Bright Horizons Award
Supported by VicScreen
La Gradiva (director: Marine Atlan)
“After much deliberation we have chosen to give the Bright Horizons Award to a work we found deeply moving, from a filmmaker whose assured voice was immediately evident. We were impressed by the cinematic craft, which drew us close to the characters and left us transported, along with a gently unfolding plot, a shifting point of view between characters that illuminated their various privileges, and exquisite performances from an ensemble cast of young actors and Antonia Buresi as their teacher.” – 2026 MIFF Awards Jury
MIFF has announced the winners of the 2026 MIFF Awards, presenting a prize pool of more than $300,000 across a suite of five categories. The flagship Bright Horizons Award, amounting to A$140,000, was awarded to a film by an outstanding filmmaker on the rise. This year’s winner is La Gradiva, directed by Marine Atlan.
This year’s Jury was led by Sundance award–winning Australian director Sophie Hyde, alongside independent filmmaking pioneer Joe Swanberg (The Sun Never Sets, MIFF 2026); Sundance Grand Jury Prize–winning filmmaker Desiree Akhavan (The Miseducation of Cameron Post); Iranian-Australian filmmaker Noora Niasari, whose debut feature Shayda opened MIFF in 2023; breakthrough Australian actor Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road; Yellowjackets); and Singaporean producer Tan Si En, co-producer of Cannes Competition title Nagi Notes (MIFF 2026).
Other nominees
- Big Girls Don’t Cry (dir. Paloma Schneideman)
- Blue Heron (dir. Sophy Romvari)
- Elephants in the Fog (dir. Abinash Bikram Shah)
- The Friend’s House Is Here (dir. Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei)
- Goodbye, Cruel World (dir. Félix de Givry)
- Josephine (dir. Beth de Araújo)
- Sweet Milk Lake (dir. Harvey Zielinski)
- Wicker (dir. Alex Huston Fischer, Eleanor Wilson)
- Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep (dir. Rakan Mayasi)
Blackmagic Design Best Australian Director Award
“For the weirdness, the inventive storytelling, and wrangling a talking fox and magpie inside this very Australian modern folktale, the jury awards the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Director award to Dario Russo for The Fox.” – 2026 MIFF Awards Jury
Dario Russo receives a $50,000 cash prize and a fully kitted URSA Cine 12K camera (valued at $27,500).
The Uncle Jack Charles Award
Supported by the MIFF Lumiere Patrons, this award recognises an outstanding Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander screen creative with a $20,000 cash prize. The Jury comprised acclaimed Nyikina actor, writer, producer and MIFF Ambassador Mark Coles Smith; Wiradjuri-Gomeroi scholar and public policy strategist Dr Todd Fernando; and Wiradjuri curator and RISING festival senior curator of music Hayley Percy. This year’s winner is Protest on the Dancefloor, directed by Talia Liddle.
Other awards include the Intrepid Audience Award which was given to Isaac Elliott’s documentary Hard as Puck and the MIFF Schools Jury Award which was given to Fernanda Torres’ Sad Girlz
the Curb would like to personally thank Caitlyn Miles from Common State for her openness and dedication to supporting our writers.