Melbourne Underground Film Festival

The Melbourne Underground Film Festival (also known as MUFF) was formed out of disagreements over the content and running of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). When director Richard Wolstencroft's film Pearls Before Swine was not accepted by the Melbourne International Film Festival, Wolstencroft claimed it was because his film was too confrontational for the tastes of MIFF. As a response to the film's rejection by MIFF, Wolstencroft founded MUFF in 2000 as an alternative independent film festival, featuring mostly genre, controversial, transgressive and avant garde material. MUFF has been known for controversy with a recent public disobediance screening of Bruce LaBruce's LA Zombie gaining world wide attention including coverage in the New York Times. The festival (now in its 11th year in 2010) has been out spoken on the poor state of the Australia Film Industry and the need to make more local genre films, has championed many issues of Freedom of Speech and outsider politics and ideas. The festival has also discovered (first world festival to show the work of) Australian directors like James Wan, Greg McLean, Scott Ryan, Spierig brothers, Stuart Simpson, Andrew Traucki, David Nerlich, Neil McGregor (film director) and many others. International Guests of MUFF have included Bruce LaBruce, Lloyd Kaufman, William Lustig, Ron Jeremy, American film director Chris Folino, Michael Tierney, Peter Christopherson, Jim Van Bebber, Bret Easton Ellis and Geretta Geretta.

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