Sydney Film Festival Adds Three Days of Encore Screenings to Its 2018 Run

Overview

The 2018 Sydney Film Festival has reached its official halfway point, but you won't have to say goodbye to the event quite when you might expect. In what's now become a yearly tradition, SFF is keeping its movie onslaught going past the stated end date of June 17, hosting three days of encores across June 18-20 at Dendy Newtown and Dendy Opera Quays.

Twelve titles comprise the fest's By Popular Demand and, as the name suggests, they're all films that have been filling cinemas and/or selling out sessions so far. Actually, four of the flicks on the list haven't even played yet, but have sold out at least one screening — and will definitely sell out their initially-scheduled two. And they're all super-hyped Cannes titles, such as Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters from Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda; the highly acclaimed Burning, helmed by South Korea's Lee Chang-dong and based on a Haruki Murakami short story; Gaspar Noe's dance party-set Climax, a directing prize recipient; and Spike Lee's race-relations satire BlacKkKlansman, which won this year's Grand Prix.

Other films getting another run include opening night's hilarious New Zealand comedy The Breaker Upperers, Soda_Jerk's stellar Aussie cinema mashup Terror Nullius and fellow local effort Jirga, which was shot in Afghanistan. Or, you can catch Jon Hamm in 70s spy thriller Beirut, or watch Pig's darkly comedic story of a blacklisted Iranian filmmaker who thinks he's being overlooked by a serial killer that's been murdering his colleagues.

On the documentary front, fashion is in fashion, with McQueen and Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist strutting their stuff once more. And if you need a dose of cuteness after nearly two weeks spend in cinemas, Pick of the Litter follows a group of adorable puppies as they train to become guide dogs.