Testimonials

Festival Director's Statement

Organisational Profile

The Melbourne Underground Film Festival [MUFF] is an independent and non-profit organisation that showcases a diversity of film and video based works in the areas of underground, independent, guerrilla and exploitation. MUFF presents both new features and shorts, as well as presenting an innovative selection of curated programs and retrospectives.

MUFF will next run from Thursday 3 July to Sunday 13 July 2003, in Melbourne Australia.

MUFF is driven to make a significant contribution to the cultural enrichment of the community by illustrating the vibrancy, vitality and enthusiasm of the free-thinking, alternative, independent filmmaking scene in Australia and overseas. Particularly a young vital voice distinct from the errors and entropy of other larger festivals.

To also provide a dynamic forum for independent filmmakers and screen artists to come together, experience, network, and participate in forums and screenings, promote discourse and to debate screen styles and content.

And to develop an event which embraces new ideas and cross-disciplinary art forms incorporating aspects of underground culture including music, fashion, art, photography and digital media, to highlight the changing environment of independent filmmaking and the culture that surrounds it.

History

The Melbourne Underground Film Festival was realised in July 2000, when a small group of filmmakers and dedicated cinephiles screened works concurrent with the Melbourne International Film Festival. What was inspired by a reaction against conservative and mainstream programming, quickly grew into an opportunity and support system for previously untapped films and their makers to afford local and valued screenings.

Highlights of the Melbourne Underground Film Festival include our retrospective spotlight on New Zealand film director Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings trilogy); our retrospective spotlight of surrealist Polish maverick Walerian Borowczyk; our Dogme 95 focus; spotlight programs of horror filmmakers Dario Argento and Jess Franco, and guerrilla filmmakers Harun Farocki and James Fotopoulos; the retrospectives of Australian Cult Cinema – including works by Peter Weir, Rolf de Heer and Jon Hewitt; programs of street culture films and documentaries; international premieres Porn Star and Sleepless; our Australian premieres and award winners such as Narcosys and Four Jacks. In addition, the popularly attended shorts programs, 2001’s controversial and lively censorship debate and last year’s overwhelmingly popular Sexy MUFF program.

The Melbourne Underground Film Festival has premiered 43 new features, unspooled over 70 features in the retrospective and spotlight programs, and more than 250 shorts in its previous three years running. In it’s celluloid slate MUFF has hosted forums, featured appearances by local and international directors, assembled an independent and underground celebrity jury panel for the festival's closing night awards, as well as celebrating with after parties each night at some of Melbourne's most progressive venues.