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Featuring films from across the globe, this year’s Next Gen program is a fresh and vibrant treat for the young, and the young at heart. Packed with mature, intelligent and challenging stories, these are films that give insight into cultures around the world and open young minds to the possibilities of cinema.

Classification of Next Gen Films

All films featured as part of the Next Gen program are approved for screening by the Attorney General’s Department, Classification Branch. Next Gen screenings are open to all ages. People under the age of 15 must attend in the company of an adult guardian.

In order to assist parents, guardians and teachers in making informed decisions about children’s viewing, when films have not yet been classified MIFF has provided suitability recommendations according to age. Under the ‘MIFF Recommends’ section of each film description you will find the age range we believe to be best suited to the film, according to the official guidelines of the Attorney General’s Department, Classification Branch.

This content advice is designed as a guide only. If you would like more information about individual films, please don’t hesitate to contact the Festival office on 03 8660 4888.

	AFRICA UNITED (M) (UK/South Africa, 88 min) A story of joy, laughter, hope and generosity. And football. When Fabrice, a young Rwandan with dreams of being a football star, is given the chance to audition for the 2010 World Cup, he sets off on a ramshackle journey across Africa, his self-appointed 'manager' Dudu and his sister Beatrice in tow. Their haphazard expedition sees them encounter former child soldiers, slave owners and others determined to help them on their way to Johannesburg. More >
	FALLING FOR SAHARA (Australia, 81 min) Three young African refugees in Melbourne's inner-west find that love is never simple - especially when they all have eyes for the same girl. Beniam, Ramsy and MJ are best friends. Hanging out at the Flemington housing commission flats they call home, the three Africans share a tight bond and a love of footy. But with the arrival of Sahara - smart, beautiful and AFL-mad - the three friends suddenly find themselves competing for the same girl. More >
	THE LIVERPOOL GOALIE (Norway, 85 min) A Scandinavian coming-of-age comedy about the hardest lesson of high school - learning to take a risk. Twelve-year-old Jo is terrified of all the usual stuff: bullies, soccer practice, girls, crossing the street... Some might call him a little anxious, but he's just doing his best to survive the perils of high school life. Having a neurotic single mum and a lunatic football coach doesn't make things any easier, but worst of all is Tom, the bully who keeps making Jo do his homework for him. More >
	THE MATCHMAKER (Israel, 112 min) A lively coming-of-age story set in 1968, when the West's 'summer of love' finally spilled into conservative Israel. An avid reader of crime fiction, 16-year-old Arik can't believe his luck when he lands a summer job doing detective work for Yankele, a Holocaust survivor who makes his living as a matchmaker. Brushing shoulders with the strange residents of the seedy port district of Haifa, Arik quickly realises he has a lot to learn about love - especially when he meets Tamara, his rebellious cousin visiting from America. More >
	MY WEDDING AND OTHER SECRETS (New Zealand, 88 min) New Zealand audiences have embraced this charming, oddball comedy about the challenges of cross-cultural love. When Chinese-New Zealand film student Emily meets the daggy-but-adorable James, they fall for each other almost instantly. Everything seems perfect, but there's just one little problem: Emily's traditional parents will never accept her dating - much less marrying - a non-Chinese. Still, what they don't know won't hurt them, right? More >
	ON THE SLY (MA15+) (Belgium/France, 77 min) In a not-so far away land, not-so long ago, lived an ordinary little girl called Cathy... Suspecting she is invisible to her parents, six-year-old Cathy decides to test the theory by disappearing into the forest. And so begins an extraordinary adventure - with a little help from Cathy's overactive imagination. More >
	TALES OF THE NIGHT (France, 84 min) French master of animation Michel Ocelot (Azur and Asmar, MIFF 2007) presents a fantastical and entrancing series of six fairytales, lovingly animated in silhouetted 3D. Every night a young actor and actress meet at a local theatre and, with the aid of an elderly projectionist, craft magical tales of love and redemption. More >
	THE UGLY DUCKLING (Russia, 75 min) The classic Hans Christian Andersen tale gets a glorious stop-motion makeover at the hands of legendary Russian animator Garri Bardin. In a farmyard populated with roosters, hens, ducks and geese, a strange-looking duckling is born. Shunned by the others for looking different, our plucky avian protagonist must persevere until he can find a place where he belongs. More >
	UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE (China, 115 min) Veteran director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Not One Less) brings us a story of youthful passion amid the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution of 1970s China. With her father a political prisoner, trainee teacher Jing is sent to a provincial village as part of her 're-education'. There she meets Sun, a smart, handsome geology student - the attraction between them is immediate and unmistakable. More >
	WINTER'S DAUGHTER (Germany/Poland, 92 min) A touching story about a young girl determined to track down her biological father. Eleven-year-old Kattaka is celebrating Christmas with her parents when an unexpected phone call turns her world upside down. The shocking news: her dad isn't really her dad. Her biological father is a stranger, a Russian sailor named Alexi. More >