Melbourne Film Festival Offering Over $200,000 In Prizes And Adds First Nations Award
The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has confirmed that it will provide $202,000 in cash prizes, making it one of the world’s most generous film events. Nearly half of the prize money, $95,000, will go to the winner of its Bright Future competition for features by first- and second-time directors. The richest film competition in the country previously belonged to the CinefestOZ festival in West Australia, which follows later in August.
The MIFF will run from August 3-20, 2023. The 2023 iteration added two new prizes: the inaugural First Nations Film Creative Award in collaboration with Kearney Group and the return of the Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award, worth $47,500, which recognizes an outstanding Australian creative within a film playing in the Melbourne 2023 program. Winners across long-form awards categories will arrive at Melbourne’s closing night gala on August 19, including the juried prizes and the MIFF Audience Award.
The First Nations Film Creative Award supports First Nations talent and storytelling with the recipient awarded a $13,500 cash prize and $16,900 in financial services. The first-time prize will be judged by a jury of Australian First Nations creatives, including Rachael Maza (Radiance, Cosi, Lillian’s Story), Tony Briggs (The Sapphires, The Warriors, Force of Nature), and Tiriki Onus (Ablaze). In an interview, Maza stated, “I’m very inspired by this next generation of incredible First Nation filmmakers. I’d like to acknowledge MIFF and the Kearney Group in establishing this award in recognition of these artists who will be our future leading storytellers.”
The award contenders are from all film creative departments, including directing, producing, screenwriting, composing, editing, cinematography, acting, production design, art direction, and sound design. Nominees are: John Harvey for Katele (Mudskipper) director; Lelarnie Hatfield-Yasso, Aunty Nicky Hatfield, and Margaret Hornagold (Generations of Men) screenwriters; Derik Lynch and Matthew Thorne for Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black), co-directors; Adrian Russell Wills and Gillian Moody for Kindred, co-directors; Tyson Mowarin and Mark Coles Smith for Keeping Hope, director, and featured subject, respectively; Douglas Watkin for Rebel with a Cause: Neville Bonner, director.