Following a first-glance tease in June, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has now shared its full program of 267 films for its 71st outing this August. The new announcement includes several noteworthy music films and even a VR rave experience.
The 71st Melbourne International Film Festival will run from August 3 until August 20 in cinemas, and August 18 to August 27 online. Read about the latest additions to the festival below then head to the MIFF site for the full program and passes.
There’s perhaps few other Melbourne bands with a reputation as mythic as The Birthday Party. In Mutiny in Heaven: The Birthday Party, Nick Cave, Rowland S. Howard, Mick Harvey, Tracy Pew and Phill Calvert speak directly to camera on the mayhem of their punk youth. Director Ian White also draws on unreleased tracks and unseen letters, diaries, artwork and photos.
In the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon-produced Kiss the Future, U2 head to Bosnia to play in solidarity with local musicians in 1997. The film mixes historical footage of the conflict with contemporary interviews before culminating in dramatic footage of U2 playing a concert amongst the rubble of a bombed city. What can appear cynical and egotistical to some is inspirational for others.
In It’s Only Life After All, home-video recordings, archival footage and heartfelt interviews come together in the telling of the three-decade-long career of Indigo Girls – one of the first proudly out queer groups to hit it big in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The childhood friends come into the sessions with the humour and honesty so beloved in their songs.
As the first artist signed to David Geffen’s now iconic label Asylum, it’s surprising that the American singer-songwriter Judee Sill has been largely left out of the conversation when it comes to discussing the greats of ‘70s folk. Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill aims to set the record straight through interviews with contemporary artists including Weyes Blood, Fleet Foxes and Big Thief’s Adrienne Lenke; as well as glimpses into Sill’s own notebooks.
Abebe-Butterfly Song travels to Port Moresby and Rabaul to tell the story of the enduring friendship of Papuan musician Sir George Telek MBE and Not Drowning, Waving’s David Bridie. Footage of remarkable recording sessions throughout the Pacific are interspersed with interviews with Telek and Bridie, Peter Garrett, Archie Roach and David Byrne. Telek and Bridie will perform live at the film’s conclusion.
In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats takes audiences on a VR tour using 3D modelling, volumetric capture and animation with firsthand accounts set to iconic tracks by Orbital, Joey Beltram and Neal Howard. Viewers will be equipped with sensory vests that replicate the throbbing pulse of the dance floor.
The Melbourne International Film Festival’s full Music On Film programming is:
Abebe-Butterfly Song
Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story
It’s Only Life After All
Joan Baez I Am A Noise
Kiss The Future
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill
Louder Than You Think
Mutiny In Heaven: The Birthday Party
Squaring The Circle
