Cairns gets a little taste of Australia's best film festival this weekend, as Grafton St's Event Cinemas play host to the Sydney Travelling Film Festival from tonight to Sunday.

Running from June 8-19 in Sydney before setting off around the country with its travelling edition, the Sydney Film Festival is responsible for introducing Australian audiences to some of the year’s best films.

In Cairns tonight are two of the Australian film industry’s longest standing and most respected names, Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, from ABC TVs At The Movies.

Celebrating 25 years as Australia’s most recognised film critics, David and Margaret (as they are more simply known) will introduce two films as part of the Cairns festival program, including tonight’s premiere of The Hunter and tomorrow’s screening of Australian classic Muriel’s Wedding.

Filmed in Tasmania under the direction of Daniel Nettheim (Rush, Secret Life Of Us, All Saints), The Hunter is a gripping psychological drama set against the stunning backdrop of Tasmania’s untouched wilderness.

Starring Willem Dafoe (pictured above), The Hunter tells the story of Martin, an obsessed hunter of the supposedly extinct Tasmania Tiger.

Other films on show at the Cairns instalment of the Sydney Travelling Film Festival include multi-award winning Israeli comedy The Human Resources Manager; sexy Norwegian drama Happy, Happy; US film Tabloid; I’m Not Dead Yet, the tell-all documentary of Queensland country legend Chad Morgan; Italy’s Le Quattro Volte; France’s The Illusionist; Argentinean film Medianeras and magical Japanese film Norwegian Wood.

>> Sydney Travelling Film Festival is at Event Cinemas on Grafton St from tonight to Sunday. Tickets to all films (including single and season passes) are available now from the Box Office. A special price of $7 applies to kids, students and people under the age of 26. For full information, see sff.org.au

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