The Melbourne International Film Festival is still months away, but if you’ve been paying attention to the festival circuit and the local production pipeline, there are already some pretty clear signals about what MIFF 2026 might look like. I’ve been tracking this for years now, and the patterns are worth watching.

The Programming Direction

Al Cossar and the programming team made a deliberate shift in 2025 toward more audience-friendly programming without abandoning the arthouse core. Expect that to continue. The mid-festival galas did strong business last year, and MIFF’s board knows that bums on seats matter when you’re competing with Netflix on a Tuesday night.

There’s been chatter about a dedicated First Nations strand getting more prominence in 2026. Given the quality of work coming out of Indigenous production houses right now, this would be a smart move. Dylan River’s work has been getting international attention, and there’s a pipeline of features and docos that could anchor a strong section.

What’s In Production

A handful of Australian features currently in post-production have festival-premiere written all over them. I won’t name every title because some haven’t been officially announced, but keep your eye on at least two features from Victorian producers that wrapped principal photography in late 2025. Both are the kind of mid-budget drama that MIFF loves to champion.

The documentary slate is looking strong too. Several Australian doco filmmakers who premiered at MIFF in previous years have new work in the pipeline, and the festival has historically been loyal to its alumni.

International Acquisitions

This is where it gets interesting. MIFF’s programming team usually does their acquisitions run through Sundance, Berlin, and Cannes before locking the main program. With Sundance 2026 happening in January, we’ll likely see a few titles picked up there landing in the MIFF program by late March.

The festival’s relationship with A24 and MUBI has been strengthening, which means we might see some exclusive Australian premieres that bypass the usual theatrical distribution window. That’s increasingly common and honestly it’s how a lot of cinephiles prefer to discover films anyway.

Venue Situation

The question everyone asks every year: what’s happening with Forum Melbourne? Last year’s venue spread worked reasonably well, but Forum remains the spiritual home of MIFF screenings. From what I’ve heard, it’ll be part of the 2026 program, though capacity management continues to be an ongoing discussion with the venue operators.

ACMI remains the anchor venue for the more experimental and installation-based work. The Hamer Hall sessions for opening and closing night galas were well-received in 2025, so expect that to continue.

Pricing and Access

Festival passes have been creeping up in price, and that’s a legitimate concern for regular attendees. MIFF’s mini-pass structure was a decent compromise in recent years, letting people see six films without committing to the full festival pass. I’d expect similar tiered options in 2026.

The online streaming component that was introduced during COVID has been quietly scaled back. Most screenings are now in-cinema only, which makes sense from an audience experience perspective but does limit access for regional Victorians.

My Predictions

Here’s what I reckon we’ll see: a stronger documentary selection than usual, at least one breakout Australian feature that gets international distribution off the back of its MIFF premiere, and a noticeable uptick in films dealing with climate and environment themes. The latter has been building across the global festival circuit, and Australian filmmakers have been increasingly drawn to these stories.

I’ll update this as more concrete details emerge. For now, start blocking out your August calendar and keep an eye on what premieres at Sundance and Berlin. Those early signals usually tell you half the MIFF story before the program even drops.