Thursday 12 July 2012

MIFF 2012: films showing at the Melbourne International Film Festival that already have release dates

We interrupt the usual food-related content on this blog for a quick post about another obsession of mine: the Melbourne International Film Festival!


Happy MIFFmas, everyone!! If you're not a MIFF member already smugly clutching an advance copy of this year's program to your bosom, there's a copy in tomorrow's Age (Friday 13th). I look forward to setting aside several hours over the weekend to curl up with my copy and go through it with a fine-tooth comb, narrowing down the list of films I want to see and coming up with a workable schedule (extra degree of difficulty for me this year as I'll be away in Hong Kong (!!!) for the first week of the festival).

Because I like to maximise my chances of catching films that can ONLY be seen at the festival, I tend to exclude from my shortlist films that I know already have an Australian cinematic release date. I do this by checking the film release date schedules on websites like AtTheCinema and atonalFILM, and cross-referencing them with the MIFF 2012 program. This year, I thought it may be helpful for other similarly-minded MIFF nerds if I presented my findings on the web.

These lists are correct to the best of my knowledge based on what I've found online (EDIT: I've now also included films that have distributors but don't yet have release dates, thanks to the excellent list on Mel's blog A Wild Young Under-Whimsy). If you know of any additional films that should be on the list, dates/distributors that have changed or any other relevant information, please let me know! Updated as at 24/7/12.

The following films screening at MIFF are scheduled to screen later in the year at either the Nova, Palace Cinemas, or both:

The following films have been picked up by distributors in Australia, but I don't know where/if they will be screening outside of MIFF (some of them will end up straight-to-DVD):

So, film nerds: what films at MIFF this year do we HAVE to see? I can strongly recommend using this extremely useful FestivalSessions festival online planner - it's brilliant!

And for the foodies still reading: any dining tips for me for Hong Kong??


(Other random non-food-related research I've been doing recently that I put online in case some readers may find it useful - I'm researching options that would allow the choir I sing in to sell our music online. iTunes, digital distributors CD Baby, TuneCore and ReverbNation, and direct-to-fans sales platforms like Bandcamp: here are my findings.)

9 comments:

Emma said...

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World I would assume has an Australian release date.

Emma said...

Seeking a friend for the end of the world is in the program and I can only assume it would have an Australian release date.

Mel said...

It's vaguely touristy, but still one of the best and most reliable places in HK to get an egg tart with cookie crust - Tai Cheong bakery.

Sean said...

If you love seafood, then you MUST get out to Lamma Island for a seafood banquet. Dirt cheap yet glorious! And only costs $1 on the ferry to get there. No excuses.

Anonymous said...

I love Ming Court at Langham Place Mongkok. The most delicate dumplings I have ever had. They have 2 michelin stars as well.
The coconut custard tarts near the flower markets at The Supreme Cakes 176 Prince Edward Rd. West, Kowloon. are amazing.
Lastly the truffle dumplings at Din Tai Fung in the Silvercord Shopping centre 30 Canton Road, Hong Kong were great.
Enjoy!
Louise

Unknown said...

Love the MIFF research - as for Hong Kong lots of tips on my blog - I was there in December (I won't put a link as that is a bit cheeky!) I would particularly recommend Tim Ho Wan, Under the Bridge Spicy Crab & Maxim's City Hall. Also the street food. Check out e-ting's blog for her great Hong Kong guide - she has lots of tips.

johnny said...

holy motors and vulgaria will screen at nova after the festival (http://www.cinemanova.com.au/filmsoon.html).

David said...

Three places to recommend in HK: 1) Save up to eat at the Michelin stared Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hotel. I've been there for lunch and dinner. Both exceptional. Lunch/Yum Cha gets you a great view of the harbour too. Order some champagne and get the Maitre d' to order for you. The best you will ever have.

2) Anything by Margaret Xue is a treat. I had a wonderful dinner at the tiny Yin Yang in Wanchai. It only holds 10 or 12 and you need to book, order and pay a deposit in advance (just go with it) This is because unlike everything else in HK, everything on the menue is grown organically on Margaret's little garden in the new territories and she buys all the produce (fish/flesh etc) daily especially for you. The food is astonishing. The central dish for our meal was a roast chicken with a little ginger sauce. That's it. Great. Not cheap but also not wildly expensive for what you get. Here's their website: http://www.yinyang.hk/

3) Great handmade noodles at one of HKs oldest noodle shop in Wan Chai -Wing Wah Noodle Shop. Cheap and cheerful, fast and furious, laminex tables, basic decor, no frills just good noodles. Here's a link to reviews on Openrice: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=4024

Otherwise there are so many places to go to - just get stuck in (don't go to that Goose restrauant - its a tourist trap).

jfox said...

hullo claire! thanks for the miff tips, bit of a booking frenzy this morning =)

hope it's not too late for hk tips, there's good food in tin hau, an area east of Victoria Park. My cousin recommended a beef brisket noodle shop place near the train station (there are cartoons of an auntie type; it's on a triangle corner. i think there is also a rival noodle shop close by so you can judge for yourself! also in tin hau, there's an awesome dessert cafe called ching ching - truly my idea of heaven!
enjoy! jfox