Home-Grown Films

Byron and the Northern Rivers is home to Australia’s largest regional filmmaking community. Our 2024 program includes a number of locally-made films.

Films With A Local Focus

  • Two men with surfboards standing on a beach, smiling at each other, with text indicating they are in a documentary film titled "Impact". The film has won awards at film festivals and features directors Patrick Dunne and Mark Lucchiari, as well as actors Ben Luock and Mark Lucchiari.

    IMPACT

    Patrick Dunne

    Documentary

    the powerful story of two skydivers, Mark Lucchiari and Ben Lucock, and their journey to recovery after a near-fatal accident above Tyagrah.

    Screens with Wingsuit Flyers

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  • Black and white poster for the documentary film 'Washed Away' showing a woman with long hair carrying a dog on her shoulder, with a forest background.

    WASHED AWAY

    Terry Webster

    Documentary

    A look at the locals who stepped in to
    help in the 2022 Floods, risking everything to save strangers.

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  • Two people with surfboards on a beach, looking at the ocean, with a large inspirational quote overlaid reading 'You should have been here yesterday'.

    YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE YESTERDAY

    Jolyon Hoff

    Documentary

    The story of a wild community who took off up the coast and discovered a whole new way to live. We’re going back to the never-before-seen camera reels to find out who we are and where we came from.

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Home-Grown Films

  • Poster for the documentary film 'Aquarius' showing a woman with blonde hair and overalls standing in front of a crowd, with a geodesic dome structure in the background. The poster has text describing the film as about dreamers, tree-huggers, and radical ratbags.

    AQUARIUS

    Wendy Champagne

    Feature Documentary

    In May 1973, 10,000 artists, activists, hippies, radical students, gurus and visionaries descended on a small dairy town for 10 days of social and cultural exploration that changed a generation. Those 10 days birthed an irrepressible movement that may have been the much-needed blueprint for sustainable change.

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  • Image of ocean waves at sunset with dark clouds and a sunset sky, overlaid with text: 'Fragments of a Half Life, A Johnny Abegg Film, Let grief have its way with you.'

    FRAGMENTS OF A HALF LIFE

    Johnny Abegg

    Documentary

    A Son deep dives into a period of grief after losing his Father, whilst his Mum recounts the life he never got to share. Through introspection he resurfaces knowing where to find him.

    Screens with Matty Hannon's Walkabout: The Songlines of Surfing

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  • Book cover titled "Fungi: Web of Life," narrated by Björk, depicting a lush, green forest with vibrant fungi in the foreground and mountain ranges in the background under a starry sky.

    FUNGI: WEB OF LIFE

    Definition Studios

    Documentary

    All life on Earth is connected by a great mystery we are only just beginning to unravel. Hidden between the world of plants and animals, another world exists…

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  • Poster of the movie 'Solutions' featuring three main characters in the upper half: a man with glasses and a beard, a woman with dark hair, and a man with bandages around his head; and a dog lying on a bed in the lower half.

    SOLUTIONS

    Jade Albany

    In a last ditch effort to extricate herself from the ramshackle farce of her suburban existence a woman caught between her dysfunctional husband and her densely loyal lover attempts to off one while framing the other.

    Screens at Ballina Fair with We Were Dangerous

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  • Close-up of a young woman's face with a serious expression, and an image of another woman with a sinister look, overlaid with a blood-stained knife. The text reads 'HELL HATH NO FURY' and 'THE MATRIARCH' in bold red letters.

    THE MATRIARCH

    Jayden Creighton

    A thirteen year old girl kills her addict mother's boyfriend in self defense, and is subsequently terrorized by her own mother.

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  • Man with long curly hair and beard dancing on city sidewalk at night, with taxis parked behind him and apartment buildings in the background.

    THE LIGHTHOUSE

    Tomas Lynch

    Tommy Disco's transformative journey from deep adversity to rebirth unfolds through expressive dance, revealing resilience and healing in intimate interviews and captivating sequences.

    Screens with Agent of Happiness

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  • Poster for Byron Bay International Film Festival featuring a night sky with clouds over the ocean and a stylized eye logo.

    THROUGH THE LOCAL LENS

    Short Film Session

    Experience the diverse storytelling of our region with Through the Local Lens, a carefully curated session of short films that encapsulate the vibrant spirit and unique narratives found in our community.

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  • Poster for the short film 'Trust the Bees' by Quinn Ingram-Arnold. It features a close-up of a bee hive with bees and a young person inspecting it with a magnifying glass. It includes festival selection logo and text.

    TRUST THE BEES

    Quinn Ingram-Arnold

    Short Documentary

    a young 15 year old passionate beekeeper in Byron Bay who struggles against devastating floods, fires and diseases to keep his bees alive

    Screens with Fungi: Web of Live

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  • A man wearing a virtual reality headset and headphones, holding a music controller, standing in a forest with tall trees.

    WAYS OF BEING

    Dominic Sullivan

    Short Documentary

    A rich tapestry of artistic expression celebrates the idea that creativity is not a one-size-fits-all concept but a deeply personal and evolving experience.

    Screens with Sasquaatch Sunset

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  • A sky filled with numerous colorful wingsuit flyers flying amid clouds, with one large presence in the foreground wearing an orange wingsuit and helmet. Text at the bottom reads "Wingsuit Flyers: The Science of Human Flight."

    WINGSUIT FLYERS

    Definition Studios

    Documentary

    From the time humans first saw birds they have wanted to fly. Now, we're as close as we have ever been.

    Screens with Impact

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