EXPLOSION NETWORK
Independent Australian Video games, entertainment & pop culture
AUSTRALIA
Film Festival

10 films to check out at Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2023

<p class="">The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival is back for its eighth year for both films in the cinema and streaming at home. </p>

exc-64ae3c6c90331b144841b591

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2023 banner

The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival is back for its eighth year — with films both in-cinema and streaming at home.

The online program is streaming now, while the in-cinema slate at
Cinema Nova
starts on July 21.

I’ve sampled a handful already (some online now, some coming to Nova). Below are five I’ve watched and five I’m keen to catch.


Top 5 Films I’ve Watched So Far

Cover Your Ears

From Ice-T and Public Enemy to Twisted Sister, AC/DC and today’s
YSL Records case, this doc charts the long, looping battle over music censorship.
Much of the history will be familiar, but the framing — as a cycle we’re at risk of repeating —
lands with fresh urgency.

Energy: A Documentary about Damo Suzuki

I’d never heard of Damo Suzuki, his Network, or Can. This deeply moving portrait
follows a man living — and performing — through cancer, touching audiences well beyond the mainstream.

Musk Vs Bezos: The New Star Wars

Musk vs Bezos documentary still

A brisk overview of the SpaceX vs Blue Origin rivalry — boyhood dreams, billionaire egos,
and the bigger question of who truly benefits from this new space race.

Surviving Sunset: An Actor’s Hollywood Journey

Actor Shaun Anthony Robinson heads to Hollywood to figure out what it really takes.
Amateur edges aside, hearing from working actors (not megastars) is a refreshing angle.

The Girl in the Picture

The Girl in the Picture documentary still

Revisiting Nick Ut’s searing napalm photograph, this film speaks with the photographer,
the subject and on-the-ground journalists — unpacking that day, the war and the life that followed.


Top 5 Films I Want To Check Out

At 23,000 Feet

At 23,000 Feet documentary image

“After setting a speed record on Black Peak (6,387 m), Kovid Mittal sets his sights on a 23,000-foot ‘final chapter’ before Everest — despite limited experience. A journey of wrestling demons, chasing meaning and testing limits.”

Eat Bitter

“In the Central African Republic, a Chinese construction manager and a local sand worker labor on opposite ends of a bank build amid civil war — deadlines, coups and shutdowns threaten jobs, relationships and hopes.”

My Friend Freddie

My Friend Freddie documentary image

“A 25-year-old lets dice decide his life and ends up rooming with 65-year-old ‘Freddie’. An unlikely friendship becomes a naked, punk, heartbreaking road movie about longing, meaning and love.”

Rainbow Video

Rainbow Video documentary image

“A playful oral-history-meets-city-portrait of how Melbourne’s indie video shops shaped artists and weirdos alike — a crucial, transitional era whose impact still echoes.”

Teacher

Teacher documentary image

“Following Nkanga Nsa through a full year in Chicago Public Schools — training at Curtis School of Excellence while balancing a Master’s and motherhood — this raw portrait tackles burnout, hope and the stakes of a teacher shortage.”


How to watch

What are you planning to check out at MDFF 2023? Drop your picks in the comments!

Dylan Blight
WRITTEN BY

Dylan Blight

[He/Him] Dylan Blight is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Explosion Network, an independent Australian publication covering video games, film, television and pop culture. Since founding Explosion Network in 2017, Dylan has written and produced reviews, news, interviews, features and podcasts across the entertainment industry, while overseeing the publication's editorial direction and content.

MORE FROM DYLAN BLIGHT →
DISCUSSION

Comments

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Explosion Network

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Secret Link