By Travis Johnson
The 66th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) program is simply a monster this year, team: over 358 films representing 68 countries, including 251 features, 88 shorts, 17 VR experiences, 31 world premieres and 135 Australian premieres across 13 venues.
As previously reported, Greg McLean’s survival thriller Jungle is the opening night film, while the closing night film has now been announced as the world premiere of Paul Williams’ Gurrumul Elcho Dreaming, an exploration of the life and music of noted Australian artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
Guests this year include Jane Campion, here for Top of the Lake: China Girl; Melissa George, repping The Butterfly Tree; Italian director Luca Guadagnino with Call Me By Your Name; Jennifer Brea, a first time guest, bringing her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome doco, Unrest; critic turned director Gabe Klinger, for Porto; and many more.
Documentaries this year include Winnie, Pascale Lamche’s portrait of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela; Namatjira Project, a firsthand account of the battle to reclaim the heritage of Indigenous artist, Albert Namatjira; Roller Dreams, Kate Hickey’s look at the Venice Beach ’80s roller dancing craze; Beuys: Art as a Weapon, a portrait of the German performance artist Joseph Beuys; and Jean-Stéphane Bron’s The Paris Opera, a candid look at a season of upheaval for the company.
The Music on Film program includes The Allins, Danish documentarian Sami Saif’s look at the controversial punk GG Allin; Kyoko Miyake’s Tokyo Idols, an eye-opening look at Japanese idol culture; Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, an investigation into the musical impact of Native American artists; and Buena Vista Social Club: Adios, an account of the Cuban musicians’ final tour. Plus, Kriv Stenders’ exhaustive look at an iconic Australian band, The Go-Betweens: Right There, continues its successful festival run.
Australian cinema is, of course, featured heavily: Ben Elton’s Three Summers; David Wenham’s Ellipsis, starring Emily Barclay and Benedict Samuel; plus an exclusive preview Glitch Series 2; and from the NFSA Restores program, the 1987 feminist thriller Shame, starring Deborra-Lee Furness.
This year’s Night Shift horror and genre program includes A Prayer Before Dawn, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s adaptation of Billy Moore’s memoir of his time in a Bangkok prison; the discomfiting My Friend Dahmer, Marc Meyers’ look at the serial killer’s teenage years, featuring Disney star Ross Lynch; and Australian/Albanian co-pro Bloodlands, directed by Steven Kastrissios (The Horseman).
Debuting this year is MIFF’s sci-fi program, which includes the hugely influential Ikarie XB-1; Luc Besson’s early apocalyptic film, Le Dernier Combat; and Kathryn Bigelow’s cyberpunk classic, Strange Days.
Festival faves from around the world will also be making the scene this year, including award winners from some of the biggest film showcases on earth: Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning The Square; Claire Denis’ romantic comedy Let the Sunshine In, starring Juliette Binoche; the triumphant Patti Cake$, featuring Australian Danielle Macdonald; Terrence Malick’s Song to Song, featuring Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman; The Party, from acclaimed director Sally Potter, who’s also getting a dedicated retrospective stream; and the moving Japanese animation In This Corner of the World, from Sunao Katabuchi.
The 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from August 3 – 20, 2017. Tickets go on sale from Friday, July 14. For the full list of screenings and events, hit up the official site.
Hi, I was hoping that Descent into the Maelstrom was in the 2017 MIFF program but it’s not. Am looking forward to catching the Radio Birdman doco elsewhere.