The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) is to open with the worldpremiere of new Australian film Look Both Ways by director Sarah Watt.

Festival director Katrina Sedgwick had previously scheduledthe film for the middle Saturday night of the two-week event starting onFebruary 18. But after seeing a final cut of the film, she changed her mind.

"It was the difference between the fine cut and thefinal cut," she said. "It was a moving and beautiful film but oncethe animation and music was added, and it was tweaked, it became one of thestrongest Australian films of recent years."

Look Both Ways was originally titled LifeStory and is Watt's feature debut. It stars her husband William McInnes andJustine Clarke. Watt is best known as an animator and some animated sequencesare included. The film is set over a fiercely hot weekend, during which Nickfinds out he has cancer, Meryl grieves for her father, and Andy hears hissometime girlfriend Anna is pregnant.

"The film always addressed what are important themesfor everyone, particularly how to keep living in the face of the fact that youare going to die, but now it is infused with the warmth and the joy that comesfrom living and being alive," said Sedgwick. She is delighted that LookBoth Ways was a recipient of the festival's fund for national production.

ScreenDaily.com has learned that localdistributor Footprint Films has signed a first-time co-distribution deal withDendy Films for both Look Both Ways and director Robert Connolly's alsonewly finished Three Dollars. Three Dollars releases first onApril 21.

Sedgwick also announced today that Hong Kong director WongKar-Wai's 2046 would close the festival. Fortissimo is internationalsales agent on both films. Hopscotch is the Australian distributor of 2046.