MIFF 1985

Paul Coulter
#34

Festival Program
79 feature films and 98 short films were screened from 20 June to 30 June
Full Program

Program in Focus
The 1985 festival, with David Stratton as a program advisor, commenced a focus on talks and seminars, not seen as strongly since the festival programs of the early 1950s. Some topics discussed included Productive Prospects for Film and Video in Victoria, Is Film Obsolete?, Initiatives in the Indonesian Cinema and The "New" Heroines, in which feminism and the representation of women in cinemas was discussed.  

Edgar Reitz's Heimat, a thatrical feature film shown in 11 parts, was also screened. Running at 924 minutes, Heimat was heralded as "the longest film ever made and the apex of New German Cinema, and a landmark in the history of world cinema".
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Opening Night Film
Birdy (Alan Parker)
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Retrospective
Oberhausen Retrospective. A retrospective of films from the Oberhausen Festival was screened.
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Image Gallery

Films

Farm

Boedery
MIFF 1985
MIFF 1985

THE FUNERAL

Ososhiki
Director Juzo Itami
MIFF 1985

From the Festival Files

The Living Festival

What would a festival be without its audience? There wouldn’t be a festival at all! … People are the beating heart of MIFF. It was the coming together of some 800 people in Olinda in 1952 that gave birth to the Melbourne Film Festival. Since that unanticipated outpouring of community love for film, MIFF has become an annual gathering space for film enthusiasts and the cine-curious from Melbourne …

Making the Festival

The Melbourne Film Festival began as the idea of a few passionate individuals. A sub-committee, formed from delegates to the 1951 Australian Council of Film Societies film weekend, suggested that a small festival of films in the tourist town of Olinda should be held in 1952. The resulting festival was a testament to the do-it-yourself initiative of the Olinda festival committee. As some 800 festiv …