What’s Happening?
The Travelling Film Festival returns to Townsville this October, bringing acclaimed Australian and international films to Warrina Cineplex.
Running from 16 to 18 October 2026, the festival features selected films from this year’s Sydney Film Festival program. Townsville audiences will see major festival winners alongside documentaries, romantic comedies and stories from around the world.
The weekend opens with Whistle, an Australian documentary exploring the personalities, rivalries and unexpected drama of competitive musical whistling.
International highlights include Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fjord, starring Oscar nominees Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan. The program also features Fatherland, which earned Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski the Best Director award at Cannes.
Pawlikowski’s latest film follows writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika as they return to post-war Germany. Starring Sandra Huller, the story examines a country confronting its past while struggling with wilful blindness.
Other selections include Afghanistan’s romantic comedy No Good Men and Cycle of Love, based on a man’s bicycle trip from India to Sweden for love. Meanwhile, Silent Friend, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, offers a tribute to the natural world.
Why It Matters
The festival brings films recognised at Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Sydney directly to regional audiences, including screenings exclusive to Townsville.
Travelling Film Festival Manager Beatrix Brady said the program continues a tradition of introducing audiences to films with lasting appeal.
“Over the years of TFF, we’ve premiered films that have gone on to be classics. We can’t wait to share this year’s future classics whilst they’re still waiting to be discovered,” Brady said.
For Brady, the appeal also lies in the range of experiences audiences can enjoy across a single weekend.
“The breadth of stories being screened is an opportunity for audiences to take a step into worlds that are illuminating, inspiring, challenging, hilarious, entertaining, and at times all of those things at once. We all remember those movies that left an impact long after we left the cinema – this is a whole program of those experiences.”
That variety reflects how the festival approaches regional programming, with organisers considering the interests of audiences in each location.
Head of Marketing Joshua Forward said the selection combines internationally recognised filmmakers with emerging talent, while incorporating feedback from previous festivals.
“With the Travelling Film Festival running for over 52 years, we try to get to know each centre and deliver a program specifically for them. We want it to be an annual celebration of cinema, spotlighting the most exciting and prescient cinematic voices of our times – so the selection features both top prize winning films from international film festivals as well as hidden gems from up and coming filmmakers,” Forward said.
“We listen to the feedback we get each year from the audiences in each location so that we can tailor the exact program for them next year.”
Local Impact
For Townsville audiences, one of the festival’s strongest regional connections comes through Rodeo Dreams, a documentary filmed around the Mount Isa Rodeo.
The film follows competitors preparing for one of Australia’s best-known rodeo events, examining the dedication and dangers behind bull riding.
It also offers a familiar North Queensland setting within a program largely featuring stories from overseas.
Forward said the documentary stood out when organisers considered which films would resonate with Townsville audiences.
“There are always a few films that fit like a glove to certain areas. For example, this year Townsville will get an exclusive screening of Rodeo Dreams – the Sydney Film Festival Audience Award winning documentary about the Rodeo competition in Mount Isa – a place connected to the Australia coast via the Flinders Highway to Townsville.”
The screening also highlights regional Australian filmmaking, giving local audiences an opportunity to see North Queensland stories recognised nationally.
By The Numbers
– 52 years and counting: The Travelling Film Festival has spent more than five decades bringing international and Australian cinema to regional communities.
– Eight seconds: Rodeo Dreams explores the dangerous world of bull riding, where competitors aim to remain on a bucking bull for eight seconds.
– Up to 30 per cent savings: Festivalgoers can save on screenings through a Flexipass or full Subscription, with both options available for the Townsville program.
Zoom In
Behind the festival’s Australian documentaries are two very different filmmaking experiences, from the heat of Mount Isa to the competitive world of musical whistling.
For Rodeo Dreams co-director Bill Bleakley, capturing the action at the Mount Isa Rodeo meant working in unpredictable conditions.
“The biggest challenge of the shoot was filming at the rodeos – I’ve never come across an environment that is so difficult for filming whilst also being so visually beautiful. Not is there music and announcements blaring constantly, it’s usually extremely hot at the rodeos and the bucking bulls keep you on your toes!” Bleakley said.
The documentary also has an unexpected musical connection, having grown from rodeo-themed music videos originally commissioned for The Teskey Brothers.
Bleakley, who previously worked with the band, later collaborated with Sam Teskey on the film’s score.
“The Teskey Brothers have been an integral part of the film from the beginning. The documentary actually started as a series of rodeo themed music videos commissioned for the Teskey Brothers and grew from there,” Bleakley said. “It was great to get Sam Teskey on as composer for the film and was a seamless process – his first pass of the composition knocked us off our feet.”
While Rodeo Dreams captures the intensity of bull riding, opening-night documentary Whistle explores a competitive scene few audiences may know exists.
Director Christopher Nelius said the idea began with Australian musician Molly Lewis, whose work introduced the filmmakers to musical whistling.
“Well it turns out the coolest whistler in the world is an Aussie. Her name is Molly Lewis. She’s an incredible musician based in the US and has recorded a few albums. Molly’s sound is like nothing else I’ve ever heard – it’s stunning and ethereal,” Nelius said. “Molly told the wonderful producers at Songbird Studios about this whistling competition that’s held in LA called The Masters of Musical Whistling. She compared it to a real-life ‘Best in Show’, the Christopher Guest mockumentary. So it was a no-brainer.”
What followed was a documentary featuring ambitious competitors, unusual personalities and plenty of unexpected humour.
“The whistlers and people behind the competition are hilarious but also heartfelt, and in it to achieve world domination for the art whistling. Believe it or not. I hope audiences come away from Whistle having been reminded that there is still pure joy out in there in this big bad world,” Nelius said.
Filming the competition also required patience as the filmmakers worked through rivalries and the personalities involved.
“Lot’s of patience, attention and ‘whistler management’. Who knew there would be so much drama and comedy happening in a whistling competition all at once?” Nelius said.
“But honestly, it wasn’t hard when the whistlers were all such beautiful people, in addition to being ambitious and driven to win. Funnily enough I think us being Australian had a kind of disarming effect – we were a bit of a novelty ourselves!”
Zoom Out
Although the Australian documentaries offer familiar cultural connections, the broader festival program extends well beyond local stories.
From an Afghan romantic comedy to a European historical drama, the selection brings different cultures and filmmaking styles into one cinema.
Forward said this range makes the 2026 program particularly memorable, giving audiences an opportunity to experience stories they might otherwise miss.
“This years line-up captures a stunning breadth of stories and cinematic visions. It’s a true opportunity to travel the world from your cinema seat, and experience the world through the eyes of another,” Forward said. “Where else could you sit front row at the World Whistling Championships (in the Aussie made doc Whistle), watch what may be the first rom-com from Afghanistan (with No Good Men), follow the true heart-warming story of a man cycling from India to Sweden for true love (in The Cycle of Love), see the most awarded film of the year (the Palme d’Or winning Fjord), and much more.”
The festival is supported by Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, helping bring the selected films to regional audiences.
What To Look For Next?
With tickets already selling, Townsville audiences can secure seats for the festival’s three-day program at Warrina Cineplex.
The opening-night screening of Whistle on 16 October will begin a weekend spanning Australian documentaries, international award winners and emerging filmmakers.
Those planning to attend several screenings can also consider a Flexipass or full Subscription to access available savings.
The festival will continue through Sunday, 18 October, giving local filmgoers a chance to experience acclaimed cinema without travelling beyond Townsville.
Tickets and full program: Travelling Film Festival Townsville
