Red carpet and karaoke at expanded Byron Bay International Film Festival

THE Byron Bay International Film Festival is growing this year, with events to be held at the Star Court Theatre in Lismore and The Drill Hall Theatre in Mullumbimby for the first time.

Festival director Jaimee Skippon-Volke said films hold enormous power, and it’s important to bring stories into different communities.

“Even though we are branded the Byron Bay International Film Festival we are very much a Northern Rivers event,” she said. “The films are being curated for the different towns and very much suit the flavour of the town.”

Mullumbimby will host a special double feature, including the poetic science documentary The Heart Revolution, while details of the Lismore screening are yet to be announced.

Other venues include Palace Cinemas in Byron Bay and Ballina, Brunswick Picture House in Brunswick Heads and Lennox Head Cultural Centre.

The event will open with a red-carpet gala screening of Birthright at Palace Byron Bay on Friday October 17, followed by an after-party featuring karaoke at the Japanese eatery Tokyo Doll downstairs.

Skippon-Volke said one of the reasons she chose Birthright to open the festival was because it was produced by Byron local Cody Greenwood, who will attend the event.

“She’s really moving and shaking in the Australian film industry getting behind some projects that have had some momentum and working on some new projects that have some big people behind them,” she said. “The director Zoe Pepper also made a short film called Mystic Pines that was one of my favourites in 2021. It was strange and quirky and really different.”

Birthright stars Travis Jeffrey (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), Maria Angelico (The Newsreader), Michael Hurst (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), and Linda Cropper (High Country).

The film explores generational inequality and the divide between baby boomers and millennials. It follows jobless Cory (Jeffrey) and his pregnant wife Jasmine (Angelico), who move back in with his parents Richard (Hurst) and Lyn (Cropper) after being evicted from their rental property.

Both Jeffrey and Angelico will attend the opening night screening.

Skippon-Volke said the festival offers audiences the chance to discover new films early.

“Sometimes people will say they haven’t heard of these films, but they need to understand that a festival is where they will get that first look at films,” she said.

This year also marks the introduction of the David Stratton Best Documentary Award, honouring the life and legacy of the late SBS film critic. The award will recognise the most outstanding feature-length documentary in competition, regardless of country of origin.

The judging panel includes Stratton’s long-time on-air partner Margaret Pomeranz, Skippon-Volke, and acclaimed actor Jack Thompson.

For more information and tickets, visit bbff.com.au