I’ve been attending the Adelaide Film Festival since 2007, and in that time I’ve seen it evolve from a scrappy alternative to a genuinely essential event on the Australian film calendar. What hasn’t changed is AFF’s willingness to take risks that other festivals avoid. And in 2025, that spirit was stronger than ever.

The Programming Philosophy

Adelaide has always operated differently from MIFF and SFF. Where Melbourne aims for comprehensiveness and Sydney aims for curation, Adelaide aims for surprise. The program is smaller than both, which means every slot is a deliberate choice. There’s less filler, fewer obvious crowd-pleasers, and more films that challenge, provoke, or simply refuse to fit into neat categories.

AFF’s investment fund, which directly finances Australian films in exchange for their world premiere at the festival, has been one of the smartest initiatives in Australian cinema. It means AFF doesn’t just program films. It helps create them. And the films it backs tend to be the ones that wouldn’t get made through conventional funding pathways.

What Worked in 2025

The 2025 edition had several highlights that reinforced AFF’s position. The First Nations strand was outstanding, featuring work that ranged from deeply personal memoir to politically charged documentary. Adelaide has been ahead of other Australian festivals in its engagement with Indigenous cinema, and it shows.

The experimental section continued to blur the lines between cinema, visual art, and performance. This is where AFF really distinguishes itself. A gallery-style installation alongside a conventional feature screening alongside a live-scored documentary. Not every festival can make that range work, but Adelaide does because its audience expects and embraces it.

The Australian feature competition was perhaps the strongest in years. Several titles that premiered in Adelaide went on to significant festival runs internationally, which is exactly what the investment fund was designed to achieve.

The South Australian Advantage

Adelaide’s geographic position, which some might see as a disadvantage, is actually part of its strength. Being outside the Sydney-Melbourne axis means AFF attracts audiences and industry professionals who want something different from the experience offered by the bigger festivals.

The South Australian Film Corporation’s collaboration with AFF has been productive, creating a pipeline where South Australian filmmakers can develop and premiere work within their own state rather than being forced to orient everything toward Sydney or Melbourne.

The city itself is well-suited to a film festival. It’s walkable, the venues are close together, and the November timing means you’re not competing with Melbourne’s winter or Sydney’s unpredictable June weather. There’s also a social quality to AFF that the bigger festivals have largely lost. You can actually talk to filmmakers at the bar after screenings, and you will run into the artistic director at a cafe.

Challenges Ahead

AFF isn’t without challenges. Funding for arts events in South Australia has been variable, and the festival’s financial model depends on continued government support. If that wavered, the investment fund and the programming ambition would both be at risk.

There’s also the question of scale. AFF works precisely because it’s not trying to be MIFF. If there was pressure to grow the program significantly, it could dilute the curatorial vision that makes the festival distinctive. Bigger isn’t always better, and Adelaide is proof of that.

Why It Matters

Every healthy film culture needs a festival that’s willing to take chances. Adelaide fills that role in Australia. It’s where the films that don’t have obvious commercial appeal get their moment. Where experimental and hybrid work finds an audience. Where emerging filmmakers see their first feature on a big screen.

If you’ve never been to AFF, put it on your calendar for 2026. It’s the festival that reminds you why cinema matters, especially the cinema that doesn’t play it safe.

The 2026 dates haven’t been announced yet, but expect late October to mid-November. Investment fund applications typically open around April. If you’re a filmmaker with a project that’s too strange for conventional funding, Adelaide might be exactly where it belongs.