SYDNEY, June 6 (Xinhua) -- The 65th annual Sydney Film Festival is ready for action on Wednesday, with Australia's A-listers ready to hit the red carpet for the opening night.

As one of the world's longest running cinematic festivals, 2018's event will showcase 326 films from 65 countries and regions with a dazzling array of world premieres, virtual reality exhibitions, discussion panels and international celebrities.

"We're trying to reflect what the festival is," artistic director of the Sydney Film Festival Nashen Moodley said. "The festival is a space for many different voices."

"We see so many films from so many countries and I think what's exciting to me is we're seeing lots of new, young filmmakers emerge, often with first feature films that are really striking and daring."

A major talking point for theatre-goers this year is the emerging popularity of Asian cinema.

But the main feature of the festival is the prestigious Sydney Film Prize, which will see the best movie take home 60,000 Australian (45,800 U.S.) dollars.

The Sydney Film Festival will run from June 6-17.?