YOUR CURATED WATCH LIST FOR MIFF 2024

MIFF is back for its 72nd edition, featuring some of the most hotly anticipated titles of world cinema. Check out these 11 unmissable films below, all supported by VicScreen, which should be on your MIFF watch list. 

Opening Night Gala film

Memoir of a Snail Directed by Adam Elliot

The bittersweet memoir of a melancholic Australian woman named Grace Pudle – a hoarder of snails, romance novels, and guineapigs.

Academy Award-winner Adam Elliot presents his second feature – almost a decade in the making – to his hometown audience for MIFF’s Opening Night Gala. 

Starring the voices of Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Magda Szubanski, Eric Bana and Jacki Weaver, Memoir of a Snail just scooped up Annecy’s top prize, the Cristal Award for Best Feature Film.

Premiering 8 August 

Director: Adam Elliot
Producer: Liz Kearney, Adam Elliot
Screenwriter: Adam Elliot
Cinematographer: Gerald Thompson
Composer: Elena Kats-Chernin
Editor: Bill Murphy
Production Designer: Adam Elliot
Key Cast: Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-Mcphee, Eric Bana, Magda Szubanski, Tony Armstrong, Paul Capsis, Bernie Clifford, Davey Thompson, Charlotte Belsey, Mason Litsos, Nick Cave, Jacki Weaver
 

Family Gala film

Magic Beach Directed by Robert Connolly

Adapted from Alison Lester’s iconic 1990 children’s book, Magic Beach, this gala event promises to be an exceptional cinema experience for family audiences. From the team who brought us Paper Planes, under the direction of Robert Connolly (The Dry), Magic Beach is a unique mix of live action entwined with beautiful, animated vignettes from ten leading Australian animators. 

Premiering on 18 August 

Director: Robert Connolly
Producers: Liz Kearney, Robert Connolly, Kate Laurie, Chloé Brugalé
Cinematographer: Alex Cardy
Editor: Maria Papoutsis
Costume Designer: Maria Pattison
Key Cast: Rylee Chuck, Luka Sero, Azania Molefi, Flynn Wandin, Frankie Pollard, Summer Jeon, Elliott Hayes, Monty Newton Welsh, Spencer Ellis-Anderson

Music on Film gala

Ellis Park Directed by Justin Kurzel

In the thick of the pandemic’s long shadow, legendary Victorian musician Warren Ellis found a way to help build a wildlife sanctuary in Sumatra. With the sole motivation of giving dignity and a second chance at life for animals rescued from human captivity, Ellis Park follows Ellis from his childhood town of Ballarat all the way to the large Indonesian island of smouldering volcanoes and dense tropical forests, Sumatra. There he finds the dedicated team of conservationists responsible for rescuing trafficked and mistreated animals and nursing them back to health. 

Directed by acclaimed Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) with his debut documentary, this fly-on-the-wall film offers a deeply personal insight into Ellis’s life – his expansive love of music and artistic history – and an inspiring reminder of how much humans can achieve when they work together.

Premiering on 10 August

Director: Justin Kurzel
Producer: Nick Batzias, Charlotte Wheaton
Screenwriter: Justin Kurzel
Cinematographer: Germain McMicking
Composer: Warren Ellis
Editor: Nick Fenton
Key Cast: French Stewart

Bright Horizons nominated

Inside Directed by Charles Williams
 
When a soon to be paroled inmate manipulates a juvenile into murdering Australia’s infamous never-to-be released prisoner, a transformative paternal love triangle forms, with shocking consequences for all.

Guy Pearce stars in this searing portrait of institutionalisation and salvation – the debut feature film from Short Film Palme d’Or winner, Charles Williams.

Premiering on 9 August 

Director: Charles Williams
Producer: Marian Macgowan, Kate Glover
Screenwriter: Charles Williams
Cinematographer: Andrew Commis ACS
Composer: Chiara Costanza
Editor: Dan Lee
Production Designer: Leah Popple
Costume Designer: Zohie Castellano
Key Cast: Guy Pearce, Cosmo Jarvis, Vincent Miller

Australian premieres

Flathead Directed by Jaydon Martin

Despite his ailing health – having weathered a life of drugs, tragedy and now illness – Cass leaves the big smoke of Sydney, hitting the road for his long-forsaken childhood home of Bundaberg in rural Queensland. There he discovers himself on a spiritual search for redemption with born again Christian Buddhists. This cinematic blend of documentary and fiction, presented in black and white, displays the search for solace in spirituality offering insights to all of humanity. 

This directorial feature debut from Jaydon Martin scooped a Special Jury Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this year. 

Premiering on 11 August 

Director: Jaydon Martin
Producer: Patrick McCabe
Screenwriter: Jaydon Martin, Patrick McCabe
Cinematographer: Brodie Poole
Composer: Angharad Van Rijswijk
Editor: Patrick McCabe
Production Designer: Cornelia Van Rijswijk
Key Cast: Cass Cumerford, Andrew Wong

Kid Snow Directed by Paul Goldman
 
Outback Australia, 1971. Kid Snow, a thirty-something, washed-up Irish tent boxer is offered a rematch against the man he fought ten years ago. It’s his chance at payback, to turn the page on a tragedy that changed his life forever. But when the feisty, bush beauty, Sunny, crosses Snow’s path he is forced to contemplate a future beyond life on the road.

Brought to us by critically acclaimed director Paul Goldman (Suburban Mayhem), starring lauded British actors Billy Howle and Tom Bateman alongside an impressive ensemble cast including Phoebe Tonkin, Mark Coles Smith, Tasma Walton, Shaka Cook and Hunter Page-Lochard.

Premiering on 15 August 

Director: Paul Goldman
Writers: John Brumpton, Stephen Cleary, Phillip Gwynne, Paul Goldman
Producer: Lizzette Atkins, Bruno Charlesworth, Megan Wynn
Executive Producers: Matthew Gledhill
Dir. of Photography: Garry Phillips
Composer: Warren Ellis, Peter Knight
Editor: Sylvie Landra, Sean Lahiff
Production Designer: Clayton Jauncey

Australian documentaries

Left Write Hook Directed by Shannon Owen

 
Left Write Hook follows eight survivors of childhood sexual abuse as they come together to share, struggle, rage, and reclaim their identities through a wholly unique program combining creative writing and boxing. 

Shannon Owen’s intimate observational documentary invites viewers to sit amongst these women and listen to their stories, presenting a story of unexpected connections and incredible resilience. Ultimately, these eight brave souls learn to fight back with their creativity, vulnerability, and muscle. 

Premiering on 17 August 

Director: Shannon Owen
Producer: Donna Lyon, Shannon Owen, Alice Burgin, Gal Greenspan
Cinematographer: David Rusanow, Ella Sowinska
Composer: Joseph Franklin
Editor: Luca Cappelli
Production Designer: Leon Salom
Costume Designer: Jill Johanson
Featured Subjects: Donna Lyon, Dove, Claire Gaskin, Gabrielle, Julie, Lauren, Nikki, Pixied

Rewards for the Tribe Directed by Rhys Graham

Rewards for the Tribe is a visually playful and provocative dance documentary that explores the collaboration between Chunky Move and Restless Dance Theatre, two of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary dance companies. 

Emerging from a pandemic lockdown, the two companies – one known for their ensemble of dancers with disability, the other known for their bold innovation – form a tribe of disabled and abled dancers to create performances that challenge creative and physical ‘perfection’. 

From Director Rhys Graham, Rewards for the Tribe is an emotive insight into the transcendence of dance and what can be achieved through an unlikely collaboration. 

Premiering on 10 August 

Director: Rhys Graham
Producer: Molly O'Connor, Philippa Campey
Screenwriter: Rhys Graham
Cinematographer: James Wright
Composer: Aviva Endean
Editor: Delaney Murphy
Featured Subjects: Antony Hamilton, Benjamin Hancock, Charlie Wilkins, Cody Lavery, Darcy Carpenter, Jianna Georgiou, Michael Hodyl

Twilight Time Directed by John Hughes 
 
Twilight Time explores the life and work of Australian scholar Desmond Ball (1947-2016) who former US President Jimmy Carter called ‘the man who saved the world’.

Ball’s theories on the fallacy of nuclear action and his advice to the US Department of Defence played a significant role in the de-escalation of global conflict during the Cold War. 

However, his study of Pine Gap – in the heart of Australia’s central desert – infuriated ASIO at the time, who kept a file on him until his death. 

Twilight Time is brought to us by veteran documentarian John Hughes who utilises a wealth of archival footage to present Australian geopolitics towards the end of the 20th Century. 

Premiering on 13 August 

Director: John Hughes
Producer: Philippa Campey, John Hughes
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Cinematographer: David Bradbury, Mallory Brown, Samantha Dinning, Mark Gould, Paul Jones, Vincent Lamberti, Shane Mulcahy, Robert Nugent, Steve Pitre, John Hughes
Composer: Brett Aplin
Editor: Uri Mizrahi
Featured Subjects: Desmond Ball, Raelene Ball, Brian Boyd, Daniel Ellsberg, Kieran Finnane, Kristian Laemmle-Ruff, Hamish McDonald, Bill Robinson, Richard Tanter, Phil Thornton, Ken White

Sports documentaries

Like My Brother Directed by Sal Balharrie and Danielle Maclean

 
Like My Brother explores the impact of raw sporting talent on four young Tiwi women and their remote community. This coming-of-age story follows Rina, Freda, Juliana, and Jess as they journey from the Tiwi Islands to Australia’s sporting capital, Melbourne and back; chasing their dreams of playing elite football for the AFLW. 

Each girl faces unique challenges and desires as they navigate the barriers of urban modernity faced by many First Nations young people. While opportunities from the city are tempting, they come with pressures and doubts from both the girls and their families. This debut feature documentary from Luritja and Warumungu filmmaker Danielle MacLean and co-director Sal Balharrie asks us what success actually is, and how we navigate it across two worlds.

Premiering on 10 August 

Director: Sal Balharrie, Danielle MacLean
Producer: Tony Wright, Petrina Dorrington, Tammy Abala, Shane Tipuamantamerri, TicTac Moore, Sal Balharrie
Screenwriter: Sal Balharrie, Danielle MacLean
Cinematographer: Alice Stephens, Anna Howard, Rebecca Parker, Andy Hyde, Archie Chew
Composer: Lachlan Rose
Editor: Uri Mizrahi, Archie Chew
Featured Subjects: Freda Puruntatameri, Julie Kerinauia, Jess Stassi, Arthurina ‘Rina’ Moreen

Queens of Concrete Directed by Eliza Cox

It’s 2016 and Hayley (14), Ava (13) and Charlotte (9) are desperate to qualify for the Australian Olympic skateboarding team. With just a couple of spots left, pressure to impress team selectors runs high. But their path to Olympic glory is one of both euphoria and heartbreak.

As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach, Hayley, Ava and Charlotte are forced to reckon with their pasts and decide the future for themselves.

Shot over seven years, Eliza Cox’s coming-of-age documentary provides a gripping and at times devastating look into the challenges of growing up. 

Premiering on 18 August 

Director: Eliza Cox
Producer: Gena Lida Riess, CJ Welsh
Cinematographer: Oscar Ascencio
Composer: Nick Batterham, Simon Walbrook
Editor: Delaney Murphy
Featured Subjects: Charlotte Heath, Ava Godfrey, Hayley Wilson