Spectacle is proud to announce the US premiere of Australian filmmaker Sophie Somerville’s feature debut FWENDS (2025). The film is a low budget, hang out style friendship comedy that follows 20-something long distance friends Em (Emmanuelle Mattana) and Jessie (Melissa Gan) as they spend a weekend walking about Melbourne. Em is struggling with harassment at her high powered “dream job” as a lawyer, and Jessie is a stagnant stoner, adrift after an ugly breakup. Their reunion takes an unexpected turn when the pair get locked out of Jessie’s apartment, so naturally they decide to take MDMA, leading to some kaleidoscopic moments of confession and mutual understanding. 

A dialogue-heavy exploration into the complexities of female friendship, the film’s personal tone naturally flows from comedic to serious, and back again. This is due in part to the collaborative nature of the script, which Somerville wrote alongside Mattana and Gan. Somerville once fittingly described the film as capturing “how being in your 20s means staring into a dark, deep, meaningless void,” though we promise the film is a comedy. Come alone or bring your fwends!

Winner of the Caligari Film Award at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival.

Preceded by:

LINDA 4EVA 

Dir. Sophie Somerville. 2023. 

Australia. 14 min.

English. 

 

This coming-of-age comedy short follows Linda (Shaelyn Connor) as she embarks on the worst nightmare of every self-deprecating, angsty young teenager: a day out to the beach. Wildly vivid art direction and a mix of animations bring Linda’s inner world to life. Winner of the Best Short Film Director Award at the 2023 Sydney Film Festival.