Hideo Kojima and George Miller to headline world exclusive event at Sydney Film Festival 2025
As part of the Sydney Film Festival, filmmaker George Miller and video game creator Hideo Kojima will have an in-depth conversation on the intersections between video games and film.
The announcement:
Sydney Film Festival (4–15 June 2025) will host an unmissable, one-night-only world exclusive event featuring two titans of storytelling: legendary video game creator Hideo Kojima and Australian cinema icon George Miller, in the lead up to the release of DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH.
Taking place at 5pm, Saturday 14 June at Sydney Town Hall’s historic Centennial Hall, and co-presented by Screen NSW, this in-depth conversation will explore the creative intersections between film and video games, and the visionary approach each artist brings to their craft.
Hideo Kojima, the acclaimed creator behind the DEATH STRANDING and Metal Gear Solid series, is known for creating video games that are deeply cinematic and blur the lines between film and video games like no other – fitting for someone who’s famously declared that “70% of my body is made of movies.” His latest creation DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH, releasing June 26th, looks to push the boundaries further in cinematic storytelling and interactive art.
Joining Hideo Kojima on stage is George Miller AO, the Oscar-winning director of Mad Max: Fury Road and Happy Feet, and a personal hero and recent collaborator of Hideo Kojima’s. The two will discuss shared creative ground, the evolution of cinematic storytelling in gaming, and the surprising role Miller himself plays in DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH, which sees players traverse Australia in a hauntingly beautiful journey to re-establish human connection.
“This is a rare and exciting meeting of two creative minds who have reshaped their respective industries,” said SFF festival director Nashen Moodley. “Kojima and Miller’s shared love of cinema and storytelling will make for an unforgettable conversation at this year’s Festival.”
Head of screen NSW Kyas Hepworth said, “The Sydney Film Festival continues to push the boundaries of storytelling, and this unmissable event is a testament to their bold vision. Screen NSW is thrilled to support this world exclusive in-conversation event with Australian icon Dr George Miller and renowned video game creator Hideo Kojima, which highlights the synergies across the NSW Screen and Digital Games Strategy, the Sydney Film Festival, and the screen and digital games industry. This is an event that will inspire, entertain and connect audiences through the power of imagination.”
Tickets for the Hideo Kojima and George Miller event are on sale now at sff.org.au.
DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH releases 26 June on PlayStation®5. Learn more at playstation.com.
The Festival also today unveils its 2025 guest line-up, featuring a stellar roster of acclaimed local and international filmmakers who will attend premieres, walk red carpets, and participate in talks and Q&A sessions across the 12-day event.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION JURY AND FILMMAKER GUESTS
The 2025 Official Competition jury will judge the 12 titles in the Official Competition, awarding $60,000 cash to the Sydney Film Prize winner.
The 2025 Official Competition Jury is led by acclaimed Australian director, writer and producer Justin Kurzel as jury president, joined by director of the Marrakech International Film Festival and producer Melita Toscan du Plantier, Aotearoa New Zealand director and actor Rachel House, Hong Kong-based producer and distributor Winnie Tsang, and Kamilaroi writer and actor Thomas Weatherall.
For the 17th year, the Official Competition will award the Sydney Film Prize to an “audacious, cutting-edge and courageous” piece of cinema, with the winner announced at the Festival’s Closing Night Gala on Sunday 15 June at the State Theatre.
Attending the Festival to present their films in competition will be: Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro (The Blue Trail); Macedonian director Georgi M. Unkovski (DJ Ahmet); Nigerian/UK director Akinola Davies Jr. (My Father’s Shadow); Australian director Michael Shanks (Together); Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (The Secret Agent); and Swedish actor Sverrir Guðnason (The Love That Remains).
GUEST LINE-UP
The 72nd Sydney Film Festival reveals its guest line-up of esteemed international and Australian filmmakers who will attend the Australian and World Premieres of their films this June. These special guests will walk the red carpet, introduce their films, and participate in talks, panels, and Q&A sessions across the 12-day event. For the most up-to-date list of attending guests, please visit sff.org.au.
Documentary Australia Award
- Australian diver and documentary subject Richard Harris, and producer Blayke Hoffman (Deeper)
- Director Justin Kurzel and music icon and documentary subject Warren Ellis (Ellis Park)
- Director Yaara Bou Melhem (Yurlu | Country)
- Director Kriv Stenders (Joh: Last King of Queensland)
- Director Chadden Hunter (The Raftsmen)
- Directors Maggie Miles and Trisha Morton-Thomas (Journey Home, David Gulpilil)
- Director Constantine Costi (The Golden Spurtle)
- Director Gabrielle Brady (The Wolves Always Come at Night)
- Director Shalom Almond (Songs Inside)
- Director Jordan Giusti (Floodland)
Special Presentations at the State
- Australian director Amy Wang (Slanted)
- Australian directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese (Lesbian Space Princess)
- New Zealand director Robert Sarkies (Pike River)
Features
- Australian director Sophie Somerville (FWENDS)
- Australian director Christian Byers (Death of an Undertaker)
- Australian director Zoe Pepper (Birthright)
- Singaporean director Eric Khoo (Spirit World)
- Indian director Natesh Hegde (Tiger’s Pond)
- South African director Imran Hamdulay and actor Keenan Arrison (The Heart Is a Muscle)
- Nepali director Deepak Rauniyar and Nepali screenwriter and actor Asha Magrati (Pooja, Sir)
- Australian director Samuel Van Grinsven (Went Up the Hill)
- Indian director Ritu Sarin and Tibetan director Tenzing Sonam (State of Statelessness)
First Nations
- Australian director Danielle MacLean (Emily: I Am Kam)
- New Zealand director Ursula Grace Williams and documentary subject Marlon Williams (Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao e Rua – Two Worlds)
- New Zealand director Katie Wolfe (The Haka Party Incident)
- Haudenosaunee director Paige Bethmann and subject Kutoven “Ku” Stevens (Remaining Native)
International Documentaries
- Chinese-American director Elizabeth Lo (Mistress Dispeller)
- British director Eloïse King (The Shadow Scholars)
- Australian director Kate Blackmore (Make It Look Real)
- Canadian director Amalie Atkins (Agatha’s Almanac)
- Focus on Nishtha Jain
- Indian director Nishtha Jain (Farming the Revolution)
Sounds on Screen
- Mexican-American filmmaker Isabel Castro (Selena y Los Dinos)
Freak Me Out
- American director Craig Ouellette (Straight On Till Morning)
- Australian director Sean Byrne (Dangerous Animals)
- American director Albert Birney (OBEX)
Screenability
- Canadian directors and actors Kevin Claydon and Phil Moniz (Racewalkers)
FLUX: Art+Film
- Hong Kong-Australian director Nikki Lam (The Unshakeable Destiny)
Classics Restored
- Australian director Cate Shortland (Somersault)
- Australian director David Caesar and producer Vincent Sheehan (Mullet)
- Australian director PJ Hogan (Muriel’s Wedding)
Vivid Sydney Special Events
- American Academy Award-winning director Jimmy Chin (Beyond the Summit with Jimmy Chin)
- Australian designer and director Liam Young and UK composer Forest Swords (Planet City: Live)
- Australian director Justin Kurzel and music icon and documentary subject Warren Ellis (Ellis Park: An Evening with Warren Ellis)
Joining the Festival will also be other members of the film teams for the above films, as well as filmmakers competing for the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films along with local short filmmaking talent.
The full Sydney Film Festival 2025 program can be found online at sff.org.au.
Sydney Film Festival runs from 4–15 June 2025. The full program is on sale now.
Source: Original Spin
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