The 2018 Gold Coast Film Festival (GCFF) program has been announced, with the event set to screen 40 feature films including one world premiere, seven Australian premieres and seven Queensland premieres. A host of short films, filmmaker Q&A’s and Virtual Reality (VR) experiences will also take place.

Running for 13 days from Tuesday 17 April to Sunday 29 April, the 16th annual GCFF will open with the Australian premiere of The Second. A Stan Original Film,  The Second is a Queensland production by a Brisbane based creative team and filmed in Jimbour, north of Brisbane.

Starring Rachael Blake (Lantana) and Vince Colosimo (The Secret Life of Us), the film is about two female friends whose lives entwine in the pages of an elusive second novel. It will screen at Home of the Arts (HOTA), with director Mairi Cameron and actors Blake and Colosimo expected to attend. A red carpet gala event at Pacific Fair will also be held on Thursday 19 April for the Queensland premiere of Simon Baker‘s Breath, an adaptation of multi award winning Australian author Tim Winton‘s novel.

“The Queensland Government, Screen Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland are proud to be major partners of the Gold Coast Film Festival,” said Queensland Premier and Minister for Trade Annastacia Palaszcuk. “The Commonwealth Games will pass the baton to the GCFF in mid-April putting the spotlight again on the Gold Coast, attracting more visitors, boosting the economy and supporting local jobs.”

For the first time in the festivals history, audience members will be given access to the forefront of cinematic innovation through diverse Virtual Reality (VR) experiences. Some of the best VR content sourced locally and internationally will be offered to audience members, such as animated documentary Thin Black Line. Developed by Brisbane filmmaker Douglas Watkin, Thin Black Line invites audiences to step into the Bombing of Darwin, a pivotal event in the history of one family and a nation, through the eyes of a child.

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