This is without a doubt, my favourite film of the festival so far. It tells the story of William, an aspiring actor, who meets and falls quickly and madly in love with Sara, a seductive singer/songwriter, just a few days…

Walking into the theatre, I really didn’t know what to expect from this film. Featuring in the “Forbidden Pleasures” section of the festival, I was sure that I was going to get a fair bit of nudity and adult themes….

Once again, the short film sessions at MIFF this year have all been extremely impressive. Caught, is a short and simple one gag film about a man who sleeps over at a woman’s house, and is unfortunately greeted by a…

Set mainly in a single location, Bug is an American horror/thriller essentially about two people who believe bugs are invading their home and their bodies. An exceptionally strange, yet pleasant man is brought along to a woman’s hotel room, and…

I was really impressed with the Short & Local films this year. It opened with Sian Davies film, Poetry, a beautiful, yet shadowy film about two teenage girls struggling with the complexities of the schoolyard, relationships and growing up. The…

This is a very strange and unconventional film about a screenwriter who is trying to write a screenplay about a young man who is on the run after he murdered his lover. The film constantly switches between fantasy and reality,…

The Bet Collector, a Philippines film, follows the life of Amy, an uncanny saleswoman who runs around town convincing people to part with their hard earned cast by placing bets on the illegal game of Jueteng, or by collecting money…

Directed by Tokyo born Hirokazu Kore-eda, Maborosi is an extremely slow, yet visually pleasing film about a young women’s struggle to get on with life after her husband commits suicide by jumping in front of a train – leaving their…

This is an extremely entertaining and obviously no-budget mockumentary about a fictional land rights claim in the town of Waimate, New Zealand. The Maori locals have been fighting for decades to regain their land, which they believe they were forcefully…

Exit, a Swedish film directed by Peter Lindmark, is probably one of the most thrilling and exciting films I’ve seen at MIFF so far. Thomas is a successful venture capitalist, with a beautiful wife and daughter, and a high-flying business…