Last year three big movies came out and they all incorporated music – Wicked, A Complete Unknown and Emilia Perez. All three got a lot of buzz, both for their storylines and also their use of music within the film. There was a time in the late 70s where movie musicals were not an infrequent event, so it was refreshing to see films with good music being an important part of the story. Several upcoming movies will also incorporate music in a major way including Wicked for Good, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere and Blue Moon.
Movies and Music Have Been Intersecting Since Forever.
To name but a few: Oliver, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Grease, Muriel’s Wedding, Elvis, A Star is Born, Saturday Night Fever, Dream Girls, Tick Tick Boom, La La Land, Mamma Mia, This is Spinal Tap, West Side Story, Once, Mary Poppins, Sing Street, Cabaret, Rocketman… I could probably fill up an entire blog just naming them! There are also loads of films that may not be musical in nature, yet still feature loads of songs. Whether that be as background music in a coffee shop or to intensify a montage.
Australians seem especially partial to movies with music – a recent article in Mixdown Mag pointed out that music is frequently the backbone of Australian films, using it to heighten emotional moments, which helps to define the mood of the movie. Australian filmmakers often support local artists by featuring them on the soundtrack. This is the part of the blog where I remind you that getting your songs out to music supervisors is so important. Play MPE’s contact lists include verified sync curators who use Player to find music for commercials, TV scenes and yes, film soundtracks! You would be passing up a big opportunity not utilizing Play MPE’s Caster to send your music for synch consideration as part of your overall music marketing strategy for your recordings!
The Australian Film World is Thriving.
Australians are super proud of their indigenous artists: Successful films down under include Mystify, about INXS singer Michael Hutchence, The Sapphires, based on a real 1960s all-female Australian Aboriginal singing group and Thunderstruck, which focuses on 5 rabid AC/DC fans.
Maybe the most notable Australian musical film is Moulin Rouge, directed by Baz Luhrmann (Australian) and starring Nicole Kidman (Australian) and Ewan McGregor (not Australian!). It reached an international audience, was highly acclaimed, won 2 Oscars and 5 Australian Film Institute Awards, and became one of Australia’s highest grossing films.
Not surprisingly, Australia is very supportive of the film industry and has a lot of festivals coming up through the end of the year, so we are leaving you with a list here. In the words of the girl group The Sapphires, “It’s what’s in the groove that counts!”
Upcoming Film Festivals in Australia (2025)
September 2025
- Cairns Indigenous Art Fair Film Program – Cairns, QLD – Sept 2025 (exact dates TBA)
- Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) – Byron Bay, NSW – Sept 18–27, 2025
October 2025
- Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) – Adelaide, SA – Oct 15–26, 2025
- Environmental Film Festival Australia (EFFA) – Melbourne, VIC – Oct 2025 (dates TBA)
- SciFi Film Festival – Sydney, NSW – Oct 2025 (TBA)
November 2025
- Queer Screen’s Queer Film Fest – Sydney, NSW – Nov 2025 (TBA, usually early Nov)
- Flickerfest International Short Film Festival (regional tour begins late 2025) – starts Nov 2025 and runs into 2026 across Australia
December 2025
- Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) – Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra – Nov–Dec 2025
2026 Early-Year Festivals
- Sydney Film Festival (SFF) – Sydney, NSW – June 2026
- Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) – Melbourne, VIC – Aug 2026
- Tropfest (short film) – Sydney, NSW – Feb 2026
- Gold Coast Film Festival – Gold Coast, QLD – April 2026
- St Kilda Film Festival – Melbourne, VIC – May 2026