Memoir of a Snail –the highly anticipated new feature from Melbourne-born Oscar-winning filmmaker Adam Elliot will officially open the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) when the beloved cultural event returns this August.
The film arrives 20 years after his 2004 Academy Award Win for Harry Trumpet and will be screened at the MIFF Opening Gala. The hand-crafted stop-motion wonder creatures voices from Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Magda Szubanski, Eric Bana, Tony Armstrong, Nick Cave and Jacki Weaver.
“After eight long years, producer Liz Kearney and I are a bit exhausted but thrilled to be asked to be the Opening Night film for MIFF 2024,” Elliot said.
“It is truly a Melbourne film and MIFF is the perfect place for its Australian premiere. About Melbourne, made by Melburnians and voiced by Melburnians, Memoir of a Snail is a handmade stop-motion film lovingly crafted by a team of local artists. Opening night at MIFF will be a celebration of their artistry and a celebration of this wonderful city in which we live.”
Proudly screening in Naarm and surrounds from 8-25 August, MIFF brings together some of the most talked about films of the year, hotly anticipated hits from the worldwide festival circuit and future award contenders – many of which will be shown for the first time in Australia – for 18 days of sheer cinematic revelry.
MIFF has revealed a first look at some of the titles that will be a part of this year’s program with more than 250 film from Australia and around the world set to illuminate screens this winter.
There will be round-the-clock screenings across seven CBD and inner city Melbourne theatres as well as talks, exhibitions and events taking place in the city’s restaurants, performance halls, museums, bars and special festival pop-ups.
Outside of metro Melbourne, the MIFF Regional showcase expands its far-reaching tour with venues in Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Echuca, Geelong, Rosebud and Shepparton set to screen some of the festival’s biggest titles.
And MIFF’s digital offering will be back from 9-25 August, with a limited selection of festival highlights, including new films, retrospectives, and free short films available on demand with MIFF Online – streaming via ACMI.
The full MIFF 2024 program, including the Bright Horizons competition line-up, will be unveiled on Thursday 11 July.
