MIFF: Melbourne rolls out the red carpet once more

Follow The Burne as we dive into the Melbourne International Film Festival for all the feature and short films making waves in the cinephile community, writes Matthew Parkhill.

The 72nd Melbourne International Film Festival has begun with screenings of local and internationally lauded films hitting cinemas across Victoria. The party started at HOYTs cinema at Melbourne Central for a tightly-packed premiere of Memoir of a Snail by writer, and director Adam Elliot. Australian Hollywood stars Succession lead Sarah Snook and Kodi Smit-McPhee, both voice actors for the film, joined him for the premiere.

Until the 25th of August, cinephiles and casuals alike can enjoy carefully selected and celebrated films and rub shoulders with their cast and crew across Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Kate Fitzpatrick, a programmer for MIFF, says that while every year is special, the 72nd festival is particularly extraordinary for its "Bright Horizons" lineup and that "so many filmmakers are attending the festival to present them." "Along with our annual favourites -- Headliners, International, Music on Film, Docs, Nightshift, [our] extensive range of Australian films plus Shorts and XR -- we also have some great special events and retrospectives." The festival showcases 250 films from over 60 countries this year, which are categorised by theme or country of origin on MIFF's program page online. However, MIFF does more than elevate new voices and powerhouse premieres; it also hosts spaces for panels from industry experts and revised screenings of old classics, guaranteeing something for everyone.

"We are presenting a special screening of Magic Beach (Dir. Robert Connolley) at Mornington Peninsula Hot springs... Ellis Park in our Music on Film Gala, with Warren Ellis and Justin Kurzel in attendance... and we’re hosting an all-night movie marathon at the Astor on the 17th celebrating 70 years of Godzilla."

And yes, it really is an all-night Godzilla marathon - starting at 8 pm on the 17th of August and ending at 8 am on the 18th. But the festival's origins date back to two years before the first Godzilla movie--1952--when the Victorian Federation of Film Societies voted on Olinda as the place to host their festival. There, amongst the blue gums, celebrants enjoyed movies from the world over, watching feature films such as EARTH by director Alexander Dovzhenko, from the then USSR.

From that initial convention in the Dandenong Ranges, MIFF grew and has sustained itself as one of the world's oldest continuing film festivals still with a strong heart for international filmmaking.

Venues such as the Forum in Melbourne's CBD are hosting special events and panels alongside MIFF's film screening schedule. (Photo: Matthew Parkhill)

"I think the most special element of this year’s program is Iranian New Wave: 1962–79," Kate says

"[it's] an incredibly rare collection of Iranian films that formed part of a larger retrospective at MoMA in New York last year. This is the first time they are collaborating with an external organisation on a program, and we are delighted to be working with them to bring these rare finds to MIFF audiences." Kate recommends visiting MIFF's website for the full program and session times, or the MIFF app to book tickets on the go.

Many tickets for headliners have sold out, so it's best to get in quickly. Stay tuned in to the Burne to catch our reviews of the best and brightest at MIFF.