Creator of the mind-bending Netflix anthology series Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker, joins SXSW Sydney as a headline speaker at the futurist event taking place for the first time outside of Austin, Texas in October. Revealing humanity’s worst traits, greatest innovations and the darkest side of our future, Black Mirror shocks audiences with every episode. Much like SXSW Sydney, Black Mirror provides commentary on our potential futures and how we can shape them.
Charlie joins a stacked program of over 1,000 ground-breaking events and sessions which draw inspiration from visionary thinkers worldwide across Tech and Innovation, Screen, Music, Games and Culture as Sydney becomes the worldwide epicentre for the creative industries.
Charlie Brooker says, “Having to quickly provide a personal quote for a press release about how excited I am to join the inaugural Sydney-flavoured SXSW event is exactly the sort of thing ChatGPT is for, but I’ve written this one myself because I still care about our species, dammit. Although I initially misspelt “inaugural” just then until I got corrected by a machine, so actually maybe we’re just rubbish. This tense love-hate relationship with technology is what Black Mirror is all about. That and stories about Prime Ministers and pigs. Anyway, I can’t wait to attend and get so cowed by all the creativity and innovation on display that I go home feeling depressed and inadequate. I’m genuinely looking forward to it.”
Colin Daniels, Managing Director, SXSW Sydney says: “SXSW Sydney seeks to offer unique perspectives of the future, making Charlie Brooker an ideal speaker for our event. Black Mirror consistently leads the cultural conversation on what we face in the now or may confront in our future, offering a chance for reflection and change. Charlie embodies what attendees can expect from SXSW Sydney; creativity and innovation.”
As Sydney shines as a leading city for culture and creativity in the week-long festival of innovation and artistic expression, Charlie will appear alongside previously announced headline speakers including GRAMMY Award winner Chance The Rapper, Coachella festival CEO Paul Tollett, visionary Slack Co-Founder Cal Henderson, futurist and AI expert Amy Webb.
Over 700 world-leading speakers and industry leaders already announced including:
De-extinction entrepreneur Ben Lamm, Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin, advertising icon David Droga, Google Australia MD Mel Silva, Netflix ANZ Director of Content Que Minh Luu, broadcaster Osher Günsberg, World Surfing Champion Layne Beachley, tech entrepreneur Paul Bassat, Reddit CMO Roxy Young, artistic director Wesley Enoch, Expedia CTO Rathi Murthy and many more.
More than 300 panels and sessions to keep you at the forefront, covering topics including:
Brain-computer interfaces, the future of lab-grown meat, First Nations knowledge in design, ethical living with robots, AI fluency, Big Tech transparency, re-imagining news media, how recruitment will become more like online dating, venture capital in 2050, when music videos meet AI, the future of love and more.
SXSW Sydney Screen Festival, with Official Major Sponsor Telstra, includes:
Red carpet premieres at the ICC’s Darling Harbour Theatre and cinemas across the inner city; an XR showcase, conference sessions, activations, parties, meet-ups and ‘Minimart’, a SXSW Sydney-flavoured Screen market for investors, buyers, producers and creatives. Films already announced include Opening Night Film and AUS Premiere of Aussie outback thriller The Royal Hotel, Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg(US), about the Rolling Stones muse; Jamojaya (US), about Indonesian rap star Brian Imanuel (Rich Brian); The Last Year of Darkness (US/CN), a bass heavy and neon-coloured portrait of alternative Chinese youth, and the world premiere of Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles. The full Screen Festival program including over 75 features, five Shorts programs, TV premieres, music videos and an XR Showcase, will be announced on Thursday, 21 September.
Over 300 artist performances, including ones from 100 artists now announced: Your new favourite artist is playing SXSW Sydney 2023. Check out a line-up of the best new faces from around the world featuring TikTok stars Flyana Boss, Indonesian triple threat Isyana Sarasvati, Japanese punks Otoboke Beaver, rising Blak hip-hop powerhouse Miss Kannina and NZ’s genre-bending Will Swinton.
Accessing SXSW Sydney – Badges and Wristbands: Badges are your master key for SXSW Sydney – they open the doors to all activity across the week-long event, from its Conference and Tech & Innovation Expo to its Music, Screen and Games Festivals. As he is a conference speaker, it is only possible to see Charlie Brooker with a badge.
