With over 20 movies in its lineup, the Capital Film Festival is gearing up to be Canberra’s biggest ever celebration of movies. Photos: Dendy Cinemas.
The ACT’s biggest celebration of movies, the Capital Film Festival, is bringing its most exciting lineup ever.
With events at both Dendy Cinemas and the National Film and Sound Archives, the five-day film festival (21-25 October) will showcase over 20 films, many of which will be ACT and Australian premiers.
Opening the festival this year is the winner of the Audience Award for Best Australian Feature at the Sydney Film Festival, The Fox.
The Fox is a dark comedy starring Jai Courtney and Emily Browning, with voices by Olivia Coleman and the late Sam Neill. The plot centres on a man who meets a talking fox that offers him the chance to turn his wife into his idea of a perfect woman.
Those attending opening night can join a Q&A with director Dario Russo, who nabbed Best Australian Director at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Festival Director Karinna Libbey said the festival has only grown from strength to strength in its five years, with more sessions and films in 2026 than ever before.
“The festival is giving so many possibilities, so many chances to really connect some great films with audiences kind of across Canberra,” Ms Libbey said.
“What we’ve tried to do with the program is to obviously bring the best films from Australia and around the world. Almost every film in the program is an ACT premiere.
“We’ve got the Australian premiere of I Love Boosters, starring Demi Moore and Keke Palmer, as well as some other festival winners from festivals like Sundance and Cannes.”
Ms Libbey said film festivals are a unique experience that lets people see films that don’t normally get the attention of Hollywood blockbusters.
“People can often miss out on a really touching, really enjoyable movie because they aren’t shown in their areas,” she said.
“A lot of the time, films aren’t given wide releases, and that’s the beauty of film festivals because it gives people the opportunity to see them on the big screen.
“There’s something really special and intimate about seeing a movie on the screen as opposed to streaming it on the couch.”
This year marks the second time Ms Libbey has served as director. She said she learnt a lot during her first time at the helm and is more excited than ever to deliver a good show.
“I feel great honour to be able to be the director of the festival, and I know that Canberrans have great taste,” she said.
“I’ve been working more with industry partners like the Australian Film, Television, and Radio School and Screen Canberra. We will be having more panels, more talks with filmmakers, and more experiences to create a really immersive experience.
“Tickets for the festival went on sale this week, and we’ve already seen audiences express their excitement and respond really well. We’re just really looking forward to having as many people coming to the movies as possible.”
The full lineup as well as tickets for the Capital Film Festival can be purchased on the Dendy Cinema website.
