MIFF Unveils 74th Festival Program – The Melbourne International Film Festival has unveiled its full 2026 program.
This year, MIFF will screen more than 300 works. The program includes features, shorts, XR experiences and special events.
The 74th edition runs from Thursday, 6 August to Sunday, 23 August across Melbourne and regional Victoria. MIFF Online runs nationally from 14 to 30 August.
This year’s Opening Night Gala is Wicker. The Sundance-premiering fable comes from Australian-born writer-director Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer.
The film stars Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgard, Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth Debicki.
Wilson and Fischer will attend the Australian premiere at Hoyts Melbourne Central.
Program Highlights
MIFF 2026 also includes the world premiere of Tina Arena: Unravel Me. In addition, Footy Shorts returns with the AFL and VicScreen.
The festival will also stage the first Sovereign Shorts Gala. John Cameron Mitchell will present the 25th anniversary of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Artistic Director Al Cossar said the program ranges from festival blockbusters to bold new voices, experiments and family screenings.
The Bright Horizons Competition also returns. First and second-time filmmakers will compete for the $140,000 Bright Horizons Award.
The Premiere With Purpose Gala will feature Silenced, Selina Miles’ documentary about defamation law, survivors and journalists.
Armani Beauty Joins MIFF
MIFF has also announced Armani Beauty as a major festival partner.
The partnership includes the Armani Beauty Cinema Club, the MIFF Shorts strand and the MIFF Shorts Awards.
The Armani Beauty Cinema Club opens with Wishful Thinking. The romantic comedy stars Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke.
Family audiences will also have a gala screening. DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island screens on Saturday, 15 August.
MIFF Regional will screen in Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Geelong, Healesville, Rosebud, Sale and Warrnambool.
For more film news, visit TV Central’s Cinema Releases section. The full festival program is available from MIFF.
