It will make its world premiere in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard program later this month. The New Boy, which Roadshow just dated yesterday for an ANZ theatrical release July 6, is one of the most anticipated Australian titles of the year. Indeed, Thornton last opened the fest in just 2017 with documentary We Don’t Need A Map. In recent years, Sydney Film Festival has almost always opened with an Australian film, and frequently of late it is one from First Nations filmmakers, including anthology feature We Are Still Here last year, as well as Ivan Sen’s Goldstone and Mystery Road. “It is a film of great symbolism, and in fact, The New Boy finds Thornton at the height of his cinematic power. “Gorgeous, elegant, concise storytelling is augmented with spectacular images and a uniformly superb cast, including a group of very promising young actors playing the boys at the monastry. He went on to describe the film as a “beguiling story of spirituality and survival”. Speaking at the launch of the program yesterday evening at Sydney Town Hall, festival director Nashen Moodley said there had never been a film he had wanted to secure in his 20 years of programming for festivals more than The New Boy, calling Thornton “a hero of mine.” Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy is heading direct from Cannes to Sydney Film Festival, where it will be the opening night film for the event’s 70th edition.

Surrounded by Darkness by Rachel Dylan