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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 huge program of flicks. 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 74th 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 6 and 23, 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?
At this stage, we've only just scored a first look at the MIFF line-up for 2026, but let's just say it's already getting a standing ovation (Cannes style, of course) from us. Here are some of the highlights so far.
MIFF will host the world premiere of The Airport Chaplain, a drama series set in Melbourne Airport, starring Hugo Weaving and Shabana Azeez, and inspired by a real encounter with Tullamarine's own chaplain.
Straight outta Berlinale comes Rose, starring Academy-nominated Sandra Hülle in a precise and unsettling 17th-century folktale of identity and deception. Gus Van Sant is back with Dead Man's Wire, a hair-raising comedy thriller with a stacked cast that includes Bill Skarsgård, Al Pacino, Colman Domingo and Aussie Dacre Montgomery.
Music lovers won't want to miss The Best Summer, a doco that captures footage of bands like Beastie Boys, Pavement, Sonic Youth and Foo Fighters at an Aussie music festival in the '90s; or Jebediah: Are We OK?, which traces the beloved Perth alt-rock band from high school beginnings to Triple J darlings.
Other must-see titles to add to your watch list include Minotaur (winner of this year's Cannes Grand Prix Award), Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant (a Kiwi body-horror comedy) and Extra Geography (a funny, bittersweet ode to teenage girl friendship).
Phew! And that's only scratching the surface – for the full program, which features more docos, local flicks, short films, international blockbusters and the Bright Horizons competition, will be revealed on July 9.
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 $291.30 or $262.20 for concession holders. There’s also a Multipass-6 on offer for $154.20 for full fare or $138.30 for concession holders. Single session tickets are also available to purchase.
For more information on how to get tickets, visit the MIFF website here.
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