The Melbourne International Animation Festival is back.
The basics
What: A week of the best new animation from around the world.
When: 7 – 14 May 2023. Plus a pre-MIAF workshop on Fri 5 May.
Where: Treasury Theatre, Melbourne and The Backlot Studios, South Melbourne
Tickets: Ranging from individual ticket $15.21/$12.90 to full Festival Pass $94.02/$76.64.
Program: 20 curated sessions
What
MIAF (Melbourne International Animation Festival) is a full week-long animation film festival. See the best new films from Australia and around the world.
Since 2001, MIAF has showcased the art of animation at its most eclectic and inspired, transcending expectations, and doing it all on the unbeatable big screen. The 140+ works on display were curated from 2000 submissions. They feature contemporary and retrospective pieces from emerging and established talent.
Animation requires artistry, imagination, and technical skill. It captivates and transports. See through the eyes of the world’s most creative animators with MIAF.
MIAF 2023, your week of BIG screen animation.
Schedule
Friday 5 May @ Deakin University Melbourne Burwood Campus
10am – 3pm Animating Worlds in Virtual Production
NOTE: Seperate ticketing – not included in passes
Sunday 7 May @ Treasury Theatre
5:30 Australian Student Showcase [sold out]
7:30 Australian Showcase – Official Opening [sold out]
Monday 8 May @ The Backlot Studios
5:45 Meet The Filmmaker: Dennis Tupicoff
“The Only Photograph Of Emily Dickinson: American Poet”
6:45 International Competition Program #1
8:15 Dozens Of Norths – Koji Yamamura
Tuesday 9 May @ The Backlot Studios
5:45 Meet The Filmmaker: John Astley & Emily Burridge
“Into Lyrebird Gully” – 3 Years In The Making
6:45 International Competition Program#2
8:15 Abstract Showcase [sold out]
Wednesday 10 May @ The Backlot Studios
5:45 Meet The Filmmaker: Jody Cleaver
The Making of “Among The People”
6:45 International Competition Program #3
8:15 MOME Showcase (Hungary)
Thursday 11 May @ The Backlot Studios
5:45 Meet The Filmmaker: 4 Makers/3 Films
Creative Interventions: Using Animation to Bring Live Action to Life [sold out]
6:45 International Competition Program #4 [sold out]
8:15 Long Shorts
Friday 12 May @ The Backlot Studios
5:45 Meet The Filmmaker: Matt Bissett-Johnson
Touchdown, Planet MBJ!
6:45 International Competition Program #5
8:15 The Strange & Wonderful Worlds of Felix Colgrave [sold out]
Saturday 13 May @ Treasury Theatre
5:00 International Competition Program #1 – REPEAT
6:30 International Competition Program #2 – REPEAT
8:00 International Competition Program #3 – REPEAT
9:30 Late Night Bizarre [18+]
Sunday 14 May @ Treasury Theatre
3:00 International Competition Program #4 – REPEAT
4:30 International Competition Program #5 – REPEAT
6:00 Australian Focus: The Films of UTS Animal Logic Academy with Guest Q&A
7:45 Best Of The Fest [sold out]
Where
The big opening and closing weekends will happen at the Treasury Theatre. We love coming to the Treasury; the nice big screen, comfy seats and a cool bar right there on the premises! Good times, fun crowds and great animated energy.
Easy to get to, just a three minute walk from Parliament train station.
On weeknights the festival will be at The Backlot Studios in South Melbourne. We’re excited to be taking MIAF to this cosy space. Expect a diverse range of International Competition as well as themed programs with an extra emphasis on “Meet The Filmmaker” sessions. And Backlot has the perfect festival bar – a great space to hang out before and after every screening.
Only 15-20 minutes by tram from the city. Jump on a #1 or #12 tram line, they run every 10 mins.
Very limited seating, just 44 seats. Don’t miss out.
Please note that Backlot is NOT fully accessible. There are stairs with handrails, but no lift to the second floor where the cinema is located.
Tickets
Please note. We are not set up to sell tickets in person. Please buy your tickets online prior to the session.
Individual ticket go to one session
$15.21 full, $12.90 concession.
Opening Night access to both sessions on opening night at Treasury Theatre.
SOLD OUT$19.86 full, $15.21 concession.
BINGE Pass access to all 5 competition programs at Treasury Theatre on the closing weekend.
$36.08 full, $30.28 concession.
Treasury Pass access to everything at Treasury Theatre (opening night and the last two days).
SOLD OUT$70.84 full, $53.46 concession.
Limited, just 40 available. Only on sale until 30 April, or if all sold out.
Festival Pass access to EVERYTHING (excludes Animating Worlds in Virtual Production workshop)
SOLD OUT$94.02 full, $76.64 concession.VERY limited, just 20 available. Only on sale until 30 April, or if all sold out.
Animating Worlds in Virtual Production 5 hour workshop at Deakin Burwood
$70 full, $35 concession.
Program overview
Most sessions are classified Unclassified (M) Mature, not recommended for viewers under 15 years.
Some sessions are classified Unclassified (18+), restricted to people 18 years and over.
Pre-MIAF workshop
There is a VERY special masterclass being held before the start of MIAF. Animating Worlds in Virtual Production has been organised as part of a special partnership with Film, Television and Animation, Deakin University. This five hour masterclass will be held at Deakin University Melbourne Burwood Campus.
Join world class animators, industry representatives and academics for this interactive, one-day masterclass at Deakin University’s virtual production studio and learn about the role animation plays within virtual production from concept to screen. Presenters include Oscar-nominated animator Anthony Lucas (The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello), Jack Condon (Epic Games) and Simeon Taylor (3D animator and lecturer, Deakin University).
Friday 5 May, 10am – 3pm at Deakin Burwood. Lunch included.
Separate ticketing – masterclass not included as part of any MIAF pass.
Opening Night [SOLD OUT]
Nobody screens more Australian animation than MIAF. We proudly open the festival each year with the Australian Showcase which surveys the incredible artistry and skill of Australian animators. Plus we will also be screening the Australian Student Showcase with the best new animators from across the country.
This is a chance for those great local films to get some time on the big screen, where they belong. Make sure you don’t miss this chance to catch the best of home-grown films.
A fun filled night on Sunday 7 May at Treasury.
Please note tickets are Sold Out for Opening Night. No walk-up tickets will be available.
International Competition
The back-bone of the whole MIAF mission. Five stunning programs showcasing the awesome diversity of animation made up from 4,000+ submissions. Every technique, every genre, every style – your annual deep-dive into the international indie animation universe.
If you miss the first screening at The Backlot Studios during the week, come along to the repeats on the weekend at Treasury Theatre.
Themed Competition
There are special groups of films from our submissions that just need their own space. For that, we have three fantastic competition programs each with their own theme: Abstract Showcase, MOME Focus and Long Shorts.
Only on at Backlot.
Special Programs
We will have a selection of very special programs to be held at Backlot during the week. Expect a glorious range of topics to Meet the Filmmakers: retrospectives, looking at work in progress, examining technique & styles, and each having conversations with both new & established filmmakers.
Late Night Bizarre
Love your crazy content? Then you’ll love Late Night Bizarre. A dependably depraved screening of animated specimens from the wrong side of the tracks. Join us on Saturday night at Treasury for MIAF’s annual cult moment!
This session will be classified Unclassified (18+).
Australian Focus Q&A
The UTS Animal Logic Academy is proving to be a powerhouse of animated innovation, bringing together a prodigious roster of talented practitioners from a wide range of different places in the Australian animation ecosystem. The films being produced at the Academy are, unsurprisingly, world class and stand as a showcase of what can be produced in Australia at the very pinnacle of the digital animation space.
This program brings to the big screen a superb collection of films produced in recent years at the UTS Animal Logic Academy. Ian Thomson, Head of the UTS Animal Logic Academy and Industry Associate Professor at UTS (University of Technology, Sydney) will travel to MIAF to sit down and talk about the vision of the Academy and discuss the work being produced there – and there will be plenty of time for your questions. This will be a program to remember.
Sunday 14 May at Treasury.
Best Of The Festival
It all comes down to this the Best Of The Fest. After all the votes, the best emerge. This is the program that screens ‘em. Always popular so get tickets early.
Then stick around after for a bit of a celebration for all things animation.
Sunday 14 May at Treasury.