Later this month, the 65th annual Melbourne International Film Festival will kick off an incredible season of over 345 films*, spanning 22 venues across the Melbourne CBD, from 28 July to 14 August. It’s near impossible to narrow down the list, but today, with tickets to all screenings currently on sale, we’re going to do our best, bringing you just seven of the films we consider must-see inclusions on the list. And they are (in no particular order)…
Toni Erdmann
Winner of the FIPRESCI prize at this year’s Cannes, this film by German director Maren Ade comes highly recommended. It is, by all reports, uproariously funny.
Grab more details about the film HERE.
Elle
Another film to make it across from Cannes, Dutch provocateur Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers) directs Isabelle Huppert in a very dark comedy. Probably not one for the fainthearted.
Grab more details about the film HERE.
Little Men
Ira Sachs’s last film, the beautifully understated Love is Strange, was one of our favourites from last year. This, his latest, premiered at Sundance earlier in the year to very positive reviews.
Grab more details about the film HERE.
The Neon Demon
With a director like Nicolas Winding-Refn, you can expect a gaudy-styled film with intriguingly dark and heavy themes. While beauty and violence go well in horror, the intoxicating visuals alone are a reason I had to check out the film.
Grab more details about the film HERE.
Certain Women
There’s always something touching and fascinating about watching people live out their lives, seeing them intertwine and react to events and those around them, and Certain Women undoubtedly piqued our curiosity.
Grab more details about the film HERE.
Sonita
It’s empowering and eye-opening to watch a film of someone moulding the bad situations in their life into opportunities of great success, and as the winner of numerous awards, it undoubtedly comes with high recommendation.
Grab more details about the film HERE.
Chevalier
With a great deal of male-ego in such a confined space, a manhood-measuring-contest would be an adventure worth watching. Masculine rivalries that walk the line of manners, morality and pure absurdity is a comedy we simply cannot miss.
Grab more details about the film HERE.
For more details about these films and the rest that are screening at the festival, which runs from July 28th through August 14th, head to the official MIFF website.
*For those playing at home, this includes 244 features, 92 shorts, 9 Virtual Reality experiences, 22 Talking Picture events, 24 world premieres and 157 Australian premieres.
Article by Tom Kavanagh and Katy Chamoun
———-
