Melbourne Documentary Film Festival

Since launching in 2015, the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (MDFF) has become one of Australia's leading destinations for documentary cinema. Dedicated exclusively to nonfiction storytelling, the festival brings together filmmakers and audiences from around the world to celebrate bold, original, and thought-provoking documentaries.
Over the past decade, MDFF has screened hundreds of films at iconic Melbourne venues including Cinema Nova, IMAX Melbourne, and Federation Square, while building a vibrant community through filmmaker Q&As, networking events, industry panels, workshops, and educational programs.

More than a screening platform, MDFF is committed to helping filmmakers make, exhibit, promote, and sell their work. By championing both emerging and established voices, the festival continues to strengthen documentary culture in Melbourne, across Australia, and throughout the Asia-Pacific.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, MDFF presented more than 230 documentaries alongside an exciting program of special events, retrospectives, filmmaker conversations, and industry initiatives. Hundreds of filmmakers and thousands of attendees gathered across 11 venues, transforming Melbourne into a city-wide celebration of documentary storytelling.

The milestone edition featured a record number of Australian documentaries, further reinforcing MDFF's reputation as Melbourne's premier documentary-only film festival and one of the Asia-Pacific's most respected documentary events.
At MDFF, we believe the best documentary stories find us rather than the other way around. They demand to be told, challenge us to listen, and ultimately transform both filmmakers and audiences. Our mission is to champion the storytellers who bring those stories to life.

For more than a decade, MDFF has connected documentary filmmakers with audiences, distributors, broadcasters, journalists, programmers, and fellow creatives, creating opportunities for films to travel further, reach wider audiences, and make a lasting impact.

MDFF: Documentaries Reimagined.

Our multi-award-winning festival also presents acclaimed documentaries from many of the world's leading film festivals while showcasing the very best in Australian and international nonfiction cinema.

Our Programs
Documentaries Reimagined
Original, innovative, and cutting-edge documentaries that challenge conventions and expand the possibilities of nonfiction storytelling.

Documentaries Rescored
Classic, archival, and retro documentaries reimagined through original live and recorded scores by musicians, artists, and composers.

Docs After Dark
Cult classics, experimental gems, quirky discoveries, humorous oddities, and boundary-pushing documentaries that embrace the strange, the bold, and the unexpected—proving that reality is often stranger than fiction.

Screentalk
Masterclasses, workshops, and in-depth conversations with leading documentary filmmakers and nonfiction storytellers.

Why Submit to MDFF?
MDFF is one of the world's most filmmaker-focused documentary festivals, championing bold voices, celebrating originality, and creating meaningful opportunities for filmmakers to connect with audiences and industry professionals.
Whether your film is an award-winning feature, an emerging short, or an innovative experimental documentary, MDFF is a home for stories that matter.
Join a global community of documentary filmmakers and become part of Australia's largest celebration of documentary storytelling.