The 2012 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) program is out there and, as usual, it's goddamn overwhelming (in a good way). We attempt to make sense of the names, dates, categories and countries on the showreel.

Down at the old*, haunted** Planetarium they're turning the full-dome into a unique screen for two showcases; journey into the barrier reef (Coral: Rekindling Venus) and take a guided trip across the solar system (Space Opera).

Cinema went buck-wild in the '70s: Coppola, Scorsese and Kubrick kicked the studio system in the balls with inventive yet serious masterpieces. But what of the humorous films from this tumultuous period? MIFF is showcasing five.

We're excited to see four films we've previously featured making their Melbourne debut. Keep an eye out for Bully, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom and Two Years At Sea.

Life imitates art in a very Poe-esque fashion in the sinister and paranoiac Berberian Sound Studio about a timid sound engineer terrorised while working on a cheap, exploitation horror film.

Iceland's Sigurdur Hjartarson collects dicks like Predator collects skulls. The Final Member documents the weird quest to complete his collection.

Imagine Borat with a purpose and you have The Ambassador. A Dutch journalist pretends to be a diplomat to reveal the exploitative and exploited nature of a corrupt African government.

Are you fan of Friday Night Lights? Oscar nominated documentary Undefeated makes the much-loved sports soap manifest with a coach inspiring troubled kids to achieve their dreams.

Why break up your band at the peak of its popularity? That's what LCD Soundsystem did. Shut Up and Play the Hits takes us on the journey. On another music-related note: The Beastie Boys.

MIFF runs from August 2 – 19 and thanks to the festival team we have an eMini pass to give away. Send your name and address This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to enter.

*It's not that old.
**Probably not haunted, but sounds like it should be.