MIFF 2026 to Open with WICKER Premiere and International Jury Lineup
Olivia Colman and Elizabeth Debicki headline WICKER as Sophie Hyde leads the Bright Horizons jury.
The 74th Melbourne International Film Festival has officially opened, launching 18 days of programming that includes more than 300 screen works across the city. Audiences gathered at Hoyts Melbourne Central for the international premiere of WICKER, the Sundance-premiering debut feature from writer/director Eleanor Wilson and co-writer/director Alex Huston Fischer, starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth Debicki. The festival also announced the international jury panels set to judge its major competition awards, including the Bright Horizons Award and the Uncle Jack Charles Award.
Following tonight's Opening Night Gala, MIFF takes over venues across Melbourne with more than 600 sessions of world and Australian premieres, filmmaker Q&As, talks, retrospectives, immersive XR experiences and one-of-a-kind special events. Beyond the city, MIFF Regional brings the festival to audiences across Victoria over the weekends of 14–16 August and 21–23 August, while MIFF Online streams a curated selection of festival highlights nationally via ACMI's Cinema 3 from 14–30 August, extending the festival across the country.
MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar, said: 'It is a delight to welcome audiences once again to the Melbourne International Film Festival, as our city comes alive for a celebration of cinema like no other! With a packed first weekend-slate of World Premieres, international and Australian guests, special events, and some of the year's best filmmaking set to thrill Melbourne audiences, join us as MIFF again brings the world on screen to Melbourne across the next 18 days.'
Beyond welcoming audiences back to cinemas, MIFF has assembled an acclaimed panel of Australian and international filmmakers and screen practitioners to judge this year's major competition awards. The Bright Horizons Award, supported by VicScreen, recognising exceptional first and second features from around the world, will be judged by Jury President, award-winning Australian director Sophie Hyde, alongside independent filmmaking pioneer Joe Swanberg (THE SUN NEVER SETS, MIFF 2026), Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning filmmaker Desiree Akhavan (THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST), acclaimed filmmaker Noora Niasari, whose debut feature SHAYDA opened MIFF in 2023, actor Courtney Eaton (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, YELLOWJACKETS), and leading Singaporean producer Tan Si En, co-producer of Cannes Competition title NAGI NOTES, screening at MIFF 2026.
The Uncle Jack Charles Award, recognising outstanding First Nations film creatives, will be judged by acclaimed Nyikina actor, writer, producer and MIFF Ambassador Mark Coles Smith, Wonnarua writer, director and producer Adrian Russell Wills, whose documentary TINA ARENA: UNRAVEL ME premieres at MIFF this year, and Wiradjuri curator and RISING festival Senior Curator of Music Hayley Percy. Together, the juries will recognise outstanding filmmaking across MIFF's awards suite.
Building on the exceptional response to this year's Program Launch, demand has continued to build up to festival opening, with audiences snapping up tickets to many of the season's biggest premieres, filmmaker events and special presentations ahead of Opening Night with films including Mark Jenkin's hypnotic time-travel mystery ROSE OF NEVADA, Andrey Zvyagintsev's Cannes Grand Prix winner MINOTAUR and John Wilson's genre-defying documentary THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE on standby across all sessions.
Following the Opening Night Gala, MIFF continues with more than 600 sessions spanning world and Australian premieres, filmmaker talks, retrospectives and special events, while MIFF Regional and MIFF Online extend programming to audiences across Victoria and nationally.
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
