The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has responded to the evolving COVID environment with the announcement that its hybrid festival will change the order of its program to maximise both in-cinema and online opportunities for its audience with the online festival running 5 – 22 August and the festival in cinemas 12 – 22 August.
“In the midst of covid-era calamity, constraint and complication, MIFF keeps moving forward to meet audiences where they are, including those in lockdown currently. Our whole festival team is working extremely hard to ensure that we can create and sustain as many opportunities for audiences to be a part of the festival this year as possible. “ MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar commented “We are determined to share our wonderful program, and the work of so many incredible filmmakers, with audiences – through moving our entire schedule to make the most in-cinema screenings for the largest audience possible, utilising large capacity venues such as the Coburg Drive In, and expanding MIFF Play’s digital festival season, so that audiences anywhere in Australia can make MIFF happen, even in 2021.”
Cossar explained that originally due to screen in cinemas for the first half of the festival and online for the second, MIFF will now bring forward the online program to run for the full duration of the festival from 5-22 August, while the in-cinema screenings will now commence later on 12 August. Out of a desire to match audience demand for in-cinema screenings with available capacities, the festival’s shift of dates aims to allow for as many people as possible to safely experience the festival’s slate of film experiences, including world premieres, Australian premieres and special events. Cossar also said that in welcome news for cinephiles across the country, MIFF Play – the festival’s online streaming platform – will now beam into lounge rooms nationwide for the duration of the festival. With 62 films already announced that can be accessed in all states across Australia from Friday 6 August, the online program will also be augmented over MIFF’s festival run, with an expected 30 additional feature titles, and further short films to be added as well.
Cossar went on to point out that CODA – Siân Heder’s tender coming of age story – will now launch the festival’s digital season on 5 August. The transfixing story of a CODA (a child of deaf parents), the film explores the fraught ties between deaf and hearing communities through a young girl pursuing a passion in music, despite her parents’ inability to participate. The film premiered at Sundance, where it won four awards, including a Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award, as well as making headlines for becoming the biggest film acquisition in the history of the festival. Cossar also said that Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson will remain MIFF’s Opening Night Gala, premiering instead on 12 August to mark the commencement of the festival’s in-cinema program. In order to increase opening night capacities in the context of limits on gathering numbers, concurrent screenings of the highly anticipated film will now take place at The Astor in St Kilda; The Sun Theatre in Yarraville; Pentridge Cinema in Coburg; and Lido Cinema, Hawthorn as well as CBD venues. Following this, Questlove’s highly anticipated Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) will premiere as the Centrepiece Gala on 19 August, with CBD screenings now expanding into Coburg Drive-in.