Sydney Film Festival organisers have announced an eclectic and accessible program for its 55th year, hoping to show the annual event isn't just for film buffs.

Launched at Sydney's Customs House on Thursday, the festival will include 117 feature films, 55 documentaries and 45 short films from June 4 to 22.

The opening night film will be UK director Mike Leigh's comedy Happy-Go-Lucky, and the festival will close with Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's Oscar-nominated animation Persepolis.

One of the high profile screenings of the festival will be the Dreamworks Animation feature Kung Fu Panda, direct from its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Hollywood star Jack Black, who voices the main character Po, will be a guest at the film's Sydney red carpet screening.

Festival executive director Clare Stewart said including a film like Kung Fu Panda in the program showed film festivals had changed.

"It's not a typical festival film in an old-school festival sense," Stewart said.

"People may think of it as being a more mainstream film, but I certainly don't see why a festival that is there to celebrate film would actually ignore that whole very significant and important side of film-making."

Stewart said it was all part of the plan to make the festival more accessible to audiences.

"I think there has been a perception, for whatever reason, that (the festival is) something for film fans," she said.

"What we really wanted to do is make the festival as accessible as possible."

Last year, the festival introduced a children's film section for the first time, and another for movies made by or about disabled people.

This year, the festival also includes a new competition with a $60,000 prize for new directions in cinema.

Stewart said the competition's inclusion would raise the festival's profile, here and abroad.

"While the competition as an initiative is about elevating the festival in terms of international and industry cache, it's very much about elevating the festival in a popular sense as well," she said.

Among the 12 films in contention are two Australian features: the psychological drama Three Blind Mice by actor-turned-director Matthew Newton, and the suburban thriller, The Square, directed by Nash Edgerton and written with his brother, Joel.

In The Square, a regular suburban man's life begins to unravel when his mistress brings him a suitcase of cash.

Joel Edgerton said he got the idea for it after reading articles about ordinary people pushed to extreme and desperate measures.

"I got a bit inspired by reading tales in newspapers about people doing messed up things to other people," he said.

"It's a thriller, and it's good in my opinion."

Older brother Nash Edgerton just hopes to complete the movie on time.

"I just want to finish the film in time for the screening," he said.

"I'm like the last minute homework guy."