Australian Women’s Film Festival Returns to Sydney With Catherine Laga’aia, Danielle Cormack and More

The Australian Women’s Film Festival is returning to Sydney on Tuesday night, bringing together filmmakers, actors and industry figures for its 2026 opening at Event Cinemas on George Street.

Now in its latest edition after launching in 2020, the festival was established to provide a dedicated platform for female filmmakers and storytellers working across the Australian screen industry.

Territory actor Kylah Day will host Tuesday’s opening night, which will feature screenings of the festival’s finalist films alongside its annual awards presentation.

Among those expected to attend are Moana star Catherine Laga’aia, Danielle Cormack, Nathalie Morris, Nina Oyama, Daniel Macpherson, Naomi Sequeira and filmmaker Stevie Cruz-Martin.

The wider guest list also spans figures from outside film and television, including former Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, designer Samantha Wills and model Cheyenne Tozzi.

Australian producer Bruna Papandrea, whose credits include Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers and Anatomy of a Scandal, is also expected on the red carpet, alongside producer and executive Kylie Munnich and director Dearbhla Walsh.

The festival will present two of its major honours during the evening: the Trailblazer Award and Groundbreaker Award, recognising contributions to the Australian screen industry.

Founded six years ago, the Australian Women’s Film Festival was created with a focus on increasing opportunities for women both in front of and behind the camera, while providing emerging filmmakers with the opportunity to screen their work alongside established industry figures.

Its return comes during another busy period for Australian film and television, with local productions and talent continuing to find audiences both domestically and internationally.

For the festival, however, the focus remains firmly on the filmmakers themselves.

Rather than operating solely as an industry gathering, the event places short-form filmmaking at the centre of its program, with finalist films screening throughout opening night and the awards recognising work from women across different areas of production.

This year’s gathering also brings together several generations of Australian screen talent, from established producers and performers to emerging actors and filmmakers beginning to build international careers.

The Australian Women’s Film Festival opens Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Event Cinemas on George Street in Sydney, with red carpet arrivals beginning at 6 p.m.