13.5 C
Byron Shire
September 11, 2026

The Fox to open 20th Byron Bay International Film Festival

Latest News

Nimbin puts sustainability back on the catwalk

Paris may have haute couture, but Nimbin has always preferred its fashion with a little more hemp, handmade flair and disregard for the rulebook.

Other News

Rates rise I

I have been supporting Byron Shire Council’s (BSC) questionable spending behaviours for over 15 years now. During this time I...

Manufacture dissent

An extract from the latest GetUp! mail-out about One Nation’s use and abuse of AI. ‘Earlier this month, The Guardian...

Lessons from Queensland for the Northern Rivers

Following last week's announcement by the NSW government of a new Richmond River Coordinator, a gathering at Swan Bay heard from Julie McLellan, CEO of Healthy Land & Water, southeast Queensland's natural resource management organisation, about the practicalities of restoring rivers.

Forest values beyond carbon

I wish I was full of hope and believed that protecting forests and biodiversity is a responsibility that the...

Pints and pats

Good news for dog lovers and beer lovers alike: the pups are heading back to Stone & Wood on Saturday, 19 September for a special Dog Adoption Day, Spring Edition!

Police release faces in 24-year-old Tweed murder mystery

Police have released images of two men they believe may hold the key to solving the suspected murder of Tweed Heads man Iain Stewart Hogg and the killing of another man on the Gold Coast 24 years ago.

The Fox will open BBFF’s 20th year on Friday, 16 October. Photo supplied

The 20th Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) opening night on Friday, 16 October will see the winner of the Sydney Film Festival Audience Award for Best Australian feature, The Fox launch the celebration.

Dario Russo’s darkly comic Australian folktale, The Fox, features the voices of Sam Neill and Olivia Colman with Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke saying The Fox is a fitting film with which to begin BBFF’s milestone year.

The Fox is a wonderfully unexpected film to open our 20th festival. It’s funny, strange,  beautifully made and unmistakably Australian – exactly the kind of bold independent filmmaking we love bringing to BBFF audiences.

‘Opening night is always special, but there’s an added sense of celebration this year as  we mark 20 editions of bringing filmmakers and audiences together in Byron Bay and across the Northern Rivers.’

The Fox also introduces a fascinating thread running through this year’s program, with several films exploring what our relationships with animals can reveal about ourselves. BBFF will reveal more about its ‘What Animals Reveal About Us’ selection in the coming weeks.

Friends of BBFF

The festival will run for ten days and this year launches the Friends of BBFF, a new way for audiences and supporters to become more closely connected with the festival and help  support its future. The program will invite film lovers to become Foundation Friends in its inaugural year, with  opportunities to engage with BBFF beyond the ten days of the festival. Full details of the Friends  program can be found on the festival’s website at: bbff.com.au.

Previous articleManufacture dissent
Next articleRates rise II


For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling.

If you are a local business owner help us and in turn we help you. All The Echo asks for is advertising, not a free ride. It is every advert in The Echo and on www.echo.net.au, which creates the space for all the stories and coverage of community events, happenings and concerns.

If you are a reader you can become a sponsor of The Echo. Your support keeps the us independent.

Even a small one-off or regular donation from you will help keep the echo’s independent voice alive and strong.

Support Us

Become one of the supporters who helps keep independent, local journalism alive in the Byron Shire by contributing anything from as little as the cost of a coffee each month.

You're Wonderful, Thank you for supporting independent journalism in the Byron Shire

You’re supporting The Echo, thank you

Your contribution is keeping independent, local journalism alive in the Northern Rivers.

Because of supporters like you, we can keep every story free for everyone — no paywall, no exceptions. Your money goes directly to funding our newsroom of 40-odd local workers covering the stories that matter to this community.

Tell us what you think, give us your opinion

The Echo loves your letters and comments and is proud to provide a community forum on the issues that matter most to our readers and the people of the NSW north coast. So don’t be a passive reader, email us your epistles at editor@echo.net.au.

The letters deadline for The Echo is noon Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. The publication of letters is at the discretion of the letters editor. Please remember to include your full name, address and telephone number.

Online comments are no longer available.

Water Women paddle out for change at Flat Rock

More than 100 women are swapping the usual weekend surf scramble for three days of waves, workshops and climate action at Flat Rock this weekend.

Pill testing: just a small step

The NSW Minns Labor government has recognised that drug and pill testing is effective in reducing risks and harms associated with illicit drug use, including for festival attendees.

Rates rise IV

Byron Shire Council (BSC) charge 29 per cent more in rates than Ballina Shire, collecting $30.7 million, despite having 10,000 less residents than Ballina...

Rates rise III

As a local business owner and employer, I understand better than most that every dollar matters. That’s why a proposed 35 per cent increase...