The 72nd Sydney Film Festival has concluded with Iranian director Jafar Panahi claiming the event’s top honor, taking home the Sydney Film Prize for “It Was Just An Accident.”
The film previously won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
The Sydney win nets Panahi AUD$60,000 ($38,888) for what the competition jury described as an “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous” film. The announcement was made ahead of the Australian premiere screening of Cannes hit “Splitsville.”
Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel served as jury president for the main competition, joining New Zealand actor-director Rachel House, producer and Marrakech Film Festival director Melita Toscan du Plantier, Australian actor-writer Thomas Weatherall, and Hong Kong-based film distributor Winnie Tsang.
The jury praised the winner as “a courageous film with a deep soul and a powerful sense of forgiveness” that “embodied outstanding performances and an understated authority which is brimming with truth.”
They noted the strength of debut features in competition, stating they were “astonished by their confidence, authenticity and swagger” from a “new wave of international filmmakers pushing the boundaries.”
“Songs Inside” claimed the AUD$20,000 ($12,963) Documentary Australia Award. The jury called it “a portrayal of how, even in the most unlikely of circumstances, music can unexpectedly lift the hope and the lives of people.”
“Wilfred Buck” took the First Nations Award, described as the world’s largest cash prize in global Indigenous filmmaking at AUD$35,000 ($22,685). The jury praised filmmaker Lisa Jackson’s craft in telling the story of a Cree elder that “seamlessly weaves the past and present, archives with documentary and recreations, to tell a story about healing generational trauma through wisdom and knowledge of the stars.”
The Sustainable Future Award went to documentary “Floodland,” with jurors calling it “gripping, compelling, personal and informative” as it follows “lifelong mates battling floods, bureaucracy and the generational legacy of white settlers’ decisions.”
In the short film categories, “Faceless,” directed by Fraser Pemberton and William Jaka, won best live action short for its “narrative fearlessness” and “strong point of view.” The film also earned Josh Peters the AFTRS Craft Award for music and sound design. Rory Pearson won the Rouben Mamoulian Award for best director for “Mates,” while Pearson and Marcus Aldred-Traynor shared the Event Cinemas rising talent award for screenwriting for the same film.
“The Fling,” directed by Jemma Cotter, claimed the Yoram Gross Animation Award for its “ingenious ode to a John Carpenter classic, with innovative craftsmanship that combines real actors with stop motion animation.”
The festival distributed prizes totaling over AUD$200,000 ($129,628) across all categories. The Sydney Film Prize joins an illustrious list of previous winners including “There’s Still Tomorrow” (2024), “The Mother of All Lies” (2023), “Close” (2022), and “Parasite” (2019).
The competition is endorsed by FIAPF, the regulating body for international film festivals.
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