Today, the AACTA Festival announced over twenty new sessions have been added to the 2025 program, which returns to the Home of the Arts, Gold Coast, from February 5 – 9 2025.
Celebrated Australian music icon Paul Kelly will perform live at the festival alongside Meg Washington, Brendan Maclean, Beddy Rays and other special guests at the How to Make Gravy – Live in Concert event on the HOTA Outdoor stage hosted by Richard Wilkins and featuring performances from the BINGE Original film soundtrack. Leigh Whannell, co-creator of the billion dollar Saw and Insidious franchises, joins AACTA Festival with an exclusive in-conversation on his work, including his latest feature, Wolf Man, and his immense contribution to the horror genre. And back by popular demand, Australian director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) will unpack his latest project, the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man.
The Festival has also announced an exclusive discussion with the creators of the upcoming Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar, with Samantha Strauss, Liz Watts, Jeffrey Walker and Que Minh Luu taking you behind the scenes of the shocking con-story centred on one the world’s first wellness influencers. Also added is a panel featuring storytellers from the Torres Strait islands, moderated by Screen Queensland’s Danielle Ah Boo, which will highlight the skill and talents of Torres Strait creatives who are redefining what it means to tell a story.
Whether you’re a fan of the macabre or an aspiring filmmaker, visionary brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes unpack Late Night With The Devil. For garden enthusiasts, presenters Costa Georgiadis and Millie Ross reveal the magic that makes Gardening Australia a household favourite. Plus Millie Holten shares the inside scoop on her viral sensation Long Head, with the creators of Lesbian Space Princess, to discuss how bold storytelling is reshaping the world of animation. For lovers of comedy, AACTA Festival presents the 25th Anniversary screening of The Dish!
With over 20 new sessions announced today, the AACTA Festival features close to 100 events, with more to follow. The lineup includes a number of film premieres, exclusive screenings, in-depth film deconstructions, digital creator workshops, networking opportunities, music performances and a range of experiences tailored for fans, emerging content creators, and seasoned industry professionals alike. There really is something for everyone!
Other festival highlights already announced include a rare In-Conversation event with the Working Dog team (The Castle, Utopia, Have You Been Paying Attention?), the red-carpet premiere of new Queensland film Spit starring David Wenham, a range of Best-Selling authors in conversation, and Australian Oscar-winning filmmakers breaking down their work on screen. The AACTA Screen Careers Expo – Australia’s largest expo dedicated to training and employment in the Screen Industry, and presented in partnership with Essential Screen Skills – will feature 40 exhibitors presenting info on all levels and types of education available in Queensland and nationally, employment and training opportunities across a wide range of roles from acting through to accounting, along with an area dedicated to the world’s fastest growing form of screen entertainment – Games – with some of Australia’s largest studios on hand to discuss career opportunities in the Games sector, along with a games play area, supported by Queensland eSports. Panels throughout the day will detail everything you need to know about working in the screen industry including developing a future proof career as a “creative entrepreneur”, and a one of a kind masterclass from Shane and Clayton Jacobson (Kenny) who, alongside a team of industry experts, will detail exactly what it takes to make and release a hit film.
For more information on this year’s festival program – which will also include such revered authors as Trent Dalton, Holly Ringland, Benjamin Stevenson, and Shankari Chandran, and legendary screenwriters John Collee (Boy Swallows Universe) and Andrew Knight (Hacksaw Ridge), revealing the art of crafting powerful narratives and transforming ideas into cinematic stories; Trailblazing voices like Spankie Jackzon and Nina Oyama exploring boundary-breaking work in queer storytelling; Oscar-winning Australian cinematographers Greig Fraser (The Batman, Dune, Dune 2) and John Seale (The English Patient, Mad Max Fury Road) breaking down their work on seminal Hollywood blockbusters; and stars Sophie Monk and Dan Ewing premiering footage of their upcoming horror comedy Zombie Plane in a panel focusing on the impact of female voices in the horror genre – head to the official site here.
