Celebrated director Paul Thomas Anderson will visit Sydney later this month for the Australian premiere of his critically-acclaimed epic THE MASTER at the inaugural Cockatoo Island Film Festival.

The Academy-Award-nominated director of There Will be Blood, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love will conduct media interviews and walk the red carpet at the inaugural event on October 24 before travelling to Melbourne in support of the film.

Described by the LA Times as “bristling with vivid moments and unbeatable acting”, The Master took home awards for best director and actor at the recent Venice International Film Festival and is already garnering early Oscar buzz.

A striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post World War II America, the film follows the journey of a naval veteran, Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix), who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader, Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Amy Adams plays Dodd’s wife, Peggy.