A little slice of the Melbourne International Film Festival 2019 program is announced earlier with the reveal of the MIFF Premiere Fund titles. Seven world and Australian premieres will come to the 68th MIFF, including Paul Ireland’s gritty reimagining of Shakespeare’s MEASURE FOR MEASURE staring Hugo Weaving.
The Premiere Fund, which offers minority co-financing to new Australian quality theatrical (narrative and documentary) feature films that then premiere at MIFF, has invested in more than 70 films since its inception 12 years ago.
MIFF 2019 runs 1–18 August. H IS FOR HAPPINESS Family Gala tickets on sale now. General public tickets are on sale Friday 12 July.
BUOYANCY (Dir: Rodd Rathjen): Inspired by the real-life plight of workers sold into Southeast Asia’s fishing industry, this has been described as a “gripping high seas drama.” It was awarded the Panorama Prize by Berlinale’s Ecumenical Jury. 
MEASURE FOR MEASURE (Dir: Paul Ireland): Following Pawno, director Paul Ireland moves from Footscray to Prahran’s commission flats for this contemporary re-interpretation of Shakespeare, with Hugo Weaving leading a powerful, multicultural cast. 
H IS FOR HAPPINESS (Dir: John Sheedy): Adapting the award-winning YA novel My Life as an Alphabet, this MIFF Family Gala stars Miriam Margolyes, Emma Booth, Richard Roxburgh, Deborah Mailman and Joel Jackson. 
A FAMILY (Dir: Jayden Stevens): This deadpan comedy is an international production, with an Australian team filming in Ukraine, with a Ukrainian cast, producing “an Australian film with a decidedly East European bent to its humour.” 
IRON FISTS & KUNG-FU KICKS (Dir: Serge Ou): Not a Marvel film! If you liked Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, this history of how kung-fu became a phenomenon looks set to crowd-please! 
BELOW (Dir: Maziar Lahooti): Is it too soon for a black comedy about a refugee centre? Guess we’ll find out in this black comedy starring Ryan Corr and Anthony LaPaglia. 
NO TIME FOR QUIET (Dir: Hylton Shaw Samantha Dinning): GIRLS ROCK! Follow a group of 12 to 16 year old girls alongside Courtney Barnett, local punk trio Cable Ties and Sikh-Australian slam poet Sukhjit Khalsa as they mentor girls in Melbourne’s first girl-focused rock camp.
