Presented by World Expeditions, the 2026 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour delivers a thrilling 3-hour adventure through the world of extreme mountain sports. Experience the most captivating short films from fearless explorers, trail runners, mountain bikers, skiers, paddlers and climbers who push boundaries across the globe. Following the legendary Banff Mountain Festival—the world's largest and most prestigious mountain celebration held annually in Canada's stunning Banff—this tour brings the very best to audiences worldwide. From over 300 exceptional films showcasing mountain sport, culture, environment, adventure and exploration, only the most outstanding award winners and crowd favourites are selected for the global journey spanning 390 communities across 35 countries. The Australian programme presents an extraordinary collection of short films captured in Earth's wildest and most remote locations. Prepare for breathtaking cinematography that transports you to impossible places, compelling stories that challenge perspectives, and heart-pounding action sequences that will leave you breathless. This is adventure filmmaking at its absolute finest. The original and the best mountain film festival is an Adventure Reels event. For more details visit www.banffaustralia.com.au

A socially awkward dad becomes obsessed with his charismatic neighbor, sparking a surreal and crashing descent into male friendship gone horrifyingly wrong. Friendship (2025) is Andrew DeYoung’s audacious feature debut - a darkly comic and surreal satire on male intimacy in crisis. Craig, a emotionally stunted PR executive, is drifting through life in suburban Clovis while supporting his cancer-recovered wife, Tami, and keeping a distant rapport with his teen son. When he meets his alluring new neighbor Austin - an affable TV weatherman - Craig’s desperation for friendship spirals into cringe-comedy territory. Tim Robinson embodies Craig’s off-kilter vulnerability, while Paul Rudd’s Austin offers effortless charm. As Craig’s intrusive attempts escalate - hallucinogenic rituals, soap-mumbo, tunnel adventures, a gun-centric breakdown - the film veers into absurd, often uncomfortable territory. Stylistically, it blends suburban realism with surrealism and whispers of Kaufman-esque unease. Following a Midnight Madness premiere at TIFF 2024, Friendship earned acclaim for its fearless tone, uncompromising satire, and audacious performances. A24’s theatrical release in May 2025 amplified its reputation as one of the year’s boldest comedies. Strange, unsettling, and laugh-out-aloud uncomfortable, Friendship is a dark mirror to modern masculinity and the yearning for genuine connection - even at the point of self-destruction.

Designed to mesmerise and enthral, the Ocean Film Festival World Tour showcases a 3 hour celebration of our oceans composed of sublime footage taken above and below the water’s surface. This unique collection of short films from around the globe document the beauty and power of the ocean, and celebrate the divers, surfers, swimmers and oceanographers who live for the sea’s salt spray; who chase the crests of waves; and who marvel at the mysteries of the big blue. The films feature captivating cinematography, complete with awe-inspiring underwater scenes and fast-paced wave sequences that have been captured from unbelievable vantage points. Inspiring and thought-provoking, the Ocean Film Festival World Tour is filled with moving footage, touching interviews and insightful narrations. Each of the festival’s films conveys a deep respect and appreciation for the world’s oceans and the creatures that call them home. Find out more at www.oceanfilmfestival.com.au

A wealthy recluse invites his favourite estranged folk duo to his remote island, forcing a reckoning of their past, their music, and themselves. The Ballad of Wallis Island unfolds as a quietly powerful meditation on artistic fallout, nostalgia and middle-aged disillusionment. Charles (Tim Key), a socially awkward lottery winner, invites his favourite defunct folk duo - Herb (Tom Basden) and Nell (Carey Mulligan) - to his private island for a one-night-only reunion concert. But what begins as an indulgent fantasy quickly exposes the scars left by decades of unspoken tension, bruised egos, and creative estrangement. David Kerr’s direction leans into stillness, awkwardness and the poetry of silence, while the live-performed folk songs function as both confession and emotional glue. Mulligan’s understated presence brings surprising weight, while Key and Basden are pitch-perfect in navigating absurdity and vulnerability. Set against the eerie quiet of a windswept Welsh island, the film is a portrait of three people searching - perhaps in vain - for meaning in the art that once defined them. With its minimalist aesthetic, melancholic humour, and piercing insights into human connection, The Ballad of Wallis Island is a beautifully measured adult dramedy that lingers like a half-forgotten melody.

When a New York writer inherits her late friend’s Great Dane, she finds herself in an unexpectedly heartwarming journey through grief, humour, and healing. The Friend is a quietly touching film about unexpected companionship, gentle healing, and life’s small surprises. Naomi Watts stars as Iris, a reserved New York writer navigating the loss of her closest friend and mentor. Her already quiet life is upended when she inherits his beloved Great Dane - a towering, soulful presence who doesn’t quite fit into her apartment or her plans. At first, Iris and her new housemate seem impossibly mismatched. But as the days pass, the dog’s calm loyalty and odd habits begin to fill the silent spaces left behind by grief. What unfolds is a warm, reflective story about adjusting to change, rediscovering purpose, and finding comfort in new routines. With light humour, thoughtful moments, and a strong emotional core, The Friend is a gentle, character-driven story that blends introspection with quiet charm. Based on the best-selling novel by Sigrid Nunez, it explores how even the smallest acts of kindness - whether offered by a person or a pet - can help us take the next step forward.

A successful stage designer returns home for a farewell visit, stirring up past loves, familial conflict and the pull of a life abroad in equal measure. A successful stage designer abruptly leaves Europe for what he believes will be a tender farewell to his dying mother in his childhood town. What unfolds is a portrait rich in emotional texture—a return that unearths unresolved tensions with his estranged father, rekindles past romances, and is disrupted by the eccentricities of old friends and a spirited sister. Filmed amid the landscapes of regional Western Australia, the film captures the spirit of small‑town life with warmth and subtle humour. Director Bruce Beresford, acclaimed for his gift in melding gentle comedy with emotional truths, delivers a narrative that is at once personal and universal. Anchored by a compelling performance from Luke Bracey, supported by Bryan Brown and Susie Porter, the film reveals the way home can be both a beginning and an ending. A thoughtful dramedy about legacy, belonging and how love persists even amidst the messiness of family.