Janis Joplin Doco And More Lead First Sydney Film Festival 2016 Announce

This year marks the 63rd annual Sydney Film Festival and as always, the team behind the huge 12-day event have outlined the first films of 2016 to get stoked about, including new films by Boyhood director Richard Linklater, Dallas Buyers Club director Jean-Marc Vallée and Janis Joplin biopic, Janis: The Little Girl In Blue.

 

With 36 films announced today of the 250+ films to be screened in total, stand-outs include Irish comedy Sing Street, a peek into '80s Dublin, chock full of '80s tracks and a cast including Game Of Thrones' Aiden Gillen, as well as Linklater's '80s homage Everybody Wants Some!!, said to be a "spiritual sequel" to 1993 cult favourite Dazed And Confused. 

 

 

On the documentary front, along with Janis: Little Girl In Blue, you can get lost in the world of Weiner — a story of former congressman Anthony Weiner and the sexting scandals he was caught up in between 2011 and 2013. US avant garde artist Laurie Anderson's life and love for her late dog Lolabelle is also explored in Heart Of A Dog, while A Journey Of A Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers is a film by Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Geeta Gandbhir, following the struggles of 160 Muslim Bangladeshi policewomen. 

 

 

If you're after some big name actors, Vallée's Demolition stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts, while rom-com Maggie's Plan stars A-listers Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore, along with Greta Gerwig and Maya Rudolph. English model Agyness Deyn also takes on director Terence Davies' Sunset Song in an adaptation of the Scottish classic tale. 

 

You can look forward to Sydney Film Festival's full program on 11 May, after which more than 150 festival guests and speakers will be announced. Today, the team have announced the appearance of director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, as well as a Martin Scorsese retrospective curated by iconic film critic David Stratton.