Time Out's guide to the Sydney Film Festival

Movies, movies everywhere, but what the hell to see? (And what to do before and after you see them)

First published on 24 May 2012. Updated on 30 May 2012.

Remember when going to a picture show was a grand affair? An ‘event’ followed by a good meal, a stiff drink and some serious post-flick dissection? We do. To remind you, we’ve sorted through the 59th Sydney Film Festival’s 156 films and picked ten you can make a full day or night of. Click on each film to read more about it and see what to do before the show to get you in the mood, where to eat after and where to drink after that – for some boozy movie postmortems. The most delightful way to take in this year's Sydney Film Fest begins here:

Beasts of the Southern Wild

This apocalyptic movie wowed audiences at Sundance in January and won the Grand Jury Prize. Six-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) and her father live in ‘the Bathtub’, a swamp on the far side of the New Orleans levees. Monsters emerge...
Lore

Australian director Cate Shortland (Somersault) returns with this adaptation of Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room. A post-Holocaust journey across Europe; heavy but invigorating stuff.
Despite the Gods

Documentarian Penny Vozniak examines the making of a Bollywood creature-feature entitled Hisss, and the toll taken on its director Jennifer Lynch – of the Hollywood Lynches!
On the Road

Coppola has spent years trying to produce a film of Kerouac’s seminal novel; with help from director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), it’s mission accomplished. We await the lit buffs' verdicts.
A Royal Affair

This extravagant period drama tells the (true) tale of a love triangle that unfolds when Danish King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) hires Doctor Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen) and young Queen Caroline Mathilde falls in love with him. Drama! Costumes! Danes!
Not Suitable for Children

The Festival’s opening night film is an edgy rom-com that sees True Blood star Ryan Kwanten (you’ll always be Vinnie to us) playing carefree twentysomething Jonah. Carefree, that is, until some devastating testes-related news...
Woody Allen: A Documentary

This doco turns the lens around and delves into Woody Allen’s four-decade career.
Crazy Horse

For his 39th film, documentarian Frederick Wiseman turns his camera toward Le Crazy Horse de Paris, the self-proclaimed ‘best nude dancing show in the world’.
Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter

The best in Japanese film studio Nikkatsu’s Stray Cat Rock series, Sex Hunter follows the story of Mako (Meiko Kaji), leader of all-girl gang the Alleycats. A huge inspiration for Tarantino.
The Angels' Share

Ken Loach’s new working-class comedy has been selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Criminals and whisky? Sold.