Arts and culture · Eventpress newsroom report
La Gradiva wins the $140,000 Bright Horizons Award at MIFF 2026
Marine Atlan's film took the Melbourne International Film Festival's top prize, and Dario Russo was named Best Australian Director for The Fox.
Eventpress newsroom report. Written by the Eventpress newsroom from the organiser's published information and the reporting listed under the story. Eventpress is not affiliated with Melbourne International Film Festival. Media enquiries about the event go to the organiser.
MELBOURNE, Australia, 23 August 2026 - La Gradiva, directed by Marine Atlan, has won the $140,000 Bright Horizons Award at the 2026 Melbourne International Film Festival. The MIFF Awards, with a prize pool of more than $300,000, were announced at Rydges Melbourne on Saturday 22 August, according to the festival's announcement as published by BroadwayWorld.
Dario Russo received the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Director Award for The Fox, worth $50,000 and a Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K camera valued at $27,500, Variety Australia reported.
The Uncle Jack Charles Award, worth $20,000, went to Talia Liddle for Protest on the Dance Floor. The MIFF Schools Youth Jury Award, a $10,000 cash prize, went to Fernanda Tovar for Sad Girlz, with a special mention for Josef Gatti's Phenomena. Isaac Elliott won the Intrepid Audience Award for Hard as Puck; Nick Mayow and Prisca Bouchet won the City of Melbourne Grand Prix for Best Short Film for Lion's Rock; and Andrew Dang and Jak Scanlon received the $10,000 Armani Beauty Talent of Tomorrow Award for Last Chance to Evacuate Earth.
The international jury for the Bright Horizons and Best Australian Director awards was led by Sophie Hyde, with Joe Swanberg, Desiree Akhavan, Noora Niasari, Courtney Eaton and Tan Si En, according to Variety Australia.
MIFF artistic director Al Cossar said in the announcement: “Every year, the MIFF Awards are truly transformative for their recipients.”
The festival ran in cinemas from 6 to 23 August, and MIFF Online runs from 14 to 30 August. The festival's website lists its 75th edition for 5 to 22 August 2027.
About the event: The Melbourne International Film Festival screens films in Melbourne cinemas each August, with an online program. miff.com.au
This report was prepared by the Eventpress newsroom from the festival's announcement and the reporting cited under the story. Eventpress is not affiliated with the event.
Media enquiries about the event: the organiser, via miff.com.au. Corrections: Eventpress Newsroom, media@eventpress.org
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