northern Australian police, leading the charge. Then there's documentary Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, about Bangarra Dance Theatre's first 30 years, plus homegrown doco Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling, which tells the tale of its eponymous amateur racer-turned-professional commentator.

The 2020 Adelaide Film Festival takes place from Wednesday, October 14–Sunday, October 25, with the full program releasing in September — we'll update you with further details when they're revealed.