Adelaide Film Festival

Adelaide Film Festival and OzAsia are bringing the latest, contemporary Asian films to cinemas near you.

This year’s selection includes two award-winning films from India, including the first Indian film to compete at Cannes Film Festival in 30 years, plus the biggest crowd pleasers from the Berlin International Film Festival and more. 

See the full Adelaide Film Festival program from 17 September! 

All We Imagine as Light (2024, France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg)

“This is a glorious film.” (The Guardian) 

This year’s Cannes Grand Prix winner, the lambent All We Can Imagine as Light, is a dreamy romantic drama following the quest for love by two women nurses, one older with a husband abroad and the younger in the first throes of desire. The director who won Best Documentary at Cannes in 2021 represents Mumbai both observationally and as a dreamscape.  

Directed by Payal Kapadia. Malayalam and Hindi with English subtitles. 115 mins, 15+.

Black Dog (2024, China)

Winner of Cannes 2024's Un Certain Regard. 

After a decade in prison, Lang returns to his hometown near the Gobi Desert Beijing's 2008 Olympics preparations. After unexpectedly bonding with a dog marked for bounty, he resolves to protect other strays. A compelling tale of redemption, distinguished by both its deadpan humour and magnificent cinematography, Eddie Peng's powerful performance anchors this neo-noir western.  

Directed by Guan Hu. Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. 110 mins, 15+ 

Crossing (2024, Sweden, Denmark, France, Türkiye, Georgia)

“Istanbul is described as a place where people come to disappear. But Crossing uses delicate brushstrokes to depict the city also as a place where transformative encounters can bring change and greater self-knowledge.” (The Hollywood Reporter) 

Lia, a retired teacher from Georgia, embarks on a quest to find her long-lost niece, Tekla.  

She meets Achi, a wayward youth looking for any escape. This unlikely pair travel to Istanbul searching for her missing niece. In the bustling city they meet Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights. Directed by the visionary behind And Then We Danced, this compelling film promises to tug at your heartstrings until the very end. 

Directed by Levan Akin. Georgian, Turkish and English with English subtitles 106 mins, 15+. 

My Favourite Cake (2024, Iran, France, Sweden, Germany)

"…this wonderfully sweet and funny film will contribute to the debate about whether repressive regimes are the nursery of artistic greatness.” The Guardian 

Seventy-year-old Mahin lives alone in Tehran since she was widowed thirty years ago. After she opens herself up to new romance with divorced taxi driver Faramarz, what begins as an unexpected encounter quickly evolves into an unpredictable, unforgettable evening.  

Directed by Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha. Farsi with English subtitles, 96 mins, 15+. 

Nocturnes (2024, India, USA)

“A true cinematic escape”  (Variety) 

In this mesmerising, meditative documentary, a scientist treks the Eastern Himalayas’ high rainforests uncovering the hidden world of a wide array of moth species, attracted to the screens and lights set up nightly. Winner of Sundance’s craft award, this documentary awakens us to the beauty of moths, and the impact of climate change on an interrelated ecosystem. 

Directed by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan. Hindi, English and Bugun with English subtitles. 83 mins, All ages. 

The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024, Iran, Germany, France)

 “An anguished cry from the heart” (IndieWire) 

Mohammad Rasoulof’s defiant indictment of the Iranian regime focusses on a judge with the power of life and death. However, his comfortable life quickly unravels as he faces a generational revolt from within his family in this taut political thriller. Rasoulof presented this Special Jury awarded film at Cannes only after fleeing Iran on foot. 

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Farsi with English subtitles. 172mins, 15+.