MIFF Schools

MIFF Schools returns in 2023 – in cinemas and online – as part of the festival’s 71st edition. The program has been curated with a view to presenting high-quality, diverse films in some of the languages commonly taught in Victorian schools (French, Mandarin, Spanish and Japanese), and to align with several Victorian Curriculum learning areas and capabilities.

In-cinema tickets cost $13 per student (and free for teachers), while each stream can be booked for $35. Cinema screenings will be held during the festival period (3–20 August), and streaming via MIFF Play will be available on 18–27 August. Find out more about each film and bookings via the links below.

Find out more about MIFF Schools here.

Deep Sea

China (2023, dir. Tian Xiaopeng) – 112 mins

Language: Mandarin

Heed the call of the waves and dive headfirst into this innovative and visually resplendent Chinese animation.

Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be

France (2022, dirs. Amandine Fredon & Benjamin Massoubre) – 82 mins

Language: French

In this Annecy Best Feature–winning adaptation of France’s famed 'Le petit Nicolas' comic book series, a mischievous character meets the men who brought him to life.

Neneh Superstar

France (2022, dir. Ramzi Ben Sliman) – 98 mins

Language: French

Put on your ballet shoes for this triumphant, feel-good tale of a 12-year-old Parisian dancer who overcomes the odds of institutional prejudice.

Paula

Argentina, Italy (2022, dir. Florencia Wehbe) – 89 mins

Language: Spanish

In this sensitively told drama, a teenager’s battle with body image is a microcosm for the crushing weight of beauty standards on all young women.

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

Japan (2022, dir. Taguchi Tomohisa) – 83 mins

Language: Japanese

When the laws of time and space are turned topsy-turvy, what would you give up for one last moment with a lost love?

This Is Going to Be Big

Australia (2023, dir. Thomas Charles Hyland) – 90 mins

Language: English

Peer behind the curtain as a cast of neurodivergent teens prepare to come of age and hit the stage in their school’s time-travelling, John Farnham–themed musical.