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It’s lights, camera, action for the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) this August, when a red carpet will be rolled out for a massive eighteen days of cinematic revelry. The festival celebrates Australian and international filmmaking with a program of more than 275 films. With so much to see, we've cut through the curtain to unveil everything you need to know.
What is the Melbourne International Film Festival?
Now in its 73rd year, MIFF is one of the oldest film festivals in the world, alongside Cannes and Berlin. The annual festival is held over three weeks each year throughout Melbourne and surrounds. Founded in 1952, the festival presents a curated global program of screen experiences and the world's largest showcase of Australian filmmaking.
When is the Melbourne International Film Festival?
Running between August 7 and 24, MIFF will include 18 days of bold in-cinema programming with star-studded events, world premiere screenings, headline features and filmmaker talks.
What sort of things can we expect from the program?
Drumroll, please! The full MIFF line-up has just dropped, and let's just say it's getting a standing ovation (Cannes style, of course) from us. The 2025 program will feature more than 275 screen works – including both international and local picks – alongside a curated schedule of talks, panels and special events.
Kicking things off with a bang on August 7 is the Opening Night Gala Feature Film: If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, by writer-director Mary Bronstein and starring Australia's own Rose Byrne. Our Melbourne-based critic Stephen A Russell reviewed the film for Time Out when it premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, giving it five stars and calling Byrne's performance "a tour de force of matriarchal power".
Returning for its second year, MIFF’s Premiere With Purpose Gala, presented by Decjuba, will screen Prime Minister on August 14 at ACMI. The documentary follows Jacinda Ardern's tenure as New Zealand PM, as she navigates crises and redefines global leadership with her empathetic yet resolute approach.
The MIFF Headliners program is where you'll find all the hot, buzzy films from the festival circuit. We're talking about Jafar Panahi's It Was Just An Accident, which is fresh off winning the coveted Palme d’Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival; Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut The Chronology of Water, a poetic adaptation of writer Lidia Yuknavitch’s visceral 2011 memoir; The Mastermind by film auteur Kelly Reichardt, starring Josh O'Connor in a profound exploration of American masculinity; Twinless, a dark queer comedy starring Dylan O'Brien; and Lurker, a thriller by the producer and screenwriter of The Bear and Beef.
Some Aussie highlights include Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man, which paints a comprehensive portrait of the Cold Chisel frontman through unprecedented behind-the-scenes access and interviews; and Yurlu | Country, and inspiring ode to Country that explores Banjima Elder Maitland Parker’s fight to reclaim his asbestos-tainted homeland.
On August 11 and 12, don't miss Julia Holter: The Passion of Joan of Arc – an Australian premiere that's exclusive to MIFF. The live-score event reimagines the famed 1982 French film by visionary Danish director, Carl Theodor Dreye and involves composer and singer-songwriter Holter performing alongside her band, Hugh Brunt from the London Contemporary Orchestra and a local ensemble.
In partnership with Now or Never, When the World Came Flooding In is part immersive installation and part VR documentary. This world premiere explores the intimate stories of life during a natural disaster.
Time Out Melbourne (yep, that's us!) is also presenting a film. Birthright is Zoe Pepper's razor-sharp debut that dives into themes of generational wealth and millennial desperation. The story follows a recently unemployed and evicted man who must move back into his childhood home with his retiree parents and heavily pregnant wife.
Phew! And that's only scratching the surface – for the full program, which features more docos, local flicks, short films, international blockbusters, the Bright Horizons competition and MIFF Premier Funs, head here.
How much are tickets for the Melbourne International Film Festival?
A Multipass-12 to MIFF gives you 12 standard festival admissions, which you can enjoy by yourself or share with friends. The full price for a share pass is $285.60 or $257.10 for concession holders. There’s also a Multipass-6 on offer for $151.20 or $136.10 for concession holders. Single session tickets are also available to purchase.
For more information on how to get tickets, visit the MIFF website here.
