Melbourne International Film Festival Reveals First Lineup for 2015

The weather is getting colder, but Melbourne's film scene is heating up. That's right, folks, it's almost MIFF time. The Melbourne International Film Festival is only two months away, and they've unveiled a sneak peek at their 2015 program.

If you weren't already excited about the city's annual 18-day celebration of cinema, today's announcement will rev things up for you. MIFF 2015 promises all the things film fans know and love: the latest festival hits, a few future cult potentials, an engaging retrospective, and a fondness for experimentation.

Quite a few of the titles that had Sundance buzzing back in January rank among MIFF's standouts, such as Jason Segel taking on David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour, and satanic psychological thriller The Witch. Other highlights include hazy drug addiction drama Heaven Knows What, based on the life of its star Arielle Holmes, as well as Alex Ross Perry's Queen of Earth, reuniting the director with his Listen Up Philip star Elisabeth Moss. There's also Portugal's dream-like Horse Money, which wanders through the dark passageways of an abandoned hospital, plus a look at the future of the planet in Racing Extinction. Yep, it's an eclectic program.

MIFF is renowned for its retrospectives, and this year they're turning their attention to Australian screen legend David Gulpilil. Most of his iconic movies, plus some less well-known, little-seen work, will screen — and he'll be at the festival in person, chatting with Margaret Pomeranz at an in-conversation session.

Anyone wanting something completely different should flock to the festival's special event: Vertical Cinema. Ever wondered why we watch films horizontally — and what movies would look if they were flipped 90 degrees? MIFF's program of ten specially-created 35mm short films, screening at Deakin Edge at Federation Square, will answer those questions.

For those Melburnians suffering from a case of movie envy as the Sydney Film Festival approaches, MIFF has unveiled a healthy serving of films first playing further north, too. SFF's closing night film, the Australian made book-to-stage-to-film adaptation Holding the Man, has nabbed the coveted centerpiece gala slot. Other certain SFF favourites — including the iPhone-shot Tangerine, gym-set rom-com Results, disaffected youth drama The Smell of Us, and The Wolfpack, a documentary about family raised by cinema — also feature.

The festival is calling today's announcement their first glance; however a few other titles have already trickled out of MIFF headquarters in recent weeks. Cinephiles can look forward to a strong local contingent of films supported by the festival's Premiere Fund, as well as their Next Gen program for movie-lovers of all ages.

The Melbourne International Film Festival runs from July 30 to August 16. For more information, visit the MIFF website  — and check back on July 7, when the full program is announced.

Image: Pieces of Victoria.