2025's Sydney Film Festival Is Closing with Dakota Johnson-Starring Relationship Comedy 'Splitsville'
After debuting at 2025's year's Cannes Film Festival, this movie about two complicated marriages is headed to the Harbour City.
What will start Together, then end with Splitsville? The annual midyear cinema celebration that is Sydney Film Festival in 2025. Title-wise, the event's opening and closing picks couldn't be more fitting for a fest that amasses movie lovers for 12 days to feast on as many flicks as they can, then gets everyone saying farewell until the next year. While Together was announced back in April, Splitsville has only just now joined the SFF program.
Accordingly, when it comes time to say goodbye for 2025 on Sunday, June 15 — with the festival kicking off on Wednesday, June 4 — audiences will be catching the Australian premiere of a Dakota Johnson (Madame Web)-starring relationship comedy. Splitsville heads to the Harbour City direct from Cannes, where it debuted. Johnson plays Julie, who is in an open marriage with Paul (Michael Angelo Covino, Notice to Quit), news of which comes as a surprise to the film's protagonist Carey (Kyle Marvin, WeCrashed) when his own wife Ashley (Adria Arjona, Andor) asks for a divorce.
Covino also directs, and co-wrote Splitsville with Marvin, reteaming after The Climb. Among its cast, Succession's Nicholas Braun and The Handmaid's Tale's O-T Fagbenle feature as well.
The film's gala closing-night screening will span SFF's annual award ceremony, as is the case every year, anointing 2025's Sydney Film Prize winner, shorts award winners and other gongs.
"We are delighted to close the 72nd Sydney Film Festival with the Australian Premiere of Splitsville. Michael Angelo Covino delivers a witty and well-crafted comedy with outstanding performances from a brilliant ensemble cast. We always want audiences to leave the cinema feeling like they've had a great time, so this is a joyous and fitting way to conclude this year's festival," said SFF Festival Director Nashen Moodley, announcing 2025's closing film.
Tim Levy
SFF's program for this year just keeps growing, after Vivid collaborations, including with music icon Warren Ellis, were revealed in March — and then a bunch of titles were announced at the beginning of April. After that came news of its Jafar Panahi retrospective, a prescient pick given that the Iranian filmmaker has since won the 2025 Palme D'or at Cannes, plus word of Together's opening-night slot.
The bulk of the full program arrived to kick off May, followed by adding Free Solo filmmaker Jimmy Chin chatting about his work, DEATH STRANDING and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima in-conversation with Mad Max and Furiosa director George Miller, and the Australian premiere of Ari Aster's Eddington.
Sydney Film Festival 2025 takes place from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information and tickets, head to the festival's website.
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