One of the highlights of the Australian film calendar is almost upon us! Grab your program and highlighter and get ready to make some tough decisions as your desire to see as many films as possible smacks headfirst into the bedrock realities of time and space, because the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival is on from August 3 – 20. Online sessions running from August 18 – 27, and the regional tour bringing cinema to the rural hinterlands from August 11 – 13 and 16 – 20.
Founding in 1952, MIFF is one of the oldest film festivals in the world and the largest in both Australia and the entire southern hemisphere. It’s also Australia’s biggest showcase of new Australian cinema (don’t @ us, SFF).
This year’s opening night film is Shayda, the feature debut from MIFF Accelerator Lab veteran Noora Niasari. Starring Zar Amir-Ebrahimi (Holy Spider), Leah Purcell, Jillian Nguyen and Osamah Sami, the film follows an Iranian refugee and her daughter as they struggle to build a new life after landing in a Melbourne women’s shelter.
Music heads will flock to the new documentary Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story, which charts the career of the late Australian music mogul and features interview with such tuneful luminaries as includes interviews with the likes of Kylie Minogue. Dave Grohl, Sting, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel.
Also on deck are Alice Englert’s Bad Behaviour, eco-thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline, a new film from Lars von Trier and more. Check out the website to keep abreast of the latest announcements.
