Two characters from Phillip Philadelphia sit in a grassy field with pixelated squares decorated throughout the image.

AU.X Screenworks Phillip Philadelphia + Q&A

  • Cinema
  • Experimental
  • Studio
  • Run time: 72 minutes, with 20 minute Q&A Subject to change

Australia | 2026 | English | Drama/Experimental/Comedy/Fantasy | Unclassified R18+

Followed by a post-screening Q&A with director Adam C. Briggs, moderated by Angus McGrath.

British screenwriter Phillip Philadelphia languishes in an old motel at the Gold Coast, Australia’s curdled quagmire of vapid opulence. Alienated from the film industry and his environment, low-budget debauches and decaying vestiges of empire prop up his weary existence. A young actor lover, a former colleague, and a drug-dealing neighbour weave throughout Phillip’s escapist fantasies. A queer melodrama and absurdist romp in part, the film also examines the dislocation of the artist in modern times.

Adam C. Briggs has worked as an independent writer/director in Australia for the past ten years. He has blazed a trail on the independent film scene with already four features to his name. His films, which rest between docu-fiction, arthouse and genre cinema have found respect institutionally and critically; his first feature Paris Funeral, 1972 screened at the prestigious Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at GOMA, and his 2024 feature A Grand Mockery received Best Direction New Visions at Sitges 2025.

Presented by Sydney Opera House

Event details

Phillip Philadelphia will disturb many and delight the right sort of sicko

Screen Hub

Cast and credits

Writer and Director
Adam C. Briggs
Composer
Carles Gutierrez-Sanfeliu
Phillip Philadelphia
Geoffrey Vagg
Antony Bogarde
Oliver Cameron
Maude Mercyside
Lauren Bright
Buz
Sam Dixon

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Address

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Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

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Studio

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