Celebrating its 22nd year, Queensland’s most exciting celebration of cinema is back, from April 17th to 28th 2024, with the Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) at its Gold Coast home, HOTA (Home of the Arts).
As guests prepare to immerse themselves in the glamour and discover the new stories the festival has to offer, the full the line-up of what the 12 days and nights will bring has been unveiled, with World, Australian and Queensland premieres, exclusive preview screenings, and an impressive line-up of exciting films, outdoor cinema, red carpet screenings, industry panels, filmmaker Q&As, and special events.
The Red Carpet will be rolled out for Opening Night on Wednesday April 17 from 5:30pm for the Queensland Premiere of Bill Bennett’s captivating film, The Way, My Way. Based on the best-selling Camino memoir of the same title, the film follows one man’s extraordinary journey along the 800km pilgrim’s trail, the Camino de Santiago in Spain. As he searches for meaning, he discovers that the answers he seeks lie right in front of him, one step at a time.
Closing out the festival on Sunday April 28 from 5:30pm is the Queensland Premiere and Red-Carpet Gala, Bleeding Love starring Ewan McGregor, Clara McGregor and Devyn McDowell. In an effort to reunite with his daughter after a period of absence, a father takes her on a road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Along the way they encounter some interesting characters and obstacles while sorting out their relationship.
The festival will host gala events such as the Screen Industry Gala Awards, which will take place at the very heart of Australian filmmaking, Warner Bros. Movie World, where the festival is excited to announce 2024 Chauvel Award recipient, director Alex Proyas (The Crow, I, Robot) will be in attendance.
GCFF is excited to also announce the return of the Festival Ambassador and Gold Coast local, Lincoln Lewis, and this year, he’ll be pulling double duties as the star of He Loves Me Not, which will have its World Premiere at the event. Also starring Rhiannon Fish and shot on location in K’gari, this romantic comedy sees an aspiring actress chosen as a wild card for a reality TV dating show use a secret elixir to win the heart of the star, but when her deception is revealed, she discovers a messy but real chance for love.
Horror fans will have their biggest fear magnified with the Queensland Premiere of Sting. After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet, and fight for her family’s survival, when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster.
An exciting partnership this year sees the GCFF take over Burleigh Brewing’s Film and Frothies with two fantastic screenings; Cliffhanger, with Sylvester Stallone in his action best, and The Ending Goes Forever: The Screamfeeder Story a feature-length documentary about the band that emerged from the cultural explosion of the 1990’s that changed Brisbane forever along with a Screamfeeder concert straight after the film!
The wealth of incredible cinema from around the world is showcased with unique, distinctive stories including festival favourites such as Heermandi: The Diamond Bazaar from India, where Sanjay Leela Bhansali brings his majestic signature flair to stories of love and betrayal in the lives of courtesans in pre-independence India.
In a Special Film Presentation, GCFF delivers on nostalgia with My Fair Lady where in 1910s London, snobbish phonetics professor Henry Higgins agrees to a wager that he can make crude flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, presentable in high society.
Gold Coast Film Festival CEO Luke Wheatley says this year’s program includes something for everybody and is a celebration of the rich filmmaking history we have in South East Queensland.
“We have an incredible mix of national and international films as well as short films and documentaries showcasing immense talent.” says Luke
“Our team has worked tirelessly to put together a program of incredible films and special events that we can all enjoy from SIPFEST’s free outdoor cinema on the HOTA Outdoor Stage through to walking the red carpet with the cast and crew.” He adds.
For more information on this year’s program and how to purchase tickets, head to the GCFF’s official website.
