The Rose Byrne-led dramedy, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, has been announced as the official Opening Night film of the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), with tickets now on sale. The blistering second feature from US writer-director Mary Bronstein will make its Australian Premiere this August, hot off a rapturous reception at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and Bryne’s Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at Berlinale.
The festival’s prestigious Opening Night Gala will take place at Hoyts Melbourne Central on Thursday 7th August, ushering in a thrilling three weeks of cinema across the city and beyond. Running through to Sunday 24th August, MIFF 2025 invites audiences to ‘Look Closer’ and discover the stories that shape ideas, surprise us and shift our perspective. From bold local filmmaking to international discoveries, this year’s program promises unforgettable screen experiences across Melbourne’s most iconic venues and regional Victoria locations. Throughout much of August, MIFF’s packed program of special events, only at MIFF moments, filmmaker conversations and immersive encounters will celebrate the breadth and depth of cinema.
Ahead of the film’s Australian Premiere at MIFF, writer-director Bronstein said, “I am beyond thrilled to be bringing If I Had Legs I’d Kick You to MIFF. That would have been enough, but I am further honored and gobsmacked to have been selected to open the festival. My film is built around unprecedented performance by one of the most talented actors that has ever come out of Australia: Rose Byrne. It is all the more meaningful for me to be able to personally share Rose’s soul-shattering work, along with the stunningly raw co-starring performance of fellow Australian Danielle MacDonald, with such celebration and reverence in their home country.” Bronstein continued, “This New Yorker has never been to the other side of the globe before and I can’t think of a better way to first experience beautiful Melbourne than through such deep appreciation for not just my film, but cinema in general, as MIFF is known around the world for.”
Of this year’s Opening Night Gala and the festival to come, MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar said, “I’m so thrilled the electrifying If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You opens this year’s MIFF with some of the most intensely accomplished filmmaking you’ll see this year. Urgent, funny, and audacious, we couldn’t be prouder that Bronstein’s singular vision will set the start to MIFF’s 18 day immensity of cinema-going, as we welcome Melbourne audiences back once more to our 300+ film adventure through the world’s imagination”
Featuring a monumental central performance from Bryne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You follows Linda, an emotionally depleted and physically stretched psychologist juggling demanding clients, the needs of a sick child and a growing abyss that has formed in her apartment roof. With supporting appearances from Conan O’Brien, Christian Slater, A$AP Rocky and Australia’s own Danielle Macdonald, the film careens between anxious comedy and raw emotional depth as Linda goes from barely keeping it together to outright desperation. Anchored by Byrne’s razor-sharp timing and disarming vulnerability, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You delivers a darkly funny, deeply human portrait of one working mother’s reluctant resilience.
News of this year’s Opening Night feature arrives after MIFF’s recent First Glance line-up announcement, which shared an exciting advance look at the 2025 festival slate. Early highlights include the premieres of seven projects supported by the MIFF Premiere Fund; a one-of-a-kind live score performance by Julia Holter accompanying The Passion of Joan of Arc at Melbourne Recital Centre; acclaimed Korean composer Jung Jae-il performing his haunting score for Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite alongside Orchestra Victoria; and a handpicked selection of fresh international cinema from right across the globe.
Beyond the city lights, MIFF heads back on the road for another year of MIFF Regional, bringing a curated selection of festival favourites to cinemas statewide over the weekends of 15th – 17th August and 22nd – 24th August. The regional program includes screenings in Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Morwell, Geelong, Rosebud, Sale, and Shepparton, with support from VicScreen. For audiences nationwide, MIFF Online returns from 15th – 31st August, offering an extended 18-day window of at-home viewing; showcasing a limited selection of festival titles alongside a collection of free short films, the digital platform – hosted on ACMI’s Cinema 3 – continues the MIFF experience beyond the closing credits in cinemas.
Capping off the festival, the MIFF Awards will take place on Saturday 23rd August, honouring outstanding filmmaking talent with one of the most generous prize pools in the world. At its heart is the $140,000 Bright Horizons Award, presented with the support of the Victorian Government through VicScreen.
The MIFF 2025 program will be revealed in full on Thursday 10th July. Tickets to the Opening Night Gala presentation of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You are available to members from 10.00am AEST today and to the general public at 10.00am AEST on Wednesday 2 July. Attendees can choose a film-only ticket to enjoy the fun on the red carpet or a film and party ticket which includes access to MIFF’s legendary Opening Night Gala after party at the State Library of Victoria.
Audiences are encouraged to plan ahead, with MIFF Multipasses and MIFF Memberships – which offer exclusive pre-sale access including allocated seating (in select venues) – available for purchase now via miff.com.au/tickets. Tickets for Julia Holter: The Passion of Joan Arc are on sale now via the Melbourne Recital Centre website. Tickets for the Parasite live score, presented by Orchestra Victoria, are available from Arts Centre Melbourne. All other tickets will go on sale to MIFF Members for an exclusive pre-sale from 8pm AEST Thursday 10th July and will be on sale to the general public from 10am AEST Tuesday 15th July.
