It's become a truism to say the Australian Open has drama on and off the courts.
There's the searing heat and the perennial question of roof open or closed, the calls to rename Margaret Court Arena, and who could forget Novak Djokovic's recent match-up against Border Force?
A documentary titled The Slam will premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August, serving up all the tales of the Open - and how they are also stories about Australia itself.
Director Ili Baré grew up around tennis - she has a cat named after Steffi Graf - but in general, documentaries are her favourite way to experience sport.
"Audiences get an extremely intimate view of someone when they're under extreme pressure and fighting adversity, and everyone loves that," she told AAP.
The Open is the highest profile sporting event in the country, and it's easy to forget its humble beginnings at Kooyong in the 1970s, she said.
The makers of The Slam have interviewed players such as Pat Cash, Frances Tiafoe, Rennae Stubbs, Liam Broady and industry figures Paul McNamee and Craig Tiley.
There's also archival footage from the grass courts of the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.
The Slam is one of a slate of films unveiled in a first peek at the film festival's offerings.
Also among them is a documentary about indie rock band Pavement’s Gary Young, titled Louder Than You Think.
And there's Medusa Deluxe, a murder mystery set at a hairdressing competition, and BlackBerry, which exposes the genius and hubris of the tech industry through the story of the world's first smartphone.
The Melbourne International Film Festival is in cinemas from August 3-20.
