Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has announced the nominees for its 2026 awards, with more than $300,000 in prize money set to be awarded across some of the festival’s most prestigious categories.
Leading the awards is the Bright Horizons Award, which carries a $140,000 prize supported by VicScreen, making it one of the richest film awards in the world. The competition celebrates first and second feature filmmakers, with ten Australian premiere films shortlisted this year.
The 2026 Bright Horizons nominees are:
- Big Girls Don’t Cry – Paloma Schneideman
- Blue Heron – Sophy Romvari
- Elephants in the Fog – Abinash Bikram Shah
- Goodbye, Cruel World – Félix de Givry
- Josephine – Beth de Araújo
- La Gradiva – Marine Atlan
- Sweet Milk Lake – Harvey Zielinski
- The Friend’s House Is Here – Hossein Keshavarz and Maryam Ataei
- Wicker – Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer
- Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep – Rakan Mayasi
Several filmmakers will travel to Melbourne for this year’s festival, including the directing duo behind Wicker, alongside Abinash Bikram Shah, Beth de Araújo, Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei, Paloma Schneideman, Rakan Mayasi, Sophy Romvari and Australian filmmaker Harvey Zielinski.
MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar said the Bright Horizons program has become one of the festival’s defining showcases for emerging filmmakers.
“The first- and second-features you’ll find throughout the Bright Horizons Competition are some of the boldest and most brilliant works of new auteur cinema that you’ll see this year, anywhere.”
Festival audiences can also purchase a dedicated Bright Horizons Pass, providing discounted access to three films from the competition.
Celebrating Australian screen talent
The Uncle Jack Charles Award recognises outstanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander screen creatives featured throughout the festival, with the winner receiving a $20,000 cash prize.
This year’s nominees are:
- Charles Perrurle Perkins – The Native Police
- Keinan William McGillivray Pethybridge and Marcus Raymond – Man Wearing a Helmet
- Kieran Satour and Tyson Perkins – Facing the Numbers
- Talia Liddle – Protest on the Dancefloor
- Tammy Lee Rock – Queens to the Front
Meanwhile, the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Director Award will see one filmmaker receive $50,000 plus a fully equipped URSA Cine 12K camera valued at $27,500.
The nominees are:
- Dario Russo – The Fox
- Harvey Zielinski – Sweet Milk Lake
- Hyun Lee – French Girls
- Maddelin McKenna – Mad Rush
Audience and short film awards return
Festival-goers will once again determine the recipient of the Intrepid Audience Award, voting for their favourite film through the MIFF app or online.
The MIFF Schools Youth Jury Award, presented by Collarts, also returns with a $10,000 prize judged by three filmmakers from the 2026 Top Screen class.
Short-form filmmaking will take centre stage when the 65th MIFF Shorts Awards are held on 16 August at Melbourne Town Hall. Presented by Armani Beauty, the awards feature a $50,000 prize pool, with winners in key categories becoming eligible for submission to the 98th Academy Awards and consideration for the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards.
When are the winners announced?
The winners of the 2026 MIFF Awards will be announced at a ceremony held at Rydges Melbourne on Saturday, 22 August, while the festival itself runs from 6–23 August across Melbourne cinemas.
A curated selection of festival highlights will also be available through MIFF Online from 14–30 August via ACMI’s Cinema 3 streaming platform.
For tickets, the Bright Horizons Pass and the full festival program, visit the official MIFF website.
