MIFF 2026 opens with 18 days of world cinema in Melbourne – The 74th Melbourne International Film Festival begins tonight with the international premiere of Wicker, launching a program of more than 300 screen works across Melbourne.
MIFF will run from Thursday, 6 August to Sunday, 23 August, with more than 600 sessions spanning premieres, filmmaker Q&As, talks, retrospectives, special events and immersive XR experiences.
The festival’s reach also extends well beyond central Melbourne. Regional screenings will travel across Victoria, while MIFF Online will give viewers throughout Australia access to a curated selection from 14 to 30 August.
Wicker opens MIFF 2026
The Opening Night Gala takes place at Hoyts Melbourne Central and The Capitol. Wicker is the debut feature from Australian-born writer-director Eleanor Wilson and co-writer-director Alex Huston Fischer.
The darkly comic modern fable stars Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgard, Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant and Melbourne actor Elizabeth Debicki. Its story takes aim at superstition, small-mindedness and overzealous conservatism.
Wilson and Fischer will attend the international premiere. The film is also competing in the Bright Horizons Competition for first and second features.
MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar said Melbourne would come alive across the next 18 days through major premieres, visiting filmmakers and special events.
International juries announced
Australian director Sophie Hyde will serve as president of the Bright Horizons Award jury. She is joined by filmmakers Joe Swanberg, Desiree Akhavan and Noora Niasari, actor Courtney Eaton and Singaporean producer Tan Si En.
The $140,000 award, supported by VicScreen, recognises an exceptional first or second feature. Its winner will be revealed during the MIFF Awards at Rydges Melbourne on Saturday, 22 August.
The Uncle Jack Charles Award celebrates outstanding First Nations film creatives. Its 2026 jury brings together MIFF Ambassador Mark Coles Smith, writer-director Adrian Russell Wills and RISING Senior Curator of Music Hayley Percy.
TV Central previously covered the MIFF 2026 award nominees and prize program.
Opening weekend highlights
Opening weekend presents a broad selection of international cinema at ACMI. Sho Miyake’s Two Seasons, Two Strangers and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden sit alongside Valeska Grisebach’s Cannes Jury Prize winner The Dreamed Adventure and Fernando Eimbcke’s Berlinale winner Flies.
Documentary selections include Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner To Hold a Mountain, Christopher Nelius’ competitive-whistling film Whistle and Sukundimi Walks Before Me, which follows Papuan Indigenous communities protecting the Sepik River.
Australian world premieres are prominent throughout the weekend. MIFF Premiere Fund titles include Harvey Zielinski’s Sweet Milk Lake, Trevor Graham’s Digby & Camille and Dan Jackson’s Death of a Shaman.
Other local premieres include James Hunter’s psychological thriller The Latcher and the rodeo documentary Rodeo Dreams from W.A.M. Bleakley and Rhian Skirving.
Major films, guests and special events
Sofia Coppola turns her camera towards fashion designer Marc Jacobs in Marc by Sofia. Other international highlights include Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in the Box, Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales and Ira Sachs’ The Man I Love.
The festival will welcome filmmakers, performers and screen practitioners from Australia and overseas. Confirmed guests include John Cameron Mitchell, Tamra Davis, Tina Arena, Hugo Weaving, Claudia Karvan, Thomas Weatherall, Yael Stone, Selina Miles, Tony Jones and Ken Kwapis.
Australian television is also represented. The SBS drama The Airport Chaplain will screen at MIFF ahead of its wider release, with key cast members expected to attend. MIFF Accelerator Lab will later examine the making of the series.
Elsewhere, Hear My Eyes brings Christopher Nolan’s Memento to Hamer Hall with a new live score by King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard drummer Michael “CAVS” Cavanagh. The Melbourne Planetarium will host a 360-degree Fulldome Showcase.
Family programming includes the Australian premieres of DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island and Coyote vs. Acme. Voice actor Eric Bauza will attend the latter’s festival screenings.
MIFF Regional and MIFF Online
MIFF Regional will visit Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Geelong, Healesville, Rosebud, Sale and Warrnambool across the weekends of 14-16 August and 21-23 August. Healesville joins the regional tour for the first time.
MIFF Online runs nationally from 14 to 30 August through ACMI’s Cinema 3 platform. The online selection includes festival highlights and dedicated short-film collections. Short films are free, while features are available as paid on-demand screenings.
Tickets and full MIFF program
Rush Tix return with $12 tickets for selected sessions. New discounted sessions will be announced at 11.30am each festival day before tickets go on sale from noon.
MIFF 2026 runs in Melbourne from 6-23 August. MIFF Online is available nationally from 14-30 August.
Explore sessions, events and ticket availability through the public Melbourne International Film Festival website.
Read TV Central’s earlier guide to the full MIFF 2026 program, or visit the Movie Previews section for more upcoming film coverage.
