Melbourne International Film Festival Programmer
Horror movies belong to Kate Fitzpatrick. “It’s the most fun to watch with a large group of people. It’s great to be scared together and laugh together.”
Australian horror films Late Night With The Devil and Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism will be released at the 2023 Melbourne International It was one of my favorite films at the film festival (MIFF).
Fitzpatrick likes to program movies that he’s passionate about and knows that enthusiasm increases participation, but he also says, “This isn’t for me, but I think it might appeal to other people.” I also listen to my inner voice that says, “I believe there is something I can do.” Her most frustrating aspect of the role is being told that she can’t make the film because the local distributor “doesn’t think it fits their release strategy.”
After dropping out of three university courses and watching a lot of films, Fitzpatrick landed his first film job in 2007 as film program manager at ACMI, Australia’s National Film Culture Museum. There she met mentor Christy Matheson and attended Matheson’s first BFI London Film Festival as director in 2023 (she is also a regular at Cannes and Berlin).
This year’s MIFF (August 8-25) will be Fitzpatrick’s fifth time participating as a programmer, having first attended as program coordinator in 2012. Also under her purview are MIFF School and MIFF XR, which aim to expand students’ appreciation of foreign language films. Mr. Fitzpatrick is just as happy to take visiting filmmakers to football games as he is to “nerd out” about movies with others. “There’s a beautiful theatricality to sports,” she says.
Contact: Kate Fitzpatrick
