For 18 balmy weeks beneath the Somerville pines, Lotterywest Films will roll out a hand-picked lineup curated from the world’s major film festivals including Cannes and Venice.
Adventures! Pulse-quickening thrillers. Eye opening documentaries. Spicy rom coms and emotion-soaked dramas ensure there’s something to excite, inspire, shock, entertain, move and amuse all cinema lovers. The program will take audiences across the globe and introduce them to new faces and places, offering access to the insights and imaginations of the world’s best filmmakers.
From the streets of 1960s Paris and the mountain villages of Italy to the coastlines of Brazil and the towns of the American south, these weekly and one-off screenings will continue the long-cherished summer tradition that has been at the heart of Perth Festival since 1953.
Perth Festival Film Curator Madeline Bates says:
“This year’s program is a kaleidoscope of themes and places that make up the world and the human experience, reflecting the depth and diversity of international cinema and its continuing capacity to thrill, contemplate and inform.
Courageously revealing stories beyond the simple headlines. Evoking, and celebrating, the wonders of the everyday. The range of films is as vibrant as the stories they shed light on. I hope they bring people together in the magical shared space of Somerville auditorium for a summer of immersive cinema.”
The season opens with Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague. The iconic and Oscar-nominated director brings 1960s Paris to life in his meticulous and affectionate portrait of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s legendary feature debut Breathless. A love letter to Godard’s genius and the French New Wave, this season opener is a film no cinephile should miss.
The Mastermind from the USA, directed by indie icon Kelly Reichardt, follows an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief who plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels. Josh O’Connor stars in this offbeat, wryly funny Cannes Competition highlight.
From the UK/Ireland, director Harry Lighton’s Pillion follows a timid man swept from his dreary suburban life by a handsome, enigmatic biker (Alexander Skarsgård), who takes him on as his submissive. Sensitively directed with captivating performances, this sexy and tender debut is a surprisingly funny film audiences will gladly submit to.
From Spain, is director Eva Libertad’s Deaf . The Berlinale Panorama Audience Award winner takes a refreshingly honest look at motherhood and the love between a deaf and hearing couple expecting their first child.
Cannes Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value comes from Denmark/Norway, directed by Joachim Trier. An intimate and moving exploration of family, memories, and the reconciliatory power of art, it follows two sisters as they navigate their relationship with their estranged father.
From France/Iran, Palme d’Or-winning director Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident is a powerful revenge drama and a real-world triumph against authoritarian oppression. Combining moral dilemmas, comic moments, and shocking revelations, the cast delivers a story that resonates long after the credits roll.
The winner of three major awards at Cannes, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent is heralded as one of the year’s best films. This genre-bending slow-burn thriller is filled with hypnotic tension and set against a colour-saturated backdrop of ’70s Recife, Brazilian carnival, and political corruption.
The Cannes Caméra d’Or winner The President’s Cake, directed by Hasan Hadi, is a rare film from Iraq and a humorous yet poignant debut. Beautifully shot and acted, this playful fable tells a timely and bittersweet story of life under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship through the eyes of a child.
The Venice 2024 Grand Jury Prize winner, The Mountain Bride Vermiglio, directed by Maura Delpero, is an intimate portrait of a family in a remote Italian Alps village during the final days of WWII. Drawing on the director’s own family history, this breathtaking film is made to be experienced on the big screen.
Matthew McConaughey stars in The Rivals of Amziah King, a boisterous ballad of the deep south from director Andrew Patterson. Playing a banjo-strumming professor of bees who reunites with his former foster daughter, McConaughey leads a charismatic crime caper blending Coen Brothers-style hijinks with charming musical interludes. It’s a touching tale about what makes a place a home.
Lotterywest Acting CEO Lorna Pritchard said Lotterywest is proud to support Perth Festival each year to showcase local talent and bring unique arts experiences to Western Australians.
“A record-breaking Lotterywest grant of $9.6 million is supporting the Festival this year, which includes Lotterywest Films, delighting WA audiences with diverse and inspiring local and international cinema. This year’s program is set to transport audiences around the world, all while enjoying an iconic experience under the stars.”
Lotterywest Films at UWA Somerville runs to 29 March 2026. The full program of films can be found at the Perth Festival website.
Website: https://www.perthfestival.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/perthfest/
Hero image by Miles Noel Photography.
