Unlike last year's fun yet superfluous misstep with the serviceable I'm So Excited, this year sees MIFF return to its roots by not only supporting Australian cinema, but taking hold of the Oz genre wave that is captivating viewers world-wide.
The 63rd Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is thrilled to announce that the 2014 Festival will open with the Australian premiere of the Spierig Brothers' new feature Predestination. After tackling zombies (Undead, MIFF 03) and vampires (Daybreakers), the Australian film-making duo take on time travel in this stylish, intelligent thriller, starring Ethan Hawke, Noah Taylor and Sarah Snook (These Final Hours, MIFF 13).
"We are thrilled to have our Australian Premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Having shot our film in Victoria, it's exciting to play Predestination to a home-town crowd," the Spierig brothers say. Pinnacle Films will release the film in Australia following its MIFF premiere.
"We are completely captivated by this stylish mind-bender of a film and can't wait to present the Australian premiere as our Opening Night film. Shot in Melbourne, with smart direction and thrilling performances, it will be a sure-fire conversation starter at the after-party," says Artistic Director Michelle Carey.
Predestination is the story of a temporal agent on the trail of a terrorist, in an intricate web of twists and secrets.
Opening Night marks the first event in MIFF's 18-day program. This year's Festival will include well over 300 films from around the globe in program sections including International Panorama, Documentaries, Accent on Asia and Backbeat, as well as the youth-focused Next Gen section.
The full program will be announced Tuesday 8 July and tickets go on sale Friday 11 July.
The Festival runs 31 July-17 August 2014.
Stay tuned to ScreenAnarchy as more on MIFF develops.