A panel discussion of talented international directors with films in competition at the Melbourne International Film Festival discuss their journeys, including American filmmaker Andrew Patterson (The Vast of Night), whose second feature The Rivals of Amziah King, starring Matthew McConaughey, premiered at SXSW this year; Chie Hayakawa (Plan 75) from Japan, whose second feature, Renoir, premiered in Competition at Cannes; and James J. Robinson, a Filipino/Australian artist based in Los Angeles whose feature debut, First Light, had its World Premiere at MIFF.

Parks and Rec actor Nick Offerman discusses his role in Sovereign, a crime thriller inspired by real events in which he plays an anti-government extremist; and, Brooklyn-based indie filmmaker Alex Ross Perry on Pavements, a hybrid work about one of the most influential bands of the '90s.

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson talk Song Sung Blue, a heartfelt musical drama about love and second chances inspired by the real-life story of a couple who form a Neil Diamond tribute band called Lightning & Thunder.

We also speak with Joachim Trier about his latest film, Sentimental Value, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes. The Norwegian drama starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard and Elle Fanning, explores a famed filmmaker's strained relationship with his two adult daughters.

Plus, we revisit a conversation with creators Nicholas Stoller and Francesca Delbanco of Platonic, the Apple  TV comedy starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne that explores midlife friendship.

• Presenter, Jason Di Rosso
• Producer, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Harvey O'Sullivan
• Arts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Cult American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson on One Battle After Another, in which Leonardo DiCaprio leads an action thriller about a washed-up radical living off-grid with his spirited young daughter, who goes missing. Plus, Brisbane-born Hollywood star Jacob Elordi fronts Justin Kurzel's TV adaptation of Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Hollywood favourite Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters) on The Housemaid, a thriller that redefines sex and suspense with his signature wit and precision.

Japan's submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Oscars is Lee Sang-il's Kokuho, a kabuki epic that explores ambition, artistry, and rivalry across decades of tradition.

Arriving as part of December highlights on Mubi is the acclaimed film Aftersun. We revisit an interview with director Charlotte Wells about her tender and haunting portrait of memory starring Paul Mescal.

• Presenter, Jason Di Rosso
• Producer, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Matthew Sigley
• Arts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Hollywood A-listers Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor on  The History of Sound, a sweeping queer romance set against the backdrop of World War I, that explores themes of identity, memory, and cultural preservation.

French director Emmanuel Courcol discusses his crowd-pleaser My Brother's Band, a cheerful ode to music and family.

Constantine Costi on his gem The Golden Spurtle, a quirky look into the world of competitive porridge-making in the Scottish Highlands.

• Presenter, Jason Di Rosso
• Producer, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Ross Richardson
• Arts editor, Rhiannon Brown

One of Australia’s finest talents, Russell Crowe, discusses playing Nazi war criminal Hermann Göring in Nuremberg, a tense courtroom drama about the trial that redefined international law

Alex Russell, producer of The Bear, makes his directorial debut with Lurker, a razor-sharp satire of ambition and social climbing in the music industry. 

• Presenter, Jason Di Rosso
• Producer, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Carey Dell
• Arts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Cinematographer Alice Brooks talks about bringing the dazzling world of this week's biggest release - Wicked: For Good - to life on screen.

As the film sets to screen as part of the Brisbane Film Festival, we revisit a conversation with Australian director Jaydon Martin on his debut feature Flathead.

• Presenter, Jason Di Rosso
• Producer, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Carey Dell
• Arts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Mary Bronstein on If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, a black-comedy led by Rose Byrne in a career-defining performance that oozes raw, electric rage.

Actors Jason Clarke and Simone Kessell talk The Last Frontier, a gritty action thriller series in which a prison transport plane suspiciously crashes near a rugged Alaskan town

Sergei Loznitza on Two Prosecutors, which follows a young Soviet prosecutor seeking justice for a prisoner during Stalin's ongoing Great Purge. 

• Presenter, Jason Di Rosso
• Producer, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Carey Dell
• Arts editor, Rhiannon Brown

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reflects on her challenging and transformative term in office in the intimate, Sundance winning new documentary Prime Minister. 

Australian director Sophie Somerville discusses Fwends - winner of the Caligari Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival - a charming tale about two old friends reconnecting over a trippy weekend in Melbourne.

Emmy award-winning artist and filmmaker Lynnette Wallworth on Edge of Life, a film following two doctors who treat terminally ill patients with psychedelic drugs to alter their relationship with death.

• Presenter, Jason Di Rosso
• Producer, Sarah Corbett
• Sound engineer, Carey Dell
• Arts editor, Rhiannon Brown