THE Screenwave International Film Festival (SWIFF) program for 2022 was unveiled at The Jetty Theatre, last Friday night, March 18.

More than 200 people wined and dined while they perused the 80-page, full-colour program.

The Festival Trailer that will screen before each film was unveiled as well as trailers for a number of the films to be shown during the Festival.

Festival Directors Kate Howat and David Horsley have worked tirelessly to bring more than 130 sessions and events to the Coffs Coast over sixteen days, from Thursday 21 April to Friday 6 May, 2022.

SWIFF Artistic Director Kate Howat said, “People are ready to embrace shared arts experiences again.

“Seeing the enthusiasm for the festival has given us licence to grow bolder, both in the addition of STORYLAND, and in the comprehensive film line-up we’ve made for all the film tragics out there, just like us.”

SWIFF audiences will be among the first in Australia to witness ‘The Northman’, featuring an all-star line-up that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Icelandic superstar, Björk.

Works from 40 countries are featured in this year’s World Cinema program, making it the most culturally rich line-up in SWIFF history.

SWIFF ‘22 will also present a line-up of the very best in new Australian films.

These include award winner ‘Ablaze’ and ‘Ithak’, the story of John Shipton, father of imprisoned Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, in his fight to save his son.

John Shipton, Gabriel Shipton and director Ben Lawrence are guests of the Festival.

There will also be a seven-film retrospective to honour one of the most audacious filmmakers of all time, Paul Verhoeven.

These include the 1992 blockbuster ‘Basic Instinct’, ‘Robocop’ and ‘Flesh+Blood’, starring Festival Patron Jack Thompson.

The program will also showcase an extensive line-up of documentaries, including the Oscar-nominated ‘Flee’, a fusion of animation and archival footage to tell the story of a gay Afghan refugee, and the Australian premiere of ‘Sam & Mattie Make a Zombie Movie’, the story of two New England teenagers with Down syndrome who write and shoot their first feature film.

SWIFF Live also returns with two film screenings accompanied by live music on stage.

Closing SWIFF’22 will be ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, a sci-fi action adventure starring acclaimed actress Michelle Yeoh and the iconic Jamie Lee Curtis.

David Horsley said, “Even though SWIFF draws its audience from all over Australia, it is a local Festival, and workers, volunteers and the bulk of the audience are from the Coffs Coast.”

 

By Andrew VIVIAN