MIFF Summer Residency at Bunjil Place

Overview

The Melbourne International Film Festival didn't go ahead in its usual form in 2020. Its physical event was cancelled early in the pandemic — smartly so, given that the city was under lockdown for the second time when MIFF's usual August period rolled around. So, it ran a virtual fest instead, which proved a huge success; however, there's no denying the power of a seeing a movie on a big screen with an audience.

Cinephiles across the city are obviously crossing their fingers and toes that MIFF runs as normal in 2021. In the interim, though, the fest is taking up a summer residency at Bunjil Place. On select evenings in February, you can head along and check out a selection of past MIFF flicks on the site's outdoor screen — with tickets costing $10, or up to $32.50 if you'd like to pre-order platters, arancini or rice paper rolls. Even if you don't opt for a big bite to eat, your ticket price includes your choice of a choc top or popcorn tub with a non-alcoholic drink, or a glass of wine, beer or champagne sans snacks.

As for what you'll be watching, the Friday, February 5 session is family-friendly, and features a compilation of shorts plus warm-hearted Aussie feature H is for Happiness. On Sunday, February 7, you can watch Daniel Radcliffe get stranded in the Bolivian rainforest Jungle, too. The next weekend, on Sunday, February 14, it's time for homegrown sci-fi flick The Death and Life of Otto Bloom — and, on Sunday, February 21, you can peer at glowing lights thanks to documentary Neon.