Melbourne International Film Festival makes first line-up announcement

The Melbourne International Film Festival has announced its first 30 films.

Joining the The Sapphires, already announced as the opening night film, two Australian thrillers have been selected in the feature film section.

The directorial debut by the Colin and Cameron Cairnes, 100 Bloody Acres, is a gruesome comedy starring Angus Sampson and Damon Herriman.

Last Dance, by first-time director David Pulbrook, editor of The Cup and Hotel Sorrento, tells of the fallout of a terrorist attack on a synagogue by surviving bomber Sadiq Mohammad, played by Underbelly’s Firass Dirani as he seeks shelter in the house of holocaust survivor Ulah Lippman, played by Julia Blake.