Phenomena

Directed by Josef Gatti
Australia
2026
86 mins
A psychedelic odyssey into the fabric of the universe, complete with hyper-real imagery, immersive practical experiments and ambient music from Nils Frahm and Rival Consoles.

Debut filmmaker Josef Gatti, with the help of his physics teacher dad, sets out to visualise the forces and elements that shape the natural world such as light, matter, energy, entropy and life. Light is fractured, crystals form and spread, hydrocarbons flow, sound is visualised, and inner workings are revealed. Every image in the film is real, captured on camera with no visual effects or artifice – a fact that makes this visually stunning documentary even more remarkable. This art meets science adventure (which started life as an online series) is accompanied by a glorious electronic score making this mesmeric journey a truly sensory see-it-in-the cinema experience. A hit at True/False Film Festival and CPH:DOX 2026.

An iridescent ode to ordinary wonders.
Guy Lodge, Variety

Tickets

Sun 7 June 2026, 3:30pm
Event George St - Cinema 3
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
Tue 9 June 2026, 6pm
Palace Central - Cinema 1
Assisted ListeningWheelchair
  • Program Strand
  • Year
    2026
  • Classification
    All Ages
  • Country
    Australia
  • Language
    In English
  • Director
    Josef Gatti
  • Producer
    Rob Innes, Josef Gatti, Jessica Harrop, Caitlin Mae Burke, Jad Abumrad
  • Screenwriter
    Josef Gatti, Joseph Nizeti
  • Cinematographer
    Josef Gatti, Martine Wolff
  • Editor
    Josef Gatti, Johanna Scott
  • Genre
  • Premiere
    Australian Premiere
  • Company Credits
    Sales Agent: INDOX
  • Official Website
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Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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