The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival returns in 2018, bringing with it plenty of top-notch Australian and international documentaries.

The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival boasts an amazing selection of documentaries across various genres.

They’re all worth watching, however’ we’ve compiled a list of 6 documentaries that stood out from the list.

Be sure to click on the film’s title to go taken to its page on the official website, where you can use the links to secure tickets.

The full list of movies screening at the festival can be found here.

The festival will run from July 6 – 14 across various sites around Melbourne, for full details, visit the official website here.

Filmworker

For fans of film and filmmaking, the intriguing documentary Filmworker should cover all the bases.

Plus anything based on the topic of one of the greatest directors of all time, Stanley Kubrick, is worth a look.

Synopsis: Leon Vitali gave up his career to become Stanely Kubrick’s personal assistant. For more than two decades Vitali played a crucial role behind-the-scenes helping Kubrick make and maintain his body of work. In Filmworker, Vitali’s experiences with Kubrick are brought together with previously unseen photos, videos, letters, notebooks, and memos from his private collection. Interviews with actors, family, crew members, and key film industry professionals who worked with Kubrick and Vitali are also utilized throughout this mesmerizing, unmissable documentary.

Big in Japan

Japanese people seem to have a wacky fascination with oddball foreign characters, to the point of turning them into national sensations.

Big in Japan looks at what it takes to become famous in Japan, in a hilarious fashion.

Synopsis: After hearing about the huge demand for foreign talent in Japan, ‘ordinary Melbourne guy’ Dave sets out on an outrageous mission to understand fame.

George Michael: Freedom

For all the music lovers out there, one of the biggest pop stars of all time, George Michael, gets a touching tribute in this new documentary.

Synopsis: George Michael Freedom – The Directors Cut is a deeply autobiographical story of George Michael’s life concentrating on the period around the making of his album “Listen Without Prejudice” and detailing his love, his loss, his court case with his record company and his struggle with fame. It is a poignant and intimate portrait of a music icon, narrated and co-directed by George Michael himself just before his death.

Living the Game

This documentary covers the competitive industry of Esports and the colourful characters that represent it.

This should please gamers, and even traditional sports fans will appreciate the levels of competitiveness and determination of Esports players.

Synopsis: A documentary about a variety of professional Esports personalities following them throughout the course of about a year. The focus is on Ultra Street Fighter IV.

Bam Bam

Another one for sports fans, Bam Bam looks to inspire people of all races and creeds to pursue their passions and defy stereotypes.

Check out a cool feature on Australian boxer Bianca ‘Bam Bam’ Elmir below.

Synopsis: Two time Australian Flyweight champion, Bianca ‘Bam Bam’ Elmir aims to be the first Australian to win a World Amateur Boxing Championship. A Lebanese Muslim girl from suburban Australia, she smashes the stereotypes of her family, society and her sport, to prove she is the best in the world.

Abducted in Plain Sight

For all the true crime lovers out there, Abducted in Plain Sight should give you the fix you’ve surely been yearning for between true crime related documentary viewings.

Synopsis: This story is told through re-creations and interviews with the FBI, Berchtold’s brother and Jan’s parents who make troubling, stunning and gut-wrenching revelations for the first time publicly. Abducted in Plain Sight reveals epic failures and untold personal dramas that point to the biggest tragedy of all – that the crimes could have been prevented.

Check out The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and get behind some local talent from July 6 – 14, 2018.

Visit the official site for the full list of films, along with venue information and links to secure tickets!