Upcoming film festivals in Melbourne

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 250 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? So far, we've only gotten a sneak peek of the first 26 films of the 2025 program – including 17 international and local highlights, and two special events – but it's safe to say we're already excited. 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...