The Full MIFF 2026 Program Just Dropped. Here Are 30 Top Films to Book Now

For local movie fans, going through the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) program each year is as exciting as it is daunting. With hundreds of films screening over 18 days, narrowing down which ones to book isn't easy. From Charli xcx’s next leading role to Sofia Coppola’s debut documentary, these are our picks of the new feature films to catch at MIFF, which runs from August 6 to 23.

Opening night

This year’s festival opens with Wicker, co-directed by Australian filmmaker Eleanor Wilson. The 1600s-set film stars Olivia Colman as a fisherwoman who gets a basket maker to fashion her a husband (Alexander Skarsgård) out of wicker. It’s an offbeat, bawdy comedy that further proves Colman is one of the finest and most versatile actors working today.

Aussie cinema

MIFF is a major showcase for Australian cinema. This year’s highlights include Sweet Milk Lake, a moving story about a young trans man who visits his estranged father in a remote country town; Facing the Numbers, a documentary that explores the injustices endured by First Nations people through storytelling techniques including songlines and oral traditions; and Our Effed Up World, a sci-fi horror film from 21-year-old Aussie director Alice Maio Mackay, produced by I Saw the TV Glow director Jane Schoenbrun.

The best of Cannes

Several films that won big at Cannes this year are coming to MIFF. Both films that led to Best Director awards – Pawel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland and Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s La Bola Negra – are on the line-up. Ditto for Grand Prix winner (the second-highest honour) Minotaur, a domestic drama from Russian master Andrey Zvyagintsev that explores Russian life after the invasion of Ukraine; and Jury Prize winner The Dreamed Adventure, a slow-burn western from German director Valeska Grisebach.

Festival Favourites

Other MIFF 2026 films that have made waves on the international festival scene include Rose, which won lead actress Sandra Huller the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival; and Yellow Letters, which took home the festival’s top honour, the Golden Bear.

From Sundance, there’s How To Divorce During the War, a satirical film set in Lithuania that won the world dramatic grand jury prize; and Josephine, a harrowing film starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan that won both the US Grand Jury: Dramatic and Audience: US Dramatic prizes. And from the Toronto International Film Festival, Blue Heron, which was crowned Best Canadian Discovery and has made first-time filmmaker Sophy Romvari one to watch.

Plus, catch Venice International Film Festival Queer Lion-winner On the Road; and Inside Amir, a bittersweet coming-of-age story that took home the top prize, the Director’s Award, at the Giornate, an independent parallel section of the festival.

Star power

MIFF is never light on star power. 2026’s festival sees Bryan Cranston and Judy Greer co-star in black comedy Chili Finger; Javier Bardem play a legendary director in The Beloved; and Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser unite in World War II drama Pressure. Callum Turner also leads an all-star cast including Elle Fanning, Pamela Anderson, Tracy Letts and Riley Keough in Rosebush Pruning. Léa Seydoux is already generating Oscar buzz for her performance in Gentle Monster, as is John Turturro for his role in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. And Charli xcx continues her movie star era leading micro-budget film Erupcja, and appearing in the Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde double-hander I Want Your Sex.

Superstar directors

Directors are often as big a draw as actors. This year, prolific South Korean director Hong Sang-soo returns to MIFF with The Day She Returns, while Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi explores the world of theatre in All of a Sudden, for which leads Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto shared the Best Actress Award at Cannes.

Legendary French filmmaker Claire Denis again explores post-colonial West Africa in The Fence and mumblecore figure Joe Swanberg returns with The Sun Never Sets, starring Dakota Fanning, his first full-length film since 2017. Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar delves into the world of autofiction with Bitter Christmas, and My Own Private Idaho director Gus Van Sant is back with the black comedy thriller Dead Man’s Wire.

And Sofia Coppola makes her documentary debut with Marc by Sofia, a portrait of her dear friend, the designer Marc Jacobs.

miff.com.au