Melbourne International Animation Festival

Melbourne International Animation Festival

Also known as: MIAF
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International competition programmes form the core of the Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF), alongside Australian animation and student showcases. Its themed screenings explore abstraction, character-based storytelling and unconventional late-night work. Retrospectives and filmmaker presentations extend the programme beyond new releases, treating animation as an art form across different techniques and approaches.

Established in 2001 and organised by Melbourne Animation Posse, the festival presents work from Australia and around the world in Melbourne. Its International Student Animation Festival combines short-film programmes with conversations about filmmaking, while Meet the Filmmaker sessions pair screenings with presentations and questions. The programme includes emerging and established animators, with screenings at Treasury Theatre in Melbourne and The Backlot Studios in South Melbourne.

Country

Australia

Categories

Animation

Awards and prizes

The published 2026 award structure includes Best of the Festival, Best Australian, Best Australian Student Film and Best International Student Film. Individual international competition programmes and Late Night Bizarre have programme winners, with special mentions where awarded. Audience awards recognise films in the Australian and Australian student showcases, international competition programmes, Late Night Bizarre and international student programmes.

Festival rules

The published 2026 regulations accept animated films completed after 1 January 2024, with exceptions at the Festival Director’s discretion. Entry is free, with no limit on the number of films; each film requires a separate entry form, while schools and distributors can request a multiple-entry form. The submitter must control the film and music rights and accept the regulations. Selection copies must be downloadable, with online links preferred. The Festival Director controls selection and programme placement; selected films receive a formal invitation. High-resolution MPEG4, H.264 or Apple ProRes 4:2:2 files are preferred for screening. Selected films permit promotional use of stills and excerpts of up to 3% or 20 seconds, whichever is shorter. Submitted films are also considered by partner festivals, which issue separate screening invitations.

Contacts

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