Major Aus Music Docs To Debut As Melbourne International Film Festival Returns IRL

The annual Melbourne International Film Festival is returning in the flesh this year after being forced online in 2020. The first announcements for the program were released today - featuring music documentaries chronicling some of the biggest Aussie names for the last 50+ years.

The first announcement in the field goes to Anonymous Club. A recipient of the MIFF Premiere Fund (which helps finance independently made Australian features), the film tracks the meteoric rise of Melbourne singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett. Shot across three years from 2018, director Danny Cohen shows an in-depth and raw glimpse into the much loved musician, with narration via an audio diary from Barnett herself.

Another Premiere Fund recipient is Jonathan Alley's Love In Bright Landscapes. A detailed and heartbreaking look into the story of The Triffids enigmatic frontman David McComb, the film looks back at the singer's colossal impact on the Australian music landscape and his ultimately untimely demise. Featuring never-before-seen footage and documents, interviews include the likes of Paul Kelly and McCoombs fellow Triffids members.

The iconic Archie Roach and his late wife Ruby Hunter are also being celebrated at MIFF this year. Telling the story of their groundbreaking 2004 collaborative concert with Paul Grabowsky’s Australian Art Orchestra, Phillipa Bateman's Wash My Soul In The River's Flow features live and behind the scenes footage of the event and recounts the story of these Stolen Generation performers.

International music docos are also slated for premiere during the fest including Sisters With Transistors - detailing the vital history of women in the history electronic music - and We Are The Thousand - which tracks the creation of the world's largest rock band and their mission to get the Foo Fighters to play in their town.

To see the full list from the first announcement for MIFF 2021, head to their website.