by Stephen Vagg
A month ago, news came through that the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) of 2026 has been cancelled.
Sorry, “paused”.
Does that really mean that they can’t hold one this year?
Okay, yes, I admit I’ve never arranged a film festival. Maybe it’s really, really hard.
Or maybe they’re making it harder than it needs to be.
I get that people had issues with the 2025 festival.
Yes, it was annoying how they kept referring to it as a “Mini BIFF” when it still had 62 features, at least six venues, a large concert, a launch in Cannes, and a bunch of visitors from interstate and overseas (the most in BIFF’s history apparently).
But there was a lot to admire. The curation of films, the Jeff Buckley documentary and concert, the idea behind the outdoor screening of Bring It On (if not the execution; just go from the live gymnastics into the film, guys, don’t suck all the momentum out of it via endless speeches in between the two). I think the organisers deserved a second go. Better than having no festival.
The thing is, the four main problems of the 2025 festival were, for me, at any rate, so easily and simply remedied.
a) Reduce the number of venues.
b) Engage the local community.
c) Put it on at a better time of year.
d) Stop worrying about being global.
Let’s go through these one at a time.
a) Venues
For a “mini” festival, 2025 BIFF found a way to spread its tentacles all over the city, including cinemas in New Farm, Newmarket, Coorparoo, and the CBD, along with Howard Smith Wharves, and the Star’s Leisure Deck. For those unfamiliar with Brisbane – these are not within an easy walk of each other.
People go to festivals not just for the films – it’s 2026, you can pretty much stream anything you want these days; or for the curation – especially when said curators haven’t earned our trust yet – it’s for the socialising. To mingle, chat, argue, flirt, hook up.
I’m sure that there is a good reason why BIFF couldn’t be held at the one venue, so everyone can chat in the foyer and go to bars nearby, and you could save a heap of time and money organising the thing.
I mean, I can’t think of a good reason. But I’m sure it’s there.
b) Engage the local creative community
The 2025 festival was almost awe-inspiring in its near-complete disregard for the local filmmaking community. There were few local films or events involving local filmmakers and/or film organisations.
There were however lots of interstate experts, such as Chris Mead, for some reason imported from Melbourne to moderate panels. Now, Chris Mead is a very admirable figure, but there’s at least a hundred academics in Brisbane capable of performing that function.
Gary Maddox, a very good Sydney journalist, was brought in as a guest to “secure long-form editorial coverage” because… that couldn’t happen otherwise? I mean, yes, I suppose it was nice to get a write up in the Sydney Morning Herald – even if I’m guessing that their readers would be about as interested in a story about a Brisbane Film Festival as we would be in a piece on the Sydney Film Festival – but could not a local writer have done the job?
Brisbane is full of film schools, production companies, writers, actors, journalists, directors, and cineastes. Yes, there are dumb/incompetent people here, I’m very aware, trust me, but there’s dumb/incompetent people in Sydney and Melbourne too – actually pretty much in every place in the world.
In fairness to the 2025 BIFF organisers, overlooking local artists is a common theme throughout Queensland government-funded cultural institutions and programs. You only have to look at the proportion of Queensland-originated productions funded by Screen Queensland versus those from Hollywood, Victoria and New South Wales, or Queensland-originated works on at places like QPAC and the QTC versus the out-of-town imports they so clearly prefer.
Look, I get it – Hollywood money is hard to say no to (even if the whole system is completely dependent on the support of the Queensland taxpayer) and we don’t want to cut ourselves off from the outside world.
It would just be nice if events and organisations funded by the Queensland taxpayer – especially ones for cultural rather than economic reasons – were a little more supportive of, well, Queenslanders. At the very least it might make them more appealing for local audiences.
People are more biased than they think they are. Just set a quota for local representation.
I’m sure there was a good reason to disregard the Queensland filmmaking community. I can’t think of one but I’m sure it was there.
c) Put it on at a better time of year
BIFF used to be in August, when people like to be inside in Brisbane (i.e. winter), but for some reason the festival got pushed back later and later in the year and BIFF 2025 spilled into December, when Christmas party season had started, and the weather was hot and prone to rain storms.
I’m sure there was a good reason for shifting the festival away from winter. I can’t think of one but…
d) Stop worrying about being a global quality event in the lead up to the Olympics
I understand the film community wants to jump on the Olympic gravy train. Who wouldn’t?
But can we please stop banging on about the importance of BIFF being of international standard?
What does that mean anyway? International standard… celebrities? Scandals? Curation? “Credibility” (whatever that is)?
The Brisbane International Film Festival is never going to be Cannes, Venice, Berlin or Toronto, because Brisbane isn’t Cannes, Venice, Berlin or Toronto.
Who cares where the festival stands on a global scale?
Who cares if it’s “in line with Sydney and Melbourne”?
Who cares whether BIFF has the latest premiere or the hottest director?
How about just focusing on something that Brisbane people want to go to?
There’s still time to organise a decent Brisbane International Film Festival in 2026. Hire a venue for a week. Get local filmmakers to put on events. Do things like, I don’t know, a tribute to David Williamson films – he’s just sitting up in his compound in Noosa, churning out plays, he’ll come down. Get Amstrong and Krause to supervise a live reading of the script of some classic slasher, they’ll have at least a hundred options they could suggest. Have Maria Lewis organise a costume ball with a completely inappropriate dress code. Get the Premier and Lord Mayor to introduce their favourite Australian movies. These are just ideas off the top of my head, the local film community would have lots more.
There is a chance that Screen Queensland’s heart simply might not be in it – as noted in this excellent summary by Brisbane’s own Sarah Ward, that organisation has tried three different incantations for BIFF over the past decade, without any long-term success, and that has to be exhausting. There’s no shame in admitting something is too hard. Just transfer the funds over to the Brisbane City Council and ask them to do it. Better than complete cancellation, especially when that’s not necessary.
Brisbane is full of cinema lovers who deserve a film festival. Just keep it simple. Keep it Brisbane. Don’t worry about dancing bears. Get people socialising, mingling, networking, arguing, flirting. Ninety-five percent of your audience won’t give a shit if they’re watching the Australian premiere. The Brisbane International Film Festival is not competing in the Olympics. It’s just a festival. Of films. In Brisbane.
I’m sure there was a good reason for cancelling BIFF this year. We just haven’t been given one yet.
