After two weeks of screenings, developer talks and masterclasses, Sydney Film Festival 2026 closed with a glittering ceremony on 14 June. Prior to the screening of the festival’s closing film, James Gray’s Paper Tiger, organisers took to the stage to recognise an array of featured films for their contributions to the festival, to audiences and to the arts.
Andrey Zvyagintsev’s thriller Minotaur, which focuses on a business executive discovering his wife’s infidelity against the backdrop of the Russo-Ukrainian war, took out the prestigious Sydney Film Prize, with Zvyagintsev awarded $60,000 and recognised for ‘audacious, cutting-edge and courageous’ film-making.
Accepting the award, Zvyagintsev said, ‘I would like to thank the jury for this decision, because this film means a lot to people who are struggling at the moment in Russia. The Russian language is struggling. This film is very important to them.’
Many other films were also recognised, taking out awards relating to environmental awareness and sustainability, impactful documentary, and more.
Sydney Film Festival 2026 winners – quick links
2026 Sydney Film Festival: the full list of prize winners
Filmmakers Mataslia Freshwater and Lachlan McLeod received the $40,000 Sustainable Future Award for Sukundimi Walks Before Me, a documentary following an Indigenous community in Papua New Guinea trying to save their local river from the threat of mining.
The $20,000 Documentary Australia Award went to Australian filmmaker Vee Shi for Time and Tide, described as a vision of contemporary China ‘seen through the eyes of a multigenerational family navigating the pressures of familial obligation’.
The $35,000 First Nations Award went to Banchi Hanuse for Ceremony, a film following the ‘ripples of colonialism’ through lands, lives, and rivers.
The $10,000 Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award went to writer/director Fadia Abboud, who works across a range of screen mediums. Most recently, Abboud directed episodes of SBS drama Four Years Later, as well as ABC’s House of Gods.
Adjacent celebrations for the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films also saw the following five short films recognised:
- The Dendy Live Action Short Award – Maŋutji (Catching Eyes) by Siena Mayutu Wumarri Stubbs
- The Yoram Gross Animation Award – Our Choir Has Always Been Travelling by Judith Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie ’Nunga’ Williams and Nelson Armstrong
- The Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award – Judith Pungarta Inkamala, Marjorie ’Nunga’ Williams and Nelson Armstrong
- The Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director – Cristabel Sved, Date 3
- The AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner – Angelina Kovacs and Sophie Ravant, Flesh Fruit
ScreenHub: More Sydney Film Festival news and reviews
2026 Sydney Film Festival nets highest ever box office results
As shared by the festival organisers, this year’s event was another strong one for the books, with increases to capacity and audience engagement across the board.
‘SFF73 was such a buzz from opening to closing and again, for the second year in a row, making history by becoming the highest selling box office in the festival’s 73 years,’ said Sydney Film Festival CEO Frances Wallace.
‘SFF73 has increased its audience by a projected 10% to 170,000 attendees (157,000 in 2025). We also saw a 30%+ increase in Youth Pass sales – seeing the cinemas fill with these new young generations of film lovers was such a delight.’
Steve Kamper, Minister for Jobs and Tourism, said the festival was a feather in Sydney’s cap, buoying the local economy, as well as global tourism.
‘Sydney Film Festival just keeps getting better,’ Kamper said. ‘This year’s program was bold, diverse, and genuinely world-class, exactly the kind of storytelling that puts Sydney on the global cultural map.’
‘Beyond the cinema, the city has been alive throughout the festival. People out at bars, restaurants, and venues before and after screenings, that’s what great events do. They don’t just fill seats; they energise the whole city. Congratulations to the organisers and every winner tonight. You’ve made Sydney proud.’
