Melbourne International Film Festival

Melbourne International Film Festival

Also known as: MIFF
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The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) began in 1952 as the Olinda Film Festival, organised by the Federation of Victorian Film Societies, and moved to Melbourne the following year as the Melbourne Film Festival; it has carried its current name permanently since 1989. Run by an independent not-for-profit organisation, MIFF presents a curated international program of features, shorts and XR works in Melbourne cinemas, and in recent editions has also screened in regional Victoria and streamed across Australia.

The Bright Horizons Competition is dedicated to first and second feature films, and the MIFF Shorts Awards, held since 1962, include Academy Award-qualifying prizes. Alongside the festival, MIFF Industry runs the 37°South Market for screen financing, the Accelerator Lab for emerging directors and the MIFF Premiere Fund, which invests in Australian films. The 75th edition takes place on 5–22 August 2027.

Country

Australia

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Feature, Short, Virtual Reality

Dates

5 August 2027 — 22 August 2027

Awards and prizes

MIFF Awards (2027 regulations) Bright Horizons Award – A$140,000. Supported by VicScreen; MIFF's feature competition for first and second feature films. The Bright Horizons Jury chooses the winner from ten films in competition. Best Australian Director Award – A$50,000 and a URSA Cine 12K camera package. For an Australian director, chosen by the Bright Horizons Jury. Uncle Jack Charles Award – A$20,000. For an Australian First Nations creative in any department whose work features in a film in the MIFF program, chosen by its own jury. MIFF Schools Youth Jury Award – for a film in the MIFF Schools program, chosen by a youth jury. Intrepid Audience Award – decided by audience votes. MIFF Shorts Awards (66th edition, 2027) Short films in competition are shortlisted by the programmers and judged by the Shorts Awards Jury: City of Melbourne Grand Prix for Best Short Film – A$12,500 (Academy Award-qualifying). VicScreen Erwin Rado Award for Best Australian Short Film – A$10,000 (Academy Award-qualifying). Armani Beauty Talent of Tomorrow Award – A$10,000. Award for Best Fiction Short Film – A$6,000. Award for Best Animation Short Film – A$6,000 (Academy Award-qualifying). Award for Best Documentary Short Film – A$6,000 (Academy Award-qualifying). Award for Best Experimental Short Film – A$6,000. Winning shorts screen again in the Best MIFF Shorts program. Prizes, categories and partners may change.

Festival rules

Submission regulations for the 75th Melbourne International Film Festival, 5–22 August 2027 (summary of the official regulations at miff.com.au). Submissions are made through FilmFreeway in five rounds: 15–31 October 2026, 1–30 November 2026, 1–31 December 2026, 1–31 January 2027 and 1–16 February 2027. Entry fees are paid in US dollars, rise with each round and cannot be waived or discounted: Australian shorts and XR USD 40–80, international shorts and XR USD 50–95, Australian features USD 60–100, international features USD 70–120. Categories: short film (40 minutes or less, including credits), feature film (more than 40 minutes), Australian (at least half of the funding, shooting or post-production from Australia) or international, experimental short, and XR (VR, MR, AR, installations and live works of any length). Eligibility: films completed after 1 January 2026; not broadcast, publicly screened or commercially available online in the state of Victoria before 23 August 2027 (geoblocked online festival screenings are allowed); English subtitles for films not in English. Films previously submitted to MIFF are not eligible. Only online screeners are accepted (FilmFreeway upload or a private Vimeo or other link). Works in progress at or beyond picture lock may be submitted in the February round only. Any use of generative AI or AI tools must be disclosed. All submitters are notified by the end of June 2027; selected films must deliver screening materials by 12 July 2027. MIFF holds no more than four in-cinema screenings of a film. Selected films may be considered for the MIFF Awards and the MIFF Shorts Awards under their separate regulations. Enquiries: submissions@miff.com.au

Contacts

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