The singer appears in a leading role as part of an initial slate of films unveiled ahead of this year's program, with the festival set to run from June 3 to 14.
Among the early reveal of titles is Erupcja, directed by Pete Ohs, which features Charli, 33, in a central role.
For another generation of music fans, there's Tamra Davis' The Best Summer, made from archival footage shot during Australia's 1995 Summersault indie music tour.
It captures bands including Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps and Bikini Kill performing and backstage, during the heyday of Australia's music festival era.
Davis put the feature film together from a box of videotapes she discovered while evacuating from the Palisades fires in Los Angeles in January 2025, and it premiered at Sundance earlier in 2026.
Australian productions also feature prominently, including Silenced from Selina Miles.
Ian Darling returns with In the Valley, while internationally, Gus Van Sant presents his Dead Man's Wire movie, starring Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery and Al Pacino.
Documentary Broken English explores the life of Marianne Faithfull, and features contributions from Tilda Swinton and George MacKay.
Prize-winning films also form part of the line-up, including Yellow Letters from İlker Çatak, which won the Golden Bear in Berlin, and Filipiñana, a Sundance award winner by Rafael Manuel.
Ildikó Enyedi brings Silent Friend, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Léa Seydoux, while Ulrike Ottinger directs The Blood Countess, featuring Isabelle Huppert in a role written by Elfriede Jelinek.
Further titles include El Sett from Marwan Hamed, charting the life of Umm Kulthum, as well as Memory of Princess Mumbi by Damien Hauser and Past Future Continuous from Firouzeh Khosrovani.
Festival director Nashen Moodley said: "Prize winners from Berlinale and Sundance, an immersive world premiere from Australia, Isabelle Huppert as a vampire who's as fabulous as they come, and more – we wanted to offer a glimpse of the distinctive voices from across the globe coming to SFF."
Charli XCX rose from posting songs on MySpace as a teenager to becoming one of pop's most influential figures.
Known for blending mainstream hooks with experimental sounds, she broke through with hits like Boom Clap and Fancy. Her later albums, including Charli and Crash, earned critical acclaim for pushing pop boundaries.
Collaborating widely across genres, she helped shape the hyperpop movement while maintaining chart success.
Charli has built a reputation for reinvention, creative control and a loyal global fanbase, cementing her status as a defining voice in modern pop music.
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