Richard Roxburgh in The Correspondent.

The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) has today announced the first three Australian films which will screen at the Festival in October, including the Opening Night film – the world premiere of The Correspondent on Wednesday October 23.

The Correspondent, directed by Kriv Stenders, stars Richard Roxburgh as Australian war correspondent Peter Greste who was arrested and jailed in Cairo, Egypt in 2013, while working for broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Stenders, Roxburgh, Greste and producer Carmel Travers will attend Opening Night as guests of AFF. Two of Stenders’ previous works Boxing Day (2007) and Lucky Country (2009) had their world premieres at AFF.

The Correspondent is based on the true story of Greste’s arrival in Cairo at the end of Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s military takeover of the Egyptian government. A veteran of Middle East conflict, Greste was unaware of Sisi’s hatred for his employer, Al Jazeera. From the moment he stepped foot in Egypt, a plan was set in motion to arrest Greste and his crew. What unfolds is a descent into a nightmare in which Greste is seen as collateral damage in the war on truth.

AFF will again host Opening Night at the gorgeous Art Deco Piccadilly Cinemas with the screening to be followed by a glamorous after-party at Adelaide’s premiere music venue, the Hindley Street Music Hall.

The fifth film announced today is a preview of Zak Hilditch’s new horror film, We Bury the Dead, a gripping and emotional apocalyptic thriller set after a military experiment decimates the people of Tasmania. Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: Episode VII –The Force Awakens) stars as Ava, a desperate woman who joins a ‘body retrieval unit’ in the hopes of finding her husband alive. Ava’s search takes a chilling turn, however, when the corpses she’s burying start showing signs of life. As she journeys to the south of Tasmania in search of her husband, Ava is forced to confront the undead – and make peace with her own unfinished business in the face of futility.

Daisy Ridley in We Bury the Dead.

AFF will host the World Premiere of Songs Inside, the first feature film directed by Shalom Almond, who has previously directed television including Prisoners and Pups which screened at AFF to sold out audiences in 2015. The film features South Australia’s beloved First Nations singer and songwriter Nancy Bates who leads a music program within the prison as they work toward a performance in collaboration with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO). Members of the ASO, Nancy Bates and members of the prison group Songbirds will perform at the Premiere.  Songs Inside is an Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund Film (AFFIF).

Mat Kesting, AFF CEO & Creative Director said: “AFF is immensely proud to be presenting the World Premiere of The Correspondent. This is an important film about one of the most urgent issues of our time – freedom of the press – from some of Australia’s finest screen creatives. We look forward to warmly welcoming them to AFF.

“We are also thrilled to be announcing a further five films in the 2024 program from the exciting new voices platformed at Cannes to new Australian feature films and documentaries, including the AFFIF film Songs Inside. The musical presentation at the Songs Inside screening promises to be a very special moment for all who attend.  We are also looking forward to announcing our full program on September 17.”

Minster for the Arts, Andrea Michaels, said: “It’s fantastic to celebrate the opening of the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival! The Adelaide Film Festival is now an annual celebration of our screen industry and the power of cinema following the Malinauskas Government’s additional $6 million investment. This year’s event launches with a remarkable film documenting the experience of Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste, who spent 400 days behind bars in Egypt after being arrested on terrorism charges while covering the Arab Spring. There will be something for everyone, so I encourage people to come out and enjoy incredible local and international films.”

AFF runs October 23 – November 3. Tickets available here: https://www.adelaidefilmfestival.org/program

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