The 73rd Sydney Film Festival began on Wednesday evening with the sold-out Australian premiere of the documentary Silenced at the State Theatre. The screening drew a standing ovation for the film's subjects, human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson and advocate Brittany Higgins, who attended alongside director Selina Miles and festival director Nashen Moodley.
The documentary, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, explores how defamation laws are used against survivors of sexual violence and the journalists who report their stories. It follows Robinson as she handles high-profile cases involving Higgins, actor Amber Heard, and Colombian journalist Catalina Ruiz-Navarro. The film is inspired by Robinson's book How Many More Women?, co-authored with Dr Keio Yoshida.
Festival board chair Darren Dale said the opening-night selection reflected the festival's mission. “Sydney Film Festival exists to bring us together around the stories of other people's lives,” he said. “We are proud to open the 73rd Festival with this eye-opening documentary and to share its urgent message.”
NSW Minister for the Arts John Graham highlighted the festival's importance to the state's screen sector, noting investment in a second major screen studio in Sydney. Lord Mayor Clover Moore pointed to the scale of the event, which features 20 world premieres and 135 Australian premieres across its 12-day programme.
Among the industry figures at the opening-night gala were Sydney Film Prize jury president Kleber Mendonça Filho and jury members Boo Junfeng, Ari Wegner and Sally Riley. Red carpet guests included Claudia Karvan, Lisa Wilkinson, Tim Pocock, Lincoln Younes and Chika Ikogwe. The festival runs until 14 June.
