The Leader is a powerful and disturbing dive into the mechanisms of cults
The Leader is observant and chilling; boasting one of Vera Farmiga’s most robust performances.…
“I’m much more interested in filming sex than in violence.” Lukas Dhont on making Coward
Coward screens at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 15, 20, 22 August 2026. Tickets are available here: CowardLukas Dhont’s stirring latest film – which won its leads a pair of Best Actor…
Covi and Frimmel’s docufiction keeps the Blues alive in Al Cook’s mighty heart
The Loneliest Man in Town is a muted masterwork. Touching, gentle, sometimes very funny, and within its specificity speaks of something universal.…
Tony Jones on embedding empathy in the animal testing documentary Sentient
At the dawn of his career, Tony Jones filmed Four Corners documentaries like Frozen Asset alongside producer Martin Butler. Now, for the first time in decades, Tony steps back into the world of docume…
James Hunter & Lucy Lovegrove on building the atmospheric horror film The Latcher
James Hunter is no stranger to the Melbourne International Film Festival, having participated in the MIFF Accelerator Lab for his short film Nest (2021). He now returns to MIFF with his feature film d…
A New York story: Ira Sachs on The Man I Love
Ira Sachs The Man I Love screens at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 8, 16, & 23 August 2026. Tickets are available here: The Man I LoveRami Malek captivates as an HIV-positive man wh…
David and Liani Greaves on the party, the poetry, and finishing a father's film: Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Few forces have shaped global culture more than the creative explosion that came out of the collision of African and American life in New York City in the twentieth century. Tracing it back to a singl…
Melissa Anastasi on capturing the poetry of existence in her films
Filmmaker Melissa Anastasi has crafted a body of work that speaks to the experience of growing up in the Greater Western Sydney region of NSW. Her characters exist on the fringes of society; sometimes…
Trevor Graham and Digby Webster on bringing love to the big screen with their delightful doco Digby & Camille
One of the most charming and delightful films to screen at the 2026 Melbourne International Film Festival is the community-created documentary Digby & Camille. Seasoned documentarian Trevor Graham…
Gar O'Rourke’s latest documentary, The Siege of Paradise, examines Cinque Terre’s tourism balancing act
Perched along Italy’s dramatic Ligurian coastline, the five villages of Cinque Terre are home to fewer than 4,000 people. Yet every year, around four million tourists pour into their narrow streets, a…
Alexandre O. Philippe’s intimate portrait of Kim Novak allows her to appreciate herself
Kim Novak emerges from her memories as a fully realised human who is revitalised by the chance to speak openly about her biggest fear to find it overcome. Kim Novak discovers Kim Novak and she likes her.…
The Noughts Report Part 1: 2001: From A.I. Artificial Intelligence to Waking Life
Welcome to the first instalment of the Noughts Report. A sequel to 90s All Over Me, each entry revisits a year in film from the 2000s, highlighting movies big and small and the careers and genres and…