For cinema lovers in Melbourne, we’ve just about reached the happiest time of the year. Despite the Antarctic weather and gloomy-dark nights, the city is about to light up with the joy of one of the city’s greatest loves: MIFF! We’ve combed through the Melbourne International Film Festival 2026 program so you don’t have to – expect surprising docos, hilarious romps, international gems and homegrown legends. We’ll see you at the movies.

MAD RUSH (2026), DIRECTED BY MADDELIN MCKENNA The deep irony that Mad Rush – a Melbourne CBD-set thriller that follows a young woman as she whisks her way through the city streets on a wild goose chase – has already sold out all of its Melbourne CBD sessions is not lost on us. For regional folk – namely, based in Geelong/Djilang, Rosebud/Monmar, Ballarat/Ballaarat and Sale/Wayput – there’s still plenty of tickets left to snag for this soon-to-be Aussie classic.

SUMMER 2000: THE X-CETRA STORY (2026), DIRECTED BY AYDEN MAYERI Fact: tween girls are the arbiters of taste. The proof? The quartet of young women who accidentally made a cult album without even knowing it. Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story is a doco by one of the four girls – now fully grown adult – at the centre of the story, detailing how a group of music-loving kids started a band and made an album they soon forgot about, only for it to find a home among fans on the internet many years later. Tween girls rock!

I WANT YOUR SEX (2026), DIRECTED BY GREGG ARAKI Gregg Araki is back with another romp of a film, and boy, are we seated. Starring Cooper Hoffman (Philip Seymour’s son) and the formidable Olivia Wilde, I Want Your Sex follows a bumbling assistant as he finds his way into working for a debauched artist. Mayhem? Yeah, it ensues. Funny, silly and downright sexy, this is one to keep an eye out for if you miss it at MIFF.

FRENCH GIRLS (2025), DIRECTED BY HYUN LEE Another Aussie gem found in the treasure trove of MIFF’s program, French Girls is a Sydney/Warrane-set story about fashion, money, gossip, and basically just being a young person trying to get by. The debut feature of writer-director Hyun Lee, it’s clear that the next wave of top-notch Australian filmmaking talent is well and truly tickling our shores.

MARC BY SOFIA (2025), DIRECTED BY SOFIA COPPOLA Marc by Sofia is the documentary that we as a species didn’t know we needed, but it’s the one we deserve. Beloved filmmaker Sofia Coppola has turned the lens onto her long-time pal, the one and only Marc Jacobs, in this wandering doco that follows Marc as he preps for an upcoming show. Honestly, anything Sofia-related will get our bums on cinema seats, so you can find us front row for this one.

After more rad films? Peruse this collection of films recommended by the frankie team or have a squiz at these Aussie cinematic gems. Plus, sign up to our newsletter to stay in the movie loop.