MUMBAI: This year‘s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) will begin with the Belgian film The Fairy and the world premiere of Fred Schepisi‘s The Eye Of The Storm when it opens July 21.

Said MIFF artistic director Michelle Carey, "The Fairy is that rare case of a festival-friendly film that is honorably humanist and inventive yet unapologetically accessible and comical. That it is also whimsical and a little nostalgic makes it the perfect opening for the 60th MIFF."

Other important events include Morgan Spurlock who will present the Australian premiere of his POM Wonderful Presents: the Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and master classes with Lisa Gerrard and French comedy writer-director Frances Veber.
 
In all 300 films will screen at the festival across a number of sidebars including Australian Showcase, Prime Time – a focus on works made for television by feature film directors, including the world premiere of ABCTV drama, The Slap, and a partnership with Festival Scope featuring 12 films from 12 countries in the European Union, from Greece to Germany, Slovenia to Spain. It will also include TeleScope will sketch a cinematic map of contemporary European film with highlights including Spain‘s Finnesterrae, and The Solitude of Prime Numbers.

Other sidebars include Accent on Asia, which brings the very best of Asian cinema to MIFF audiences including legendary director Takeshi Kitano‘s Outrage and Thailand‘s Sivaroj Kongsakul‘s feature film, Eternity and This Sporting Life among others.

he festival‘s ever-expanding, four-day film co-financing event MIFF 37?South Market, will again be held on the opening weekend with a record 100 selected Australian/NZ producers matched with national and international financing guests.