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International Animation Day 2025
Melbourne International Animation Festival 2025

The Melbourne International Animation Festival 2025.
Our 25th anniversary! WOW 🤯🥳

Winners

MIAF 2025 survey

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback. We’re looking into how we can incorporate that into future events.

The basics

What: A week of the best new animation from around the world.
When: 18 – 25 May 2025.
+ Program Launch Party 3 April 2025.
Where: Treasury Theatre, Melbourne and The Backlot Studios, South Melbourne
+ Workshop at COLLARTS, Cromwell St Campus
+ Program Launch Party at Studio Showoff.
Tickets: Ranging from individual ticket $20/$17 to full Festival Pass $140/$115.
Program: 35 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 over 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 2025, your week of BIG screen animation.

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Schedule

Thursday 3 April @ Studio Showoff

7:00 PMMIAF 2025 Program Launch Party – FREE

Sunday 18 May @ Treasury Theatre

5:30 PMAustralian Student Showcase – SOLD OUT
7:30 PMAustralian Showcase – Official Opening – SOLD OUT

Monday 19 May @ The Backlot Studios

5:45 PMMeet The Filmmaker #1: NeW NeW – Emerging Japanese Animators
6:45 PMInternational Competition Program #1: Masters & Returnees
8:15 PMInternational Competition Program #6: Character Study Drill Down

Tuesday 20 May @ COLLARTS, Cromwell St Campus

1:00 PMWorkshop: Paint, draw, scratch – create a hand-made animation – SOLD OUT

Tuesday 20 May @ The Backlot Studios

5:45 PMMeet The Filmmaker #2: Traceless Traces – In A Box
6:45 PMInternational Competition Program #2: Digital Extremes
8:15 PMInternational Competition Program #7: Abstract – SOLD OUT

Wednesday 21 May @ The Backlot Studios

5:45 PMMeet The Filmmaker #3: Heathens? Coming Soon! – SOLD OUT
6:45 PMInternational Competition Program #3: Hi-Fi Design
8:15 PMInternational Competition Program #8: Shar Studio Spotlight

Thursday 22 May @ The Backlot Studios

5:45 PMMeet The Filmmaker #4: A Love Letter to LoopdeLoop – SOLD OUT
6:45 PMInternational Competition Program #4: Hi Estonia & A Bonobo Shout-Out
8:15 PMPannonia Film: Some Kind Of Wonderful – SOLD OUT

Friday 23 May @ The Backlot Studios

5:45 PMMeet The Filmmaker #5: Women In Animation – Connect Event – SOLD OUT
6:45 PMInternational Competition Program #5: It’s Meta Time
8:15 PMInternational Competition Program #9: The Friday Freaks Parade

Saturday 24 May @ The Backlot Studios

International Student Animation Festival

DiscussionsScreenings
1:00 PMConversation #1:
Anatomy Of A New Film		International Student Competition Program #1
1:45 PMConversation #2:
Feedback Is Everything		International Student Competition Program #2
2:30 PMConversation #3:
Sarah Balanger, Maker of “Rushmore” (ESMA – France)		International Student Competition Program #3
3:15 PMConversation #4:
Nailing The Perfect Fight Scene – Ollie Wilson (VCA – Aus)		International Student Competition Program #1 – REPEAT
4:00 PMConversation #5:
Building Worlds – Gabriella Lee Sudyatmiko (RMIT – Aus)		International Student Competition Program #2 – REPEAT
4:45 PMConversation #6:
How We Made A Finnish Heavy Metal Music Video		International Student Competition Program #3 – REPEAT

Saturday 24 May @ Treasury Theatre

4:00 PMInternational Competition Program #1: Masters & Returnees – REPEAT
5:30 PMInternational Competition Program #2: Digital Extremes – REPEAT
7:00 PMInternational Competition Program #3: Hi-Fi Design – REPEAT
8:45 PMLate Night Bizarre (18+)

Sunday 25 May @ Treasury Theatre

2:30 PMInternational Competition Program #4: Hi Estonia & A Bonobo Shout-Out – REPEAT
4:00 PMInternational Competition Program #5: It’s Meta Time – REPEAT
5:30 PMWe Made A Film At Aardman
7:00 PMBest Of The Festival (18+)
8:45 PMBest Of The Festival (18+) – REPEAT
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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.

There’s a three-hour Workshop: Paint, draw, scratch – create a hand-made animation at COLLARTS Cromwell St Campus in Collingwood.

Easy access. A short walk from the #12 or #109 tram. Or get a Husrstbridge/Mernda train to Collingwood station.

Early Bird tickets until 18 April. Limited capacity.

For one special night, we are going to Studio Showoff in Brunswick for the MIAF 2025 Program Launch Party.

Just 25 minutes by tram from the city. Jump on a #19.
Or get an Upfield train to Jewell station. 30-35 minutes.

Limited capacity. Tickets required.

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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.
$20 full, $17 concession.

Opening Night access to both sessions on opening night at Treasury Theatre.
SOLD OUT $26 full, $20 concession.

BINGE Pass access to everything at Treasury Theatre on the closing weekend.
$72 full, $60 concession.

Workshop three-hour session animating direct-to-film. Tuesday 20 May.
Early Bird: $70 full, $60 concession – only to 18 April.

Student Festival Pass access to everything at our International Student Animation Festival at Backlot on Saturday 24 May.
$15 everyone.
Limited tickets. Only 45 available.

Festival Pass access to (nearly) EVERYTHING.
$140 full, $115 concession.
VERY limited, just 34 available. Includes access to everything except:
(1) Meet The Filmmaker #5: Women In Animation – Connect Event [free tickets available] and
(2) Workshop: Paint, draw, scratch – create a hand-made animation.

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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.

Program Launch Party

With the Full Program going live the next day (Friday 4 April) we will have a launch event at Studio Showoff in Brunswick.
Come join the party.

Tickets are free! But limited to just 80.

A chance to hang out with some familiar and friendly faces over a drink or two.
We’ll give you the sneak peek of the Full Program. Some films to watch. Maybe a surprise or two. 😉

📅 When: Thursday, 3 April
📍 Where: Studio Showoff, Brunswick
⏰ Time: 7-9pm
💲Cost: FREE (registered ticket required)

Opening Night

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 18 May at Treasury.

International Competition
Ceux Pour Qui La Lune Ne Brille Pas – Solene Marche, et al
Glass House – Boris Labbe
The Night Tunnel – Annechien Strouven
Estive – Muller Rafael, et al
Bright Souls – Anastasiya Zhakulina
Broken Flight -Arthur Jouanny, et al

The International Competition Programs are the backbone of the entire MIAF mission. Drawn from more the 2,300 submissions they showcase the best, most imaginative animating talent on the planet in a series of programs in which the only rule is diversity.

And because it is MIAF’s 25th anniversary we will kick off each program with a very special “look-back” film from the MIAF vault that highlights a special moment in our history.

#1: Masters & Returnees

#2: Digital Extremes

#3: Hi-Fi Design

#4: Hi Estonia & A Bonobo Shout-Out

#5: It’s Meta Time

#6: Character Study Drill Down

#7: Abstract

#8: Shar Studio Spotlight

#9: The Friday Freaks Parade

If you miss the first screening of program 1-5 at The Backlot Studios during the week, come along to the repeats on the weekend at Treasury Theatre.

Meet The Filmmaker

Every weeknight we kick off proceeding with an invitation to drop in and meet some of the people who create the work we celebrate in MIAF. These sessions are always different but blend a presentation by a filmmaker, a mini screening of their work and a chance for you to ask questions.

Although the full line-up is still being locked down, expect a uniquely personal look inside the world of Japanese animation, an animated doco shining a light on one of our most cherished Aus indie animation events, and an opportunity to take part in Melbourne chapter of an international organisation built to encourage and celebrate the work of women in animation.

International Student Animation Festival
THE RETURN

This year we happily relaunch a mini festival-within-a-festival dedicated entirely to the dynamic world of student animation.

A day dedicated to watching AND talking.

We have pulled together three fabulous, short programs for films from some of the best schools in the world and we’re busy assembling a roster of way-cool guests and presenters to come in to share their work, tell their stories and pass on their advice. So whether you’re in the bar, the foyer or the cinema there will always be something going down.

One Ticket – All Day

Six Screenings

Six Talks

CHOOSE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE

Pannonia Film Studio – Some Kind Of Wonderful

This extraordinary collection of works, many recently restored, showcase the elastic imaginations of several generations who worked for Pannonia, the studio charged with crafting screen culture during much of Hungary’s communist era.

Often mining imagery that borders on the psychedelic and hallucinatory, this is work that is utterly unlike anything that emerged from communist era studios in other states at the time. Researched and curated in Budapest on the very cusp of the covid era, this is the program we’ve been wanting to share with you for five years.

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+).

We Made A Film At Aardman

Aardman Animation needs no introduction. Whether your first encounter with their iconic stop motion work was Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, or Shaun the Sheep, if you’re here at MIAF we’re sure that at least one of their amazing films have found a place in your heart. Their films have entertained millions, their iconic characters are beloved, and will surely outlive us all. There is a magic in the middle of their work that speaks to so many of things that make animation such a captivating artform, and over the years that magic has done nothing but grow and magnify.

Recently, Aardman formed an academy to offer emerging puppet animators a chance to come to their studio and make a film under their roof; to learn from the masters, and maybe absorb some of the Aardman animated alchemy. For eight lucky young animators this would be the experience of a lifetime, and the films they each produced are a wonderful combination of their individual visions multiplied by that Aardman magic. MIAF reached out to this smallest of all animation tribes and SIX of them eagerly agreed to beam in for a joint session in which we will show their films, talk to them about their experience, and take questions from the audience. This promises to be a very special, not-to-missed session.

Best Of The Festival

It all comes down to this the Best Of The Festival. 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 25 May at Treasury.

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Program

No event found!
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