The Five Best Events at the Sydney Film Festival Hub 2014

Because cinephilia isn't all about sitting quietly in the dark, the Sydney Film Festival has the SFF Hub. This year the Hub is not only returning for a third time but expanding its presence at the Town Hall to encompass the Treasury Room upstairs from June 5-15.

As well as its scintillating lineup of talks and performances, it's decked out with designer furniture showcasing the legacy of the Eameses, a TITLE pop-up shop, Gelato Messina cart, vintage photo booth, the festival's discount ticket booth — everything you need to enhance your SFF experience and stretch your legs, eyes and mind between movies. Here are the five Hub events not to miss.

The Vladmaster Viewmaster Experience

Portland's Vladimir has hijacked the classic View-Master toy for art purposes, crafting a narrative you experience click by click. Her Vladmaster Viewmaster Experience contains a reel designed, photographed and hand-assembled by the artist. She also turns the usually private View-Master encounter into a public one. Here, you sit down with a 100 similarly adventurous nostalgics and click through together, following the cues from the soundtrack. The event was recently a hit at Melbourne's White Night, where it showed at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

June 7 and 11 at 8pm, June 14 at 6pm.

Film Critics Death Match

Just to be clear: David and Margaret are not scheduled to appear at the Film Critics Death Match. But wouldn't it be great if they did? Finally, finally, we would know: who is the better film critic? The obsessive or the polymath? The comedian or the hawk? The battle will be decided with a range of totally conclusive, on the-spot challenges — 140-character reviews, defences of indefensible movies, exaltations of the weirdest things ever filmed and other interactive exercises. It's presented in association with the Australian Film Critics Association, so whoever the competitors are, you know they'll be profesh. Reputations will be made, and broken.

June 8 at 3.30pm

Hell Is for Hyphenates: Altman on Altman

Since 2010, Hell is for Hyphenates has paired cineastes with auteurs in monthly podcasts. Hosts Lee Zachariah and Paul Anthony Nelson have discussed everyone from John Waters to Michael Bay to Danny Boyle with a different guest critic or industry professional each episode. At SFF, the podcast’s first live recording also marks its first true insider insight into its filmmaker of the month. Michael Altman, son of iconic director Robert Altman, will talk about his father’s work, impact and legacy in person at the SFF Hub. It’s free, and it promises to be the type of event that cinephiles’ dreams are made of.

June 5 at 5.30pm

Freak Me Out Disco

After days spent in darkened cinemas, there comes a point in every film festival when dancing the night away becomes a necessity. The Freak Me Out Disco promises a fun break from the big screen as well as an energetic celebration of female rock'n'roll in a night fittingly dubbed Girl Rock Riot. With Freak Me Out curator Richard Kuipers and filmmaker and grrl-music expert Daz Chandler curating the playlist, expect to step through music history with the ultimate soundtrack of talented ladies, from the early days of girl groups to the riot grrrl movement. Think the dancefloor equivalent of 20 Feet from Stardom crossed with The Punk Singer.

June 14 at 9pm

Women in Film panel

The under-representation of women in film demands not just discussion but decisive action. At the SFF Hub’s Women in Film session, a panel of filmmakers and experts continue the conversation, examining the perception and reality both on screen and off. Complex issues of measuring the current status quo and striving to improve portrayals feature among the topics, alongside an exploration of the Bechdel Test. With films in the festival program, producer Julie Byrne (Touch), screenwriter Natasha Pincus (Fell) and director Sophia Turkiewicz (Once My Mother) will share their experiences with filmmaker Tessa Rex (www.passthebechdeltest.com) and film critic CJ Johnson.

June 7 at 5.30pm

By Rima Sabina Aouf and Sarah Ward.