The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has made the decision to cancel the in-cinema component of this year’s festival, planned to be delivered from Thursday 12 through Sunday 22 August.
The decision was made in response to the rapidly evolving COVID situation in Melbourne and around the country. Elements of the festival will continue to run online via MIFF Play, with additional titles added to the platform and made available nationwide until the 22 August.
New films direct from Cannes include The Hill Where Lionesses Roar, La Civil, Rehana Maryam Noor and Babi Yar. Context. MIFF Premiere Fund titles Ablaze, Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution, Little Tornadoes and Paper City will also be added. International highlights Night of the Kings, Hopper/Welles, Riders of Justice, The Nowhere Inn, Sun Children and Dear Comrades! MIFF XR will be available globally until August 22
“Despite the duress of this moment,” said Artistic Director Al Cossar in a statement, “we are proud that elements of our program can still continue; that our commitment to regional audiences will be fulfilled through the delivery of in-cinema programming across Victoria; through our XR platform, global audiences anywhere can continue their season of MIFF’s exciting range of immersive experiences; and, centrally, through MIFF Play we can continue to deliver the very best Australian and international films to audiences not just in Melbourne but right around the country, at a time that it’s most needed.”
MIFF had already swapped their online and physical components around in the hopes of avoiding this cancellation. The Sydney Film Festival was also force to abandon its plans for an August event due to the pandemic. They have since rescheduled their in-person event for November.
MIFF has indicated that refunds will be available to ticket holders via their website.
FULL LIST OF ADDITIONAL TITLES AVAILABLE ON MIFF PLAY
Ablaze
All Light, Everywhere
Black Audio Film Collective
Center Stage
Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution
Dear Comrades!
Devotion: A Film About Ogawa Productions
Disobedient Muses: Jackie Raynal, Les Insoumuses and Barbara Cleveland
Faya Dayi
Gaza Mon Amour Hopper/Welles
I Was a Simple Man La Civil
Little Tornadoes New Order
Night of the Kings Notturno
Paper City
Playlist
Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché
Preparations to be Together for an Unknown Period of Time Psychomania
Queen of Glory
Rehana Maryam Noor
Riders of Justice
Sanrizuka – Peasants of the Second Fortress
Stray
Sun Children
The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
The Night
The Nowhere Inn
The Wasteland
Wojnarowicz
Wolf Children
Word Is Out: Stories Of Some Of Our Lives
Yugantar Film Collective
