The 63rd Sydney Film Festival opened last night, June 8th, at the State Theatre with the world premiere of Australian film Goldstone. 

Festival Director Nashen Moodley opened his fifth Festival along with Goldstone's director Ivan Sen, producers David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, actors Aaron Pedersen, David Gulpilil, Michelle Lim Davidson and Tom E. Lewis. 

NSW Minister for the Arts, Troy Grant greeted the audience and underlined that “The Government is delighted to continue its support of the oldest film festival in Australia, in Sydney, Australia’s UNESCO City of Film. Sydney Film Festival is the perfect platform to tell the world Australian stories, told through the many Australian films screening at the 2016 Festival, amongst a curated feast of the best and most vibrant films from around the world. This year the inaugural Sydney UNESCO City of Film Prize will be awarded by Screen NSW, recognising a NSW-based screen practitioner, a trailblazer whose work stands for innovation and imagination and achieves extraordinary impact.” 

Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomed everyone attending this years festival, "a hugely enjoyable, one of the world's oldest continuously running film festivals and one of the most iconic festivals in Sydney's annual arts calendar. With hundreds of screenings of brilliant local and international cinema, this is a chance to see the world through the eyes of some of the world’s best directors, screenwriters and cinematographers.”

Peter McGregor, Chief Executive of the Festival’s opening night partner Lexus Australia said, “Lexus applies and takes inspiration from craftsmanship, technology and innovation.  In film, all these elements come together to make something truly unique. Through our partnership with the Sydney Film Festival we are building on our support of emerging talent via creative initiatives such as the Lexus Design Award and the Lexus Short Film Series. We will soon announce the recipients of the Lexus Short Film Fellowship, our new $200,000 investment to elevate emerging talent locally. Our involvement in Sydney Film Festival and these new voices for filmmaking is a progressive step forward for innovation, and a way for us to continue advancing art forms in Australia.” 

Goldstone is the fourth feature by award-winning filmmaker Ivan Sen and stars Aaron Pedersen who reprises his role of Indigenous detective Jay Swan, who audiences first met in Sen’s Mystery Road, which opened Sydney Film Festival in 2013. 

Sydney Film Festival runs June 8th to 19th at various locations accross Sydney and with a touring festival in NSW, Queensland and the Northern territories, following next month. 

Full schedule is available on www.sff.org.au

Edited by Martin I. Petrov, with information from official press release / Photo Credits: SFF 2016