Immigration Museum is a much-loved space in the cultural landscape of Melbourne city. Housed in the historic Customs House on the banks of the Yarra River, the building is a portal to stories of Melbourne in all their challenging complexity.

In addition to learning programs and exhibitions, Immigration Museum also hosts artists, creators, community, and cultural groups, as well as lectures and events that explore the museum’s extensive collection and provides insight into the rich social history of Melbourne.

With MIFF 2023 upon us, some of Immigration Museum’s recent collaborators tell us what films they’re most excited about in this year’s festival.

Above: I, Your Mother  |  Header: Come and Work

By Maleik Njoroge

Getting to watch a Safi Faye film is truly a rare pleasure; even finding trailers for her body of work is hard to come by.

Safi Faye’s cinematic oeuvre is a treasure trove of cultural insights, social commentaries and personal reflections. Each film she crafted was infused with her unique perspective and delightful storytelling approach, leaving an indelible mark on African cinema and the broader cinematic landscape. Fortunately, this year’s MIFF is honouring the ‘Mother of African Cinema’ by screening five of her incredible films as part of the Director in Focus: Safi Faye strand, allowing audiences to delve into her captivating storytelling once more.

Whether it is the first African film screened at Cannes, Come and Work, or I, Your Mother, which hits close to home for an immigrant living away from their family, you have a rare opportunity to enjoy and celebrate a true revolutionary filmmaker.

Four Daughters

By Kate Robinson

As an only child, there is nothing I love more than a story about sisterhood. Four Daughters tells the story of Olfa Hamrouni, whose two eldest daughters vanish and join the Islamic State. The docudrama weaves between fact and fiction as actors step in to play two of the sisters and sometimes Olfa herself. The actors become a tool to explore their family history and delve into their choices in a way that I think many of us wish we could with our own families.

Memory Film: A Filmmaker‘s Diary

By Michelle Chen

When we watch movies, we are focused on the stories and the characters; it’s seldom we see the filmmakers behind them.

As a videogame developer, I make games about my experiences, so I’m excited to see Jeni Thornley’s Memory Film: A Filmmaker’s Diary and how her life played a part in the documentaries she created. I enjoyed watching the trailer and Jeni’s commentary about taking her camera with her all the time, as well as all the different times and spaces she captured such as the women’s liberation movement and other snippets seen through her eyes and her super-8 camera.