October 17 – 26, 2025
The Byron Bay Film Festival (BBFF) returns this October, bringing ten days of inspiring cinema, red-carpet events, filmmaker Q&As and creative community celebrations to the Northern Rivers.
Running October 17–26, 2025, BBFF will once again showcase an extraordinary line-up of films from around the globe, alongside the best of Australian independent cinema. With a reputation for discovering new voices and creating meaningful conversations, the festival is a must-attend event for both film lovers and industry professionals.
Festival Director Jaimee Skippon-Volke said:
“Our program brings together an exciting mix of world-class films that have already made their mark at leading festivals like Cannes and Tribeca, alongside powerful, passion-driven independent works whose messages we know will strike a deep chord with our unique community.”
For now, mark your calendars for ten unforgettable days of film, culture, and connection across: Byron Bay, Ballina, Brunswick Heads, Mullumbimby, Coorabel and Lismore.
What: Byron Bay Film Festival 2025
When: October 17 – 26, 2025
Where: Palace Byron Bay, Palace Ballina, Brunswick Picture House, Starcourt Theatre Lismore, Coorabel Hall, Drill Hall Mullumbimby
Details: www.bbff.com.au
Two Powerful First Nations Stories Anchor BBFF’s 2025 Program
JOURNEY HOME, DAVID GULPILIL and YURLU/COUNTRY honour culture, Country and the custodians who carry them.
The Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) will foreground First Nations voices this year with two deeply moving works that reckon with legacy, belonging and the unbreakable bond between people and place.
Journey Home, David Gulpilil directed by Maggie Miles and Trisha Morton-Thomas, traces the final wish of the late screen icon David Gulpilil, one of Australia’s most revered actors, to be laid to rest on his homeland. Intimate and reflective, the film accompanies family and community as they navigate ceremony, memory and the responsibilities of Culture, offering audiences a rare and tender insight into the meaning of going home to Country.
• Maggie Miles is a director, screenwriter and producer whose credits include the Stan Original documentary Trailblazers, Berlinale-selected feature High Ground, and Australian hits Paper Planes and The Turning.
• Trisha Morton-Thomas, an Anmatyerr woman and co-founder of Brindle Films, has written, directed and produced acclaimed works such as Occupation: Native, History Bites Back, Audrey Napanangka and The Song Keepers.
Yurlu/Country, directed by Yaara Bou Melhem, is a vivid ode to Country and an intimate portrait of an Aboriginal Elder in his final year, working tirelessly to preserve language, songlines and knowledge while healing damaged land. Part observational diary, part love letter to Country, the film is both urgent and uplifting - an invitation to listen, learn and act.
• Yaara Bou Melhem is an award-winning Australian writer, director and producer. A former investigative reporter with SBS Dateline and Al Jazeera English, her credits include Unseen Skies (2021) and the ABC documentary series The Whiteley Art Scandal (2023). Yaara Bou Melhem will be in attendance at both screenings of Yurlu/Country for Q&A sessions.
“These films are generous gifts,” said BBFF Festival Director Jaimee Skippon-Volke. “They remind us that Country is living, culture is continuous, and that the stories we hold, and how we hold them, matter. We’re honoured to share these works with our community at BBFF 2025.”
Together, Journey Home, David Gulpilil and Yurlu/Country speak to the festival’s 2025 theme, Love Film, by centring storytelling that moves us toward respect and reciprocity.
They also reflect BBFF’s long-standing commitment to platform First Nations filmmakers, Elders and communities, and to foster meaningful conversations that extend well beyond the cinema.
Screening Details
• Journey Home, David Gulpilil – Palace Byron Bay: Saturday 18 October & Sunday 26 October
• Yurlu/Country – Coorabell Hall: Wednesday 22 October; Starcourt Lismore: Thursday 23 October. Filmmaker in attendance.
Full program and tickets available via www.bbff.com.au