MIFF Blog

For MIFF 2016, in addition to our long serving and very loyal Patron Geoffrey Rush, we welcome a new wave of talent to the fold as MIFF Ambassadors.

So that you can get to know them a little more, and their love for MIFF, we asked them to sit down and talk about all things cinema, MIFF and what they are looking forward to for 2016.

What role has MIFF played in your life so far?
As a lover of,

Long speculated on and dreamed about in science fiction, virtual reality is finally reality! For filmmakers and film-goers alike, it's re-writing the rules of how we create and consume entertainment. The implications and possibilities for cinema are immense, and exciting. As part of the 65th MIFF, this year we're presenting a special Virtual Reality program, offering a unique opportunity to strap

Directed From Memory is a short online film following MIFF member Keith Gove as he writes, directs and acts out his memory of the Takashi Miike thriller, Audition — a film he saw once at MIFF over 15 years ago.

Here, we go behind the scenes to see how it all came together.

Ma may be Celia Rowlson-Hall's debut feature film, but the talented director and choreographer has made some extraordinary short films and music videos which are well worth catching before you see Ma (and just as worth catching after, too!)

Here are some of our favourites:

THE AUDITION from celia rowlson-hall on Vimeo.

SILENT STREET from celia rowlson-hall on Vimeo.

THE MAGICIAN fr

One of six MIFF Premiere Fund films for 2016, The Death and Life of Otto Bloom will have its world premiere and screen on Opening Night of this year's festival. Written and directed by MIFF Accelerator alumnus Cris Jones (short films The Funk, MIFF 2008; Excursion, MIFF 2003), the film stars Rachel Ward (The Thorn Birds) as the present-day Ada Fitzgerald and her daughter Matilda Brown as her young

This year MIFF welcomes over 100 guests to the festival to participate in Q&As, panel discussions, special events and to showcase their films. For the 65h MIFF we sat down for 65 seconds with some of the faces you'll be seeing over the 18 days.

Your name: Jocelyn Moorhouse

Your film: Proof

Where are you from:
A long time ago! Australia

How long have you been making films:
Since I was a teena

This year MIFF welcomes over 100 guests to the festival to participate in Q&As, panel discussions, special events and to showcase their films. For the 65h MIFF we sat down for 65 seconds with some of the faces you'll be seeing over the 18 days.

Name: Fran Strine

Your film: Hired Gun

Where are you from: San Francisco, California.

How long have you been making films: 12 years.

Without using t

This year MIFF welcomes over 100 guests to the festival to participate in Q&As, panel discussions, special events and to showcase their films. For the 65h MIFF we sat down for 65 seconds with some of the faces you'll be seeing over the 18 days.

Your name: David Stubbs

Your film: Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses

Where are you from: Wellington, New Zealand

How long have you been making fi

To celebrate the MIFF 2016 Jerry Lewis program, the Melbourne-based online film journal Senses of Cinema has published a specially commissioned dossier on all things Jerry, called Deconstructing Jerry: Lewis as Director, exploring the 12 feature films he directed, all screening at MIFF. Here, Senses of Cinema Co-editor Daniel Fairfax offers a primer on the charms of this unique comedian / performe

Posted by Michelle Carey, MIFF Artistic Director

David Thomas is MIFF’s Technical Manager and Freight Handler. Dave celebrates 30 years at the Melbourne Film Festival this year, so we thought it was time you got to know him a bit; so I interviewed him – last week we ran part 1 of that epic interview. Read on for the conclusion.

Michelle: You’ve travelled to film festivals internationally. Do y