Melbourne Documentary Film Festival

Opening Date: Saturday, 19 Jul 2025

The Dolphin Dilemma (Dir: Olivia Andrus-Drennan – 18m)

This film explores an international collaboration that, for the first time, proves that ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 19 Jul 2025

Memory Collector (Dir: Teddy Grouya - 20m)

A part-time archivist with a passion for old home movies scours thrift stores for ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 19 Jul 2025

A Journey Between the Fires is a deeply personal and compelling story following Award winning singer songwriter Troy Cassar-Daley as ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 19 Jul 2025

Palestinians Don’t Need Sidewalks (Dir: Jill Pauline Hickson – 71m)

A raw journey through occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, this ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 19 Jul 2025

Fire at Sea: The HMAS Westralia Disaster (Dir: David Jenkins - 82m)
A gripping investigation into the 1998 HMAS ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 19 Jul 2025

Stupa (Dir: Peter Downey – 52m)

The inside story of outsider art with Boinga Bob, an autistic artistic treasure from Australia ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 20 Jul 2025

Chasing Roo (Dir: Skye Fitzgerald – 34m)

An investigation into the harvesting of kangaroos in Australia, this film offers an intimate ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 20 Jul 2025

How to Sue the Klan (Dir: John Beder – 34m)

In 1982, five Black women from Chattanooga successfully sued the Ku ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 20 Jul 2025

Reflections of Courage (Dir: Janet Shay – 48m)

Reflections of Courage is a poignant 50-minute documentary chronicling the extraordinary journey of ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 20 Jul 2025

By Far Kaymakchalan (Dir: Boris Trbić and Dragan Gavrilović – 60m)

Uncovering Australia’s forgotten WWI role alongside Serbian forces, By Far ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 20 Jul 2025

Seen (Dir: Hailey Bartholomew – 75m)

A heartfelt exploration of self-discovery, Seen emphasizes the importance of understanding ourselves to support our ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 20 Jul 2025

The Longer You Bleed (Dir: Ewan Waddell)

This personal documentary follows displaced Ukrainians in Berlin contending with the traumatic absurdity of ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 20 Jul 2025

Space Cowboy (Dir: Marah Strauch and Bryce Leavitt – 95m)

An emotional odyssey of skydiving cinematographer Joe Jennings, Space Cowboy traces ... more

Opening Date: Tuesday, 22 Jul 2025

A haunting documentary about Japan’s “evaporated people” who vanish to escape societal pressures, exploring their stories and the cultural factors ... more

Opening Date: Tuesday, 22 Jul 2025

Human Race (Dir: Simon David de-Tusch Alec – 100m) Following professor Eske Willerslev’s quest to map 5,000 ancient human DNA profiles, ... more

Opening Date: Tuesday, 22 Jul 2025

Deep Ecology (54m)

Deep Ecology delves into the profound interconnectedness of our personal and collective grief with the ecological and systemic ... more

Opening Date: Tuesday, 22 Jul 2025

As the elusive pursuit of happiness continues to plunge humanity deeper into depression, Tim is forced onto a transformative journey, ... more

Opening Date: Wednesday, 23 Jul 2025

Our Warrior: The Story of Robbie Thorpe (Dir: Anthony Kelly – 53m)

A powerful portrait of Aboriginal activist Robbie Thorpe, Our ... more

Opening Date: Wednesday, 23 Jul 2025

Clear Sky (Dir: Michael Del Monte – 76m)

An unflinching portrait of Shawn’s battle with addiction and cultural disconnection, Clear Sky ... more

Opening Date: Thursday, 24 Jul 2025

NYAA WA (Dir: Charlie Braces – 60m) NYAA WA 'Take Care' is a Music Documentary featuring Naarm-based artist Charlie Needs ... more

Opening Date: Thursday, 24 Jul 2025

A River in the Middle of the Sky (Dir: Wahyu Al Mardhani & Chris C.F - 80m)

A River in the ... more

Opening Date: Friday, 25 Jul 2025

ENCORE SESSION: Sunday July 27, 8.00pm. Bonegilla - The Migrant's Journey (Dir: Simon Reich – 86m) After the Second World War, the Australian government decided to accept immigrants from countries other than the British Isles. This was the real beginnin ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 26 Jul 2025

Frozen Water (Dir: Anastasia Fetisov - 25m) Frozen Waters chronicles the awe-inspiring journey of endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh as he becomes the first person to swim beneath Antarctica's ice sheet. In this historic feat, Pugh swims 1 kilometre through su ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 26 Jul 2025

The Broken Goddess (Dir: Ximena Pereira – 21m)

The myth of María Lionza, a Venezuelan jungle deity, intertwines with a migrant ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 26 Jul 2025

Ferrari: Fury and the Monster (Dir: Steve Hoover – 80m)

Ferrari: Fury And the Monster tells the story of Mauro Forghieri ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 26 Jul 2025

Dancing Against the Odds (Dir: Matt Byrne – 64m)

In a stunning documentary accompanying the dance film Counterpoise, Dancing Against the ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 26 Jul 2025

Before 1770: The Journey Home (Dir: Wesam Charkawi & Fred El-Harris – 96m)

Challenging colonial narratives, ‘Before 1770’ uncovers the Yolngu ... more

Opening Date: Saturday, 26 Jul 2025

Exposing surfing’s toxic link to Neoprene and Cancer Alley, The Big Sea uncovers environmental racism and corporate greenwashing, urging the ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 27 Jul 2025

WASKA: The Forest Is My Family (Dir: Nina Gualinga – 15m)

As commodification and extractivism in the Amazon Rainforest extends to ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 27 Jul 2025

The New Peasants (Dir: Jordon Osmond – 66m)

An intimate portrait of a family’s 20-year transition to a sustainable, simple life, ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 27 Jul 2025

The Nicholas Building (Dir: Mark Newbold – 90m)

Since the early 1990s, the Nicholas Building has been a centre of arts, ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 27 Jul 2025

The Falcons (14m)

The Falcons is an intimate, observational documentary that explores the Tshakhruk Ethnoband in the highlands of Armenia, a ... more

Opening Date: Sunday, 27 Jul 2025

Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way (Dir: Stephanie Lane – 21m)

A family prepares for their mother's 60th birthday party while ... more

Opening Date: Tuesday, 29 Jul 2025

Piquancy Silent Heroes (Dir: Nandita Chakraborty - 54m)

Celebrating 16 unsung heroes from Melbourne’s diverse communities, Piquancy Silent Heroes highlights their ... more

Opening Date: Tuesday, 29 Jul 2025

A documentary directed by Brett Story and Stephen Maing that chronicles the grassroots efforts of Amazon workers at the JFK8 ... more

Opening Date: Wednesday, 30 Jul 2025

After the Rain: Putin’s Stolen Children Come Home (Dir: Sarah McCarthy – 80m)

Deep in a forest by the Baltic Sea, ... more

Opening Date: Wednesday, 30 Jul 2025

Left Behind (Dir: Anna Toomey – 76m)

Left Behind is the inspiring story of a group of determined and passionate moms ... more

Opening Date: Thursday, 31 Jul 2025

The Invisible Doctrine (Dir: Pete D Hutchison – 75m) George Monbiot deconstructs the roots, secretive propagation and deep impact of a ... more

Opening Date: Thursday, 31 Jul 2025

The Strongman and the Last Days of the Khmer Rouge (Dir: James Gerrand – 110m)

A revealing portrait of Cambodia’s Hun ... more

Opening Date: Wednesday, 6 Aug 2025

Love in the Walls (Dir: Samuel Kostevc - 1hr)

In a Melbourne social housing community, this moving 60-minute documentary explores residents’ ... more