The Perfect SFF 2026 Watchlist: 5 Ambitious Films Worth Talking About
Our degustation menu of the Top 5 most conversation-worthy films of Sydney Film Festival 2026. Our curated watchlist spans Afghan rom-coms, AI grief fables, queer horror, disability dance queens and a landmark Australian documentary.
good.film
13 days ago
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If you're a cinema-going Sydneysider, you'll be seeing a lot about Sydney Film Festival right now. But even if you're not based in Sydney, the festival is worth keeping an eye on: it's the first major Australian film festival of the year, which means it's often where films get their Australian premiere before hitting cinemas nationwide.. So wherever you are, SFF is your chance to get the scoop on what's coming.
We've noticed a lot of 'Best of the Fest' lists doing the rounds, and we wanted to offer something a little different. Most lists focus on the big names, like Sundance favourite The Invite with Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, or A24's adventure thriller The Death of Robin Hood. And those are great films! But for us, film festivals are at their best when they tempt you to order something unexpected from the menu.
So instead of a straight top five, we've put together the perfect festival tasting platter: five films we think balance each other beautifully. A mix of Australian and international, documentary and drama, light and shade. The one thing they all have in common? They're ambitious, worth talking about, and each one opens up a completely different conversation about the world we're living in right now.
So here's our five-course degustation, à la Festival du Film de Sydney. Bon appétit.
Boss Cat
Director: Genevieve Clay-Smith Cast: Olivia Hargroder, Penny Downie, Julia Savage Sun 7 June 5pm | State Theatre | Mon 8 June 2pm | Hayden Orpheum | GET TICKETS
Boss Cat is a gorgeous, long-awaited debut from the founders of the much loved Bus Stop Films. If you want to leave the cinema grinning like a Cheshire cat, this is our top pick.
Shot in the Blue Mountains, the film follows twenty-three-year-old Sonja (Olivia Hargroder), who lives with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). After the loss of her mother, her grandmother Doris (Penny Downie, The Crown) becomes guardian to Sonja and her younger sister Emma (Julia Savage), but Doris has very different ideas about how Sonja should live, setting off a battle for her independence, her home, her friendships and her boyfriend Michael (Chris Bunton).
We've been lucky enough to get a sneak peek - which is why we can recommend it wholeheartedly.It's joyful, funny, original and empathetic.
Why it’s worth talking about: There's a big national conversation happening right now about the NDIS, disability and what’s needed to live an independent life. Boss Cat is a message from creatives living with disability.. It encourages everyone to ask if independence is about self-sufficiency, or if we can approach it as a way to foster the freedom to make your own choices? We all need help sometimes. What changes when we stop treating that as a problem?
How you'll leave feeling: With a big smile and Hunters and Collectors stuck in your head. (You'll see.)
Silenced
Director: Selina Miles Cast: Jennifer Robinson, Amber Heard, Brittany Higgins Sat 6 June 6:15pm | Ritz Randwick | Sat 13 June 2pm | Palace Norton St | GET TICKETS
Silenced was chosen as Sydney Film Festival's Opening Night film: a huge honour that speaks to the scale of what director Selina Miles has pulled off. It premiered at Sundance, and safe to say: this film is having a moment.
Silenced is a documentary that threads together stories from Colombia to London, LA to Canberra, and finds a chilling common thread: defamation laws are being weaponised to silence survivors in a post-#MeToo world.
Miles secured access to some of the world's highest-profile cases (including Brittany Higgins and Amber Heard), and human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson guides us through the strategies being deployed by perpetrators of sexual violence to manipulate the legal system and re-victimise the people who speak out. It's a wildly impressive feat from an Australian team.
Why it’s worth talking about: Defamation law isn't a fluffy topic, but underneath the legal language are some basic questions. When does presumption of innocence conflict with a person's right to tell the truth? What is 'reasonable doubt', and who gets to hold it? Should court trials be public? How does anyone without significant resources get their day in court? Silenced gives you the language to sink your teeth into these questions, which is exactly what we’re all about.
How you'll leave feeling: Fired up and ready to tip the 'too hard basket' all over the floor.
No Good Men
Director: Shahrbanoo Sadat Cast: Shahrbanoo Sadat, Anwar Hashimi, Liam Hussaini Thurs 4 June 6pm | Fri 5 June 12:30pm | State Theatre | Sat 6 June 3:45pm | Dendy Newtown | GET TICKETS
A drumroll for… Afghanistan's first rom-com!
We love a good rom-com here at good.film: whether it's recent Aussie gem Addition or queer Canadian Bollywood romance A Nice Indian Boy, the genre is the perfect vehicle for bringing you fresh perspectives in well-loved packaging. No Good Men was written and directed by filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, and follows Naru, the only female camerawoman at a Kabul TV station. Having left her cheating, abusive husband and struggling against a deeply patriarchal society, she is convinced there are "no good men in Afghanistan". Can anyone prove her wrong?
When Naru is diverted to a serious news story (rather than the 'female content' usually foisted on her) she must work with Qodrat (Anwar Hashimi), Kabul TV's top journalist. Their mutual suspicion gradually transforms into something much deeper, and they are drawn together - romantic comedy at its best.
However, what makes No Good Men so gripping is the backdrop to this unfolding romance: with the Taliban approaching, the window of freedom for journalists, women and civil society is about to slam shut. By adeptly playing with rom-com conventions, Sadat's film conveys the terror of a society where the freedom to love, work and live are under threat.
Why it's worth talking about: Five years after the fall of Kabul, it can feel like the world has moved on. The news cycle certainly has. But the women of Afghanistan are still living with the consequences, and by packaging this history into a battle-of-the-sexes workplace rom-com, No Good Men makes their stories feel incredibly relatable. With the thematically similar conflict in Iran dominating headlines, it will have you talking about the everyday, personal stories that underpin grand geopolitics.
How you'll leave feeling: Maybe buoyed by a 'love conquers all' ending. Or maybe not... No spoilers here.
Sheep in the Box
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu Cast: Ayase Haruka, Daigo, Kuwaki Rimu Tue 9 June 8:20pm | Wed 10 June 12pm | State Theatre | Sun 14 June 7:45pm | Event George St | GET TICKETS
What would you do if you could talk to someone you'd lost? Not a memory of them, but an AI trained on their voice, their words, their patterns. Would it be comforting? Disturbing? Both at the same time?
Sheep in the Box is a Black Mirror-esque fable from cult favourite Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda. The story follows grieving couple Otone (Haruka Ayase) and Kensuke (Daigo Yamamoto), whose seven-year-old son Kakeru (Rimu Kuwaki) died two years ago. When they're approached by a company called REbirth about building an AI humanoid replica of Kakeru, Otone and Kensuke disagree about the best way forward. Ultimately, Otone's grief overcomes Kensuke's apprehension, and they take an uncanny replica of their son into their home.
In other films: cue horror sequence! But Sheep in the Box is gentle. Like so much that explores AI, it ends up being a meditation on relationships, grief, and the nature of being human. Told through the unfolding bonds between new-Kakeru and his grieving, searching parents, Sheep in the Box explores the age-old, unanswered question of whether life would be better if we could eliminate grief and loss.
Why it's worth talking about: If you're looking for an action thriller, this ain't it, but if you're in the mood for a D&M about sentience, souls and the nature of reality, buckle up. Sheep in the Box is genuinely empathetic towards AI, which is bound to provoke strong reactions in itself. We reckon those varied reactions are where the real conversation lies: what gut responses did you have to the film's generous empathy, and why?
How you'll leave feeling: Philosophical, and probably a bit unsettled.
Leviticus
Director: Adrian Chiarella Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska Sat 6 June 6:30pm | Sun 7 June 11:30am | State Theatre | Mon 8 June 6:45pm | Ritz Randwick | GET TICKETS
Australian thrillers are having a moment right now. From recent indie Alphabet Road to breakout international success Talk to Me, this country is landing serious punches when it comes to films that keep you on the edge of your seat, peeking out from between your fingers.
Leviticus is the debut from Melbourne-based screenwriter and director Adrian Chiarella, and premiered at Sundance to rave reviews. If you're across your Abrahamic references, the title does a lot of work here. Leviticus is the Old Testament book frequently weaponised against LGBTQ+ people: "They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
The title alone sets the stage for a blood-curdling queer coming-of-age horror about two teenage boys contending with an evil force that takes on the form of the person they desire most: each other.
Set in a regional Victorian town, the film follows Naim (Joe Bird, Wolfram) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), whose budding relationship is seen as sinful by their God-fearing Christian community. Forced to undergo a conversion therapy ritual by a mysterious 'healer' (Nicholas Hope), they are subjected to a sinister supernatural entity hell-bent on punishing their chemistry with terror.
Why it's worth talking about: Conversion therapy is still legal in parts of Australia. Around the world, religious institutions continue to practise it under different guises. Leviticus, like all great horror, uses fantastical monsters to tap into very real fears. This lets all of us step into an experience that is viscerally relatable for many LGBTQ+ people throughout history: what it feels like to become terrified of yourself, of your own attractions. You'll be reliving the jump scares, but also talking about why they cut so painfully deep.
How you'll leave feeling: Buzzy off the adrenaline, and considerably less willing to let this topic slide off the table.
And there you have it! Our perfect tasting plate of five films at SFF, most of which will be coming to cinemas around Australia later in the year (so be ready!). If you found this guide helpful, we'd love you to pass it along to a friend: our community grows mostly through word of mouth.
We're especially excited to introduce you to Silenced and Boss Cat: two films we'll be supporting when they hit cinemas nationwide. We'll be at SFF Opening Night, and hanging out on the red carpet at the Boss Cat world premiere (Sunday 7th June!) so come up and say hi if you're heading along to the festival.
Oh, and for the final course on this film degustation?
Passe le pop corn! 🍿 From the good.film team
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