Once Upon a Time at the Inner West Film Fest
17 March 2023
Inner West will play host to a dazzling array of local and international films, special events and filmmaker talks when the Inner West Film Fest rolls out for the very first time this month.
The jam-packed three-day festival runs from Friday 31 March to Sunday 2 April at venues across the inner west, including Marrickville Golf Club, Dendy Cinemas Newtown, and Palace Norton Street in Leichhardt.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said that the Council had instigated the Inner West Film Fest to showcase the community’s long-standing involvement in the Australian film sector.
“Inner West citizens are amongst the most famous and prolific actors, producers, writers, and directors in the world. The time has come for our own Film Festival to celebrate our unique leadership role in the Australian film industry,” Mayor Byrne said.
“The program for this inaugural festival is exciting and we will keep building on this to make the festival an ongoing cultural event in years to come.”
The festival will tap into the values of the area and boast a diverse, inclusive, and fascinating selection of local feature film premieres from Australia and abroad, including a special 35mm retro screening of Erskineville Kings - a star-studded feature film shot right in the heart of the inner west in 1999.
A short film competition will showcase works made in and about the Inner West from the best up-and-coming filmmakers in the area, and new features shot in the Inner West and made by current and one-time locals.
Co-founded by local film industry and film festival veterans Dov Kornits and Greg Dolgopolov, the Inner West Film Fest will contribute to the Inner West’s reputation as a vibrant hub of creative and cultural activity.
“We want to celebrate not just the cultural richness of the Inner West, but the medium of film itself and its ability to bring people together," said Dolgopolov.
The festival was born out of a Council resolution in February 2022 to support and budget for an Inner West Film Festival to be established in partnership with local cinemas, theatres, and filmmakers.
Highlights of the festival program include:
- The Red Shoes: Next Step (PG) 2023 - Australia - world premiere
- Erskineville Kings 1999, Australia - Special 35mm screening
- FP 4EVZ 2023, US/Australia - Australian Premiere
- The Longest Weekend 2022, Australia
- A Room of My Own 2022, Georgia - Australian Premiere
For festival details head to: www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/explore/whats-on
For media enquiries please contact Hillary Shephard - Hillary.Shephard@innerwest.nsw.gov.au