The Best Movies To Catch at MIFF This Year, According to Senior Programmer Kate Jinx

It takes a mammoth 13 months to curate each year’s Melbourne International Film Festival, which means senior programmer of feature films Kate Jinx already has her eyes on 2026. But that won’t stop her from enjoying the upcoming edition, set to light up screens around the city from August 7 to 24.

“It’s a huge program, I’ll make no bones about that,” she says. With 250 films across 19 genres, Jinx isn’t joking. “We’ve made sure there truly is something for everyone. Die-hard cinephiles, who we love, can see a five-hour Russian doco or a beautiful restoration of the earliest surviving female-directed Iranian film, but we’ve also programmed great options for people who might just drop in and see one film, maybe on a date.”

For the latter group, Jinx’s advice is to check out the Bright Horizons program, which features up-and-coming filmmakers. In the mix is First Light, a film by Melbourne-based photographer James Robinson about a nun living in the Philippines who’s grappling with her faith against capitalism. “The cinematography is so beautiful, I was really blown away by that new film.”

Another on Jinx’s Bright Horizons list is A Poet, which premiered at Cannes and won the prestigious Jury Prize. It’s a “bitter, sardonic” film about a broke middle-aged poet who mentors a student in the hope of returning to his prime. There’s also Urchin, Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut about a man’s struggle with substance abuse, which Jinx is excited to see on the big Imax screen.

MIFF’s largest ever retrospective series, a celebration of the late Belgian director Chantal Akerman, is one not to be missed. Featuring 27 films, including Jeanne Dielman – a masterpiece voted the greatest film of all time in Sight and Sound ’s 2022 global poll of film critics – and autobiographical comedy Demain on déménage. Jinx spent more than a year doing a deep dive into the hugely influential filmmaker, and is especially excited about the only screening of Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 60s in Brussels, which will be followed by a 30-minute talk featuring Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and critic Philippa Hawker (and moderated by Jinx) about Akerman’s influence and work.

“And I’d be remiss not to mention the new Kelly Reichardt film, The Mastermind, starring Josh O’Connor. Set in the ’70s about an art heist gone wrong, it’s perfect Kelly R fodder.”

There’s also If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, the Festival’s opening film. “It’s such an extraordinary film, one that has to be seen to be believed,” says Jinx. “It’s an intense ride starring Rose Byrne, who gives such an extraordinary performance. We all know her for her comedy chops, but this is a really different offering to show off her full acting range.” Jinx says the team “couldn’t look past it” when selecting this year’s opening.

For true crime lovers, the program’s Crime and Punishment strand is an obvious go-to. Jinx’s picks are The Perfect Neighbor, a documentary about a small Florida community rife with racism, and Zodiac Killer Project, which wryly investigates the tropes of true crime. Though you “can’t go wrong with any of them”, she says.

The same goes for new documentary strand The Body Is a Battlefield, which highlights films that ask what it means to be human. In it is Come See Me in the Good Light, a heartfelt portrait of artists and soulmates Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they face Gibson’s devastating two-year life expectancy. The timing of this piece, which Jinx describes as “tender and beautiful”, is bittersweet given the sad news of Gibson’s passing just days after the program was released. “This one is sure to pull at the heartstrings.”

Outside of films there are talks and events Jinx can’t wait for audiences to experience, like a special live score by acclaimed LA singer, songwriter and composer Julia Holter (Julia Holter: The Passion of Joan Arc) and a conversation with South Korean maestro Jung Jae-il, known for his work on films like Parasite and Netflix series Squid Game. Plus, there’s the Food and Film program, a selection of dining x film experiences presented by Broadsheet. “That’s my itinerary sorted,” says Jinx.

“I’m already thinking about the next festival. It never stops. Films are being made all the time, major festivals are happening all over the world – that’s the joy of it.”

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of the Melbourne International Film Festival. MIFF runs August 7–24 in select cinemas across the city.