by FilmInk Staff
The third edition of the Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival will be held at ACMI this October.
12 films. 2 nights. 1 powerful celebration of culture, mental health, and cinema.
Thursday 30 – Friday 31 October 2025
Melbourne, Australia
The Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival (MMHFF), organised by the Mental Health Foundation Australia, will be held at ACMI — Australia’s national museum of screen culture — from 30–31 October 2025.
Now in its third year, the festival presents two nights of powerful, engaging, and deeply human stories that explore culture, identity, and mental health through film.
This year’s program features a selection of short films from Australia and across the globe, encouraging discussion, reflection, and connection through multicultural mental health cinema.
Festival Overview
Day 1 – Thursday 30 October
New Voices in Australian Cinema (Presented by ACMI)
Cinema 2, Level 2
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
As part of ACMI’s celebrated New Voices in Australian Cinema series, this showcase features 6 Australian short films exploring themes of culture, identity, and the emotional intricacies of mental health. The opening night of the festival kicks off with ACMI’s Crew Night—a free networking event bringing together filmmakers, crew, and creatives before the New Voices screening.
Attendees can enjoy a red-carpet event with live coverage by Channel 31, a festival media wall for photos and videos, and drinks available for purchase at the ACMI Bar. The evening will also include filmmaker Q&As, moderated by SBS’s Mojdeh Kashani.
Australian Selections:
- More or Less You – Jun Thai, Hazel Jurin, Kong Yit Lam
- Asian Male Lead – Jeremy Teh
- If this conversation isn’t over yet – Rosey Feng
- GOLPES – Kevin Duran Du
- Ensconced – Lara Deam
- Fading Colours – Bronte Rose Page
Day 2 – Friday 31 October
International Selections & Awards Night
Gandel Digital Future Lab 1, Level 1
6 pm – 8 pm
The second night of the festival showcases short films from the State of Palestine, Poland, France, Georgia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, followed by the Official Awards Ceremony honouring filmmakers from both days.
Attendees will enjoy a red-carpet event with drinks available for purchase at the ACMI Bar, a festival media wall for photos and videos, live coverage by Channel 31, and additional highlights filmed for their upcoming feature on the festival.
International Selections:
- Bleeding – Dany Horiuchi (United Kingdom)
- “There once was – There is no more – There is” – Karina Paciorkowska, Łukasz Kamil Kamiński (Poland)
- Adas Falasteen – Samar Taher Lulu, Hamdi Khalil Elhusseini (State of Palestine)
- The Beneath – Lisette Vlassak (Netherlands)
- Headache – Marianne Surzur (France)
- Vasomotor Rhinitis – Mikheil Gabaidze (Georgia)
A Message From The Festival Director:
“I truly believe cinema is one of the most powerful tools we have to share in a communal experience — one that benefits others as much as ourselves. While mental health is recognised and openly discussed in some cultures, it can remain misunderstood or even unnamed in others. In some communities, there isn’t even a word for it.
“Through cinema, I’ve come to understand experiences outside my own — stories that help us see what we might not otherwise recognise, and sometimes reflect parts of ourselves to us. When we sit together to watch, listen, and talk about these stories, we open space for empathy, dialogue, and understanding — and in doing so, we take small but significant steps toward reducing stigma.” — Matthew Keisoglu, Festival Director
Event Details.
Venue: ACMI, Federation Square, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Dates: Thursday 30 – Friday 31 October 2025
Day 1 Tickets: Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival- ACMI- New Voices in Australian Cinema: https://www.acmi.net.au/whats-on/new-voices-australian-in-cinemas/mmhff/
Day 2 Tickets: Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival- ACMI- International Shorts and Awards Night: https://filmfreeway.com/MulticulturalMentalHealthFilmFestival/tickets
The Mental Health Foundation Australia proudly facilitates the Multicultural Mental Health Film Festival.
General additional information about the night and the films is available here:
https://www.mhfa.org.au/MulticulturalMentalHealthFilmFestival
