The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has unveiled the 11 films competing for its prestigious $93,400 (A$140,000) competition prize. The festival, which runs from August 3-20, will open with “Shayda,” directed by Australian-Iranian filmmaker Noora Niasari. This year’s competition, known as the Bright Horizons competition, is primarily focused on debut and second features, with a strong emphasis on the former.
Among the notable entries is “Tótem” by Mexican director Lila Avilés, a poignant family portrait seen through the eyes of a young girl during a tumultuous birthday gathering. This film previously won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Berlinale in February. Another intriguing entry is “Ama Gloria” by French director Marie Amachoukeli, which opened Cannes’ Critics’ Week. The film follows a young girl who travels with her beloved nanny Gloria to Cape Verde.
Cannes’ influence is evident in many of the competition films. “Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell” by Pham Thien An, a three-hour Vietnamese drama about a young man burdened with new responsibilities following a sudden death, won the Camera d’Or at Cannes. Molly Manning Walker’s “How To Have Sex,” a story about three UK school graduates partying in Crete, took the top prize in Un Certain Regard.
Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, who won the best actress award at Cannes last year for “Holy Spider,” stars in Noora Niasari’s “Shayda.” The film, which tells the story of an Iranian mother and daughter seeking refuge in an Australian women’s shelter, won the audience award at Sundance and will serve as MIFF’s opening film. “Shayda” is one of two Australian titles in the competition, the other being Mark Leonard Winter’s “The Rooster,” a dramatization of masculinity, mental health, and companionship.
The festival will also feature three documentaries supported by the MIFF Premiere Fund: “Australia’s Open,” “Memory Film: A Filmmaker’s Diary,” and “This Is Going To Be Big,” all of which will have their world premieres at MIFF. The overall program includes 267 films, with the closing night featuring Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s musical mockumentary “Theater Camp.”
The jury for this year’s competition is co-presided by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, co-directors of last year’s Bright Horizons winner “Neptune Frost.” The jury also includes documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe, past Camera d’Or winner Anthony Chen, Australian performer Zoe Terakes, and Indonesian director Kamila Andini.
A new award recognizing a First Nations film creative has been introduced this year. The festival will also continue its hybrid format, with regional screenings throughout the period and an online schedule running from August 18-27.
The full list of MIFF 2023 competition titles includes:
– “Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell” (Vietnam-France-Singapore-Spain) directed by Pham Thien An
– “Ama Gloria” (France) directed by Marie Amachoukeli
– “Animalia” (France-Morocco-Qatar) directed by Sofia Alaoui
– “Banel & Adama” (France-Senegal) directed by Ramata-Toulaye Sy
– “Disco Boy” (France-Italy-Poland-Belgium) directed by Giacomo Abbruzzese
– “Earth Mama” (USA) directed by Savanah Leaf
– “How To Have Sex” (UK-Greece) directed by Molly Manning Walker
– “The Rooster” (Australia) directed by Mark Leonard Winter
– “Shayda” (Australia) directed by Noora Niasari
– “The Sweet East” (USA) directed by Sean Price Williams
– “Totem” (Mexico-Denmark-France) directed by Lila Aviles
The festival’s return to metro cinemas for the first time since 2019 coincides with its 70th anniversary. This milestone will be celebrated with a major retrospective and an accompanying book titled “Melbourne on Film.” Additionally, there will be cinematic homages to the festival from filmmakers Ivan Sen, Justin Kurzel, and Soda Jerk, as well as the inaugural XR commission from Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerine, titled “Night Creatures,” which is a virtual celebration of the festival’s unique moments.
The festival will also open and close with Melbourne-set features: Goran Stolevski’s sophomore feature “Of An Age” and Lachlan McLeod’s documentary “Clean.” The program includes 257 features, 102 shorts, and 12 XR works, with 17 world premieres and 177 Australian premieres. Notably, a record 61 titles from the Cannes Film Festival will be screened.
MIFF artistic director Al Cossar emphasized the festival’s connection to Melbourne, describing it as “the beating heart of one of the world’s great creative cities.” He expressed a desire to use the 70th anniversary to invite the city into the festival and explore its significance to Melbourne.
This year also marks the launch of the festival’s inaugural competition, MIFF Bright Horizons, with a prize of $140,000. The competition aims to amplify new cinema, focusing on first and second-time feature filmmakers with bold and unique voices. Among the 11 films competing are two Australian features: Thomas M. Wright’s “The Stranger” and Alena Lodkina’s “Petrol.”
Cossar highlighted the festival’s commitment to championing emerging and breakthrough talent, noting that this aligns with MIFF’s broader mission. The festival’s Accelerator talent development lab, Critics Campus lab, and Premiere Fund all contribute to this goal.
The 11 films competing in the Bright Horizons competition include:
– “Robe of Gems” by Natalia López Gallardo, which won the Berlinale Silver Bear Jury Prize
– “Aftersun” by Charlotte Wells
– “The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future” by Francisca AlegrÃa
– “Neptune Frost” by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman
– “Leonor Will Never Die” by Martika Ramirez Escobar
– “Domingo and the Mist” by Ariel Escalante Meza
The Melbourne International Film Festival promises to be a celebration of cinema, creativity, and the city of Melbourne itself, offering a diverse and exciting lineup for film enthusiasts.
Source: Screen Daily, IF Magazine
