The 61^st Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is proud to announce that the 2012 Festival will open with the Australian Premiere of The Sapphires. Australia’s brightest stars and biggest names in film and entertainment will walk the red carpet at one of the most anticipated events on the Australian film calendar.

Festival Director Michelle Carey commented “MIFF is thrilled to be presenting The Sapphires straight from Cannes. Not only is this one of the most anticipated Australian films of the year, a Victorian story and a brilliant filmmaking team, the film will leave audiences on an immense high, ready to kick up their heels at what is sure to be one of the most celebratory parties of the year.”

TIckets are on sale NOW for a series of four all-day script seminars from leading Los Angeles-based developer, writer and lecturer Wendall Thomas who has written and developed projects for companies including Disney, Warners, Paramount, Universal and Showtime and teaches at UCLA's Graduate Film School as well as consulting for the ACE Producing Program in Paris and the New Zealand Film Commission’s Rewrite Workshops.

Presented exclusively to Melbourne by the Melbourne International Film Festival’s MIFF 37ºSouth Market & Accelerator, the four stand-alone Wendall Thomas Talks Scripts seminars run 6th to 9th August inclusive.

The Next Gen program for younger viewers has been announced. Across animation, drama and documentary, these fascinating films sensitively explore issues such as prejudice, war, violence, grief and bullying.

Among the animations are A Letter to Momo, Hiroyuki Okiura’s tale of a young, grieving girl and three michievoud spirits; and ParaNorman, a vividly engaging 3D zombie tale from the makers of Coraline (MIFF 09). The dramas include 11 Flowers, a sensitive portrayal of boyhood set during the Chinese Cultural Revolution; and Kauwboy, a double award winner at the 2012 Berlinale. And in the docoumentary category there's a special coming-of-age double feature; and the controversial must-see Bully, which looks at the issue of schoolyard bullying.

Click here to view the full program.

TIckets are on sale NOW for a series of three Adrian Wootton's acclaimed Illustrated Film Talks, this year focusing on Charles Dickens and Film to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the most screen-adapted author in history. Presented exclusively to Melbourne by the Melbourne International Film Festival’s MIFF 37ºSouth Market & Accelerator and The Wheeler Centre, the 90-minute talks by Wootton (a former British Film Institute and London Film Festival Director) run 17, 18 and 19 August.