The must-see films at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival
IMAGE VIA @katejinx/instagram
AS TOLD TO DAISY HENRY
Senior programmer Kate Jinx shares her top picks.
The movies are back in a big way. The popcorn is hot, theatres are packed and the girlies are debating whether a good romcom can even exist anymore (courtesy of Materialists).
Maybe it’s the forced hours of turning our phones off and paying attention to a single screen, or maybe it’s simply a welcome relief from Melbourne’s cold weather, but the cinema has become our fast weekend pastime. Naturally, this means we’ve been counting down the days to this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).
Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.
Running from August 7 to 24, MIFF is one of the oldest film festivals in the world, alongside Cannes and Berlin. With an exciting lineup of local and international films, the program features a stacked schedule of talks, panels and other special events.
As the senior programmer for the festival, Kate Jinx has played a key role in shaping this year’s feature film program. With directorial debuts from Harris Dickinson, Alex Russell and Australia’s very own James J. Robinson (who also happened to shoot one of FJ’s latest digital covers), this year’s lineup is not one to miss. Though it’s always worth taking a look at the full program, Kate shares her top films below.
First Light
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I can’t wait for the opportunity to see this stunning feature from celebrated local photographer James J. Robinson on the big screen again. First Light tells the story of a tender-hearted nun (Ruby Ruiz) living in a crumbling convent in the mountains of northern Luzon in the Philippines who is facing questions of faith, brought on partly by questions of corruption in her broader circle. It’s a brilliant debut.
Urchin
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This is Harris Dickinson’s (yes, Harris Babygirl Dickinson’s) feature directorial debut. It stars Frank Dillane (who also appears in Athina Rachel Tsangaris’ beautiful film, Harvest) who plays a rough sleeper in London trying to get clean. It’s social realism, with a bit of surrealism in there to boot.
It’s also worth noting that Dickinson is not the only actor turned director with a fantastic film in this year’s program. See also Kristen Stewart’s The Chronology of Water.
John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office
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As much as I love a hard-hitting social justice documentary, there is a special place in my heart for a cinematic exploration of an inventor turned psychedelic tinkerer. Narrated by Chloë Sevigny and co-directed by Courtney Stephens and Michael Almereyda, this is the story of John Lilly, a revered scientist who became completely consumed with attempting to communicate with dolphins via any means necessary – from the use of LSD to literally living with them. Goals.
Portrait d’une jeune fille de la fin des années 60 à Bruxelle (Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 60s in Brussels)
It was my greatest joy to put together Chantal Akerman: Traces for this year’s festival. It’s an expansive survey of the late Belgian auteur’s films spanning from 1967 – 2015. I dearly love all of her work, but Portrait… is a particularly brilliant ’90s–does-’60s film that captures big teen feelings and queer yearning. I’ve programmed it to screen with a 4K restoration of her short J’ai faim, j’ai froid (I’m Hungry, I’m Cold), followed by a live panel discussion about Akerman’s work featuring Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and critic Philippa Hawker.
Left-Handed Girl
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I’ve been following the progress of Shih–Ching Tsou’s solo directorial debut for the last couple of years, and was delighted to attend its world premiere at Cannes this year. Previously known for her collaborations with Anora director Sean Baker (who co-wrote and edited Left–Handed Girl), Shih–Ching Tsou’s dynamic film portrays a single mum and her two daughters living in the margins of bustling Taipei, navigating everything from superstition to mounting noodle-stall bills and nested family secrets.
The Mastermind
I’d follow Kelly Reichardt to the ends of the earth, so a trip back in time to the late ’70s to pull off an art heist is an easy ask, frankly. Josh O’Connor is the titular character. He thinks he’s nutted out the perfect crime, which improbably involves stealing paintings from a local museum in broad daylight. Does it go well? No. But that’s half the fun and allows for Reichardt to imbue the plot with her poetic, tender eye. It also features Alana Haim, John Magaro and Gaby Hoffman.
Lurker
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I saw Alex Russell (of The Bear and Beef acclaim)’s debut feature earlier this year at a festival in New York and I’ve had a hard time shaking it. Théodore Pellerin, who I’m convinced is going to be a huge star, plays a guy looking for a leg up. He falls in with rising pop star Oliver (Saltburn’s Archie Medekwe), but something about his sudden appearance and hangdog desire to help disturbs Oliver’s ride-or-die LA entourage. Question is, who’s using who?
International Shorts 1
Because I only program features, the shorts section of the program is what I’m always hanging out to see at the festival, so I asked Critics Campus Producer and Shorts Coordinator, Luke Goodsell, for a tip. Here’s what he said:
“A selection of the striking, the stylish and the strange from cinema’s most imaginative short-form auteurs, our International Shorts 1 program features a clandestine queer romance set against a surreal dystopia, a cosmic coming of age in a starlit Greek town, and a nerve-jangling comedy about two young New York filmmakers who ditch their boyfriends in pursuit of their art.” Sign me up.
Find the full program here.
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