Among the first titles that have been confirmed to screen at this year’s Sydney Film Festival are Australia’s own In Vitro from directors Will Howarth and Tom McKeith and The Pool from director Ian Darling, both enjoying a world premiere at the film fest!

According to Variety, the festival’s full lineup will be announced on May 8th and the festival itself will occur from June 5th through the 16th. 

Another film from the Oceania region, comes from actress Rachel House, who is making her feature directorial debut. Her film The Mountain is executive produced by Taika Waititi and is eligible to potentially receive Sydney’s First Nations Award.

Other films that are receiving early announcements include Golden Shell winner The Rye Horn, Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, Silver Bear winner Pepe, and Explanation for Everything (winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival).

Sex, which was a hit at this year’s Berlinale, will also be featured at the Sydney Film Festival as well as the documentary The Contestant. Clair Titley, director of The Contestant, and Hamatsu Tomoaki, the film’s focus, will both be in attendance at the festival.

Other titles include Frederick Wiseman’s Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ La Cocina starring Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones, and House of the Seasons (which received an award at the Busan Film Festival).

Documentary films featured at the festival will be COPA ’71, The Battle for Laikipia, Olivier Assayas’ Suspended Time, and Bhutan director Pawo Choyning Dorji’s The Monk and The Gun (which received an Oscar nomination).

There will also be a live music film event titled Hear My Eyes: Hellraiser, where EBM musicians Hieroglyphic Being and Robin Fox will rescore Clive Barker’s 1987 horror film with a synched laser-art show.