MUFF 24 Schedule

Opening Night
Sunday December 8

4.30pm - Shorts Session 1
6pm - Kiss of Death - Directed by Terry McMahon - Irish/African - 90min

MUFF alumni Terry McMahon is back with his fourth feature, Kiss of Death. We have played and awarded his previous three features and we are honoured to play his new one on Opening Night.

This time Terry is off to Africa for a dark morality lesson. Naïve, idealistic, and passionate; Tony, a young teacher, is sent to teach in Northern Nigeria, where he believes he can transcend all differences through his commitment to the children and the job. But, when a girl collapses in his class and there are no female teachers to help the girl, Tony has no idea that his life-saving intervention might cost him his own life. McMahon explores his familiar themes of class, religious tension and clash of civilizations in this new work, with themes of darkness and ignorance that lead to tragedy.

McMahon’s fourth feature is a luminescent meditation on the Heart of Darkness, beautifully and transcendentally photographed and with a big heart.

The Shaver Mystery (short)

A highlight of MUFF 2024. Was sci-fi writer Richard Shaver really abducted and tormented by a malevolent subterranean race of hideous aliens? Regardless, his “true” stories – known collectively as “The Shaver Mystery” - were the most successful and controversial sci-fi tales of the mid 20th century.

8pm - Vincent and Crabgirl (short)
and After Party

Vincent Dir Matt Walsh - USA - 90 mns - doco Directed and starring Alan King - AUS -90min

Troubled writer Vincent Tremblay, escapes to an isolated retreat, determined to complete his first novel. However, his solitude is short lived as a powerful force suddenly manifests itself and Vincent finds himself caught firmly in its grasp. Vincent is a challenging black comedy, with fatalistic and fantastic touches that’s interpretation is open to the viewer.

A daring new Australian film, showcasing the diverse talents of Alan King as star, writer and director. You’ll know Alan’s work from past MUFF films, for e.g. the cinema of Tim Burns. The somewhat experimental, non-linear narrative that refers quite a bit to the Godard & the Nouvelle Vague, the conceptual ambiguity that he handles, makes this semiotic directorial debut film by Australian Alan King one of its high points of MUFF 24. Without a doubt, it makes its director and star a filmmaker to follow. It’s won awards in Germany and Chile and plays MUFF in 2024.

Crab Girl Dir Sergiy Pudich - Ukraine/Thai 19 mins

A young virgin guy does not manage to have sex with his beloved long-term girlfriend on his 23rd birthday. By putting an ultimatum on their relationship, he acknowledges the incredible truth beyond her rejection of him.

and Opening Night After Party

Monday December 9

430pm - Shorts Session 2
6pm - Shorts Session 3
8pm - Assault on Sacred Mountain
930pm - Vampire Zombies

Tuesday December 10

430pm - Conspiracy Session 1 - Winter Kills
6pm - Shorts Session 4
8pm - LA 4orce
followed by talk by International Guest Giovanni Zelko
10pm - Traumnovel

Wednesday December 11

430pm - Conspiracy Session 2 - Flashpoint
6pm - Shorts Session 5
8pm - Frank Howson’s Hunting
930pm - Frank Howson’s Remembering Nigel

Closing Night
Thursday December 12

230pm - Chainsaws Were Singing
430pm - Hunting Unicorns
6pm - Conspiracy Session 3 - The Formula
8pm - What is a Woman? - Directed by Matt Walsh - USA - 90min

A powerful documentary by  that challenges transgender ideology by asking a fundamental question: what does it mean to be a woman? Viewed from a Gender Critical perspective, the film argues that redefining “woman” as a subjective identity rather than a biological reality, erases women as a distinct sex class, with far-reaching consequences. Through interviews with doctors, activists, and others, Walsh exposes how this shift not only threatens the rights, protections, and unique experiences of women and girls but also destabilizes foundational societal structures. What is a Woman? calls for a return to biological definitions, contending that only by honouring the truth of two sexes can society preserve the integrity of womanhood and safeguard its social fabric.

and Closing Night Party