First Films Fest Hosted At The Opera House For The First Time For Its 2026 Program

First Films Festival is heading to the Sydney Opera House for the very first time this October! A lineup of bold and daring debut feature films will be showcased at the fifth edition of this unique event.

“We are proud to bring First Films to Sydney Opera House for the first time,” said Sydney Opera House Head of Screen Stuart Buchanan.

The First Films festival champions new voices by bringing together new and retrospective debuts never screened in Sydney before.

From 27th October to the 1st of November, Golden Age Cinema & Bar and the Sydney Opera House will showcase these films. Audiences will be given the chance to discover new favourite directors and actors before they become household names.

Paul Struthers, Founder and Festival Director of First Films, described the lineup as having the power to inspire change.

Unmissable debut films

Opening the festival is the Sydney Premiere of the stunningly beautiful Super 8 film Super Nature, directed by Ed Sayers. The documentary feature captures a hopeful vision of our world through the eyes of forty global contributors.

The screening will be preceded by an introduction and followed by a post-screening Q&A by one of the film’s contributors, Oliver Birt.

“All these stories revealed just how deep our bond with nature is. And showed that when we give ourselves to nature, it gives us so much back,” says director Ed Sayers.

The film celebrates the beauty of the planet while simultaneously highlighting the need to protect it.

The program also features the Australian premieres of Xinyang Zhang’s striking Panda, playing at this year’s Berlinale.

“First Films continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in debut cinema, showcased perfectly in Panda, whose striking visual language, coupled with magical realism, makes it one of the most unforgettable debuts of this year,” Struthers said.

Award-winning films

Another highly anticipated film is  Vincho Nchogu’s powerful One Woman, One Bra. The comedy-drama is Kenya’s entry for next year’s Academy Awards, following award wins at the London and Tribeca Film Festivals.

The festival closes with the NSW Premiere of 2026 Cannes’ Award-winning documentary Rehearsals For A Revolution. The closing night film is a breathtaking directorial debut from Iranian actress and filmmaker Pegah Ahangarani.

It explores her life and her country’s history from 1979 to today through memory, protest and personal archive. Across five richly personal chapters, Ahangarani crafts a portrait of modern Iran. Tracing the nation’s history through the lives of those closest to her delivers a deeply moving testament to resilience.

Tickets are on sale now through Golden Age Cinema & Bar and Sydney Opera House for Rehearsals For A Revolution.