News Archive

April 2023

New Winter 2023 Season: May 4 – July 22

21st April, 2023

The programme for our new Winter 2023 season is here!

From THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE through to THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 to JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, or AIR to ALLELUJAH, there's a little something for everyone.

• View the programme online by CLICKING HERE
• Download a printable PDF version of the programme by CLICKING HERE
• Import all screenings directly to your phone or computer's calendar by CLICKING HERE

Running from May 4 through to July 22, memberships are now on sale at all screenings or online via www.anufg.org.au/join

Winter season memberships include entry into all remaining screenings on our current Autumn season, including AFTERSUN and SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS.

Or for the best value movies anywhere, you won't get better deal than our Annual memberships which are now valid for a full 365 days from the purchase date.

What's On This Week: LIVING, EMILY, THE GREAT ESCAPE and More

18th April, 2023

Due to a scheduling issue, we regret to inform you that Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt OA is no longer able to join us for an in-person Q&A following our screening of her film, YOU CAN GO NOW, on Wednesday 19 April.

Presented in partnership with ANU Law Reform and Social Justice, the screening will instead feature a special pre-recorded introduction from Professor Behrendt.

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Live life to the fullest by catching Bill Nighy's extraordinary, Oscar-nominated performance in LIVING. Also in our Autumn season's penultimate week: a doco about First Nations artist Richard Bell, an action classic celebrating 60 years, the strange tale of a '16-year-old student', and an unconventional Emily Brontë biopic.

• WED 19 APR @ 7:30 PM: YOU CAN GO NOW (M, 80 MINS)

A look at the life and provocative work of First Nations artist, Richard Bell: both a provocateur of the art world who challenged its whiteness, and an activist who spent his childhood living in a tin shed, learning politics on the streets of Redfern.

• THU 20 APR @ 7:30 PM: LIVING (PG, 102 MINS)

In post-WWII London, a veteran civil servant (Bill Nighy) receives a medical diagnosis which forces him to take stock of his life. Determined to make a change before it's too late, he attempts to turn his dull, lonely existence around.

• FRI 21 APR @ 7:30 PM: THE GREAT ESCAPE (PG, 172 MINS)

Imprisoned during World War II in a German POW camp, a group of Allied soldiers plan an ambitious escape in an attempt to draw Nazi forces away from battle, in this 60th anniversary screening of the star-studded action classic.

• SAT 22 APR @ **5 PM**: MY OLD SCHOOL (M, 105 MINS)

In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in Scotland. The sensational story of what follows over the next two years is stranger than fiction as it is revealed that Brandon is far from who he says he is.

• SAT 22 APR @ 7:30 PM: EMILY (M, 130 MINS)

An unconventional biopic which imagines the early life of enigmatic author Emily Brontë (Emma Mackey) on her transformative journey towards womanhood in the years leading up to the writing of her one and only novel, Wuthering Heights.

Highlights for April + What's On This Week

11th April, 2023

We're already partway into April but there are plenty of highlights still to come in the final month of our current Autumn 2023 season. And stay tuned for the release of our new programme – which runs from May to July – next week!

• TRIANGLE OF SADNESS – director Ruben Östlund's 'eat the rich' satire was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture. (Fri 14 Apr, 7:30 pm)

• THE WHALE – Brendan Fraser's Brenaissance hits its peak with his Oscar-winning role as an obese man with days to live. (Sat 15 Apr, 7:30 pm)

• LIVING – Bill Nighy has never been better in this poignant remake of director Akira Kurosawa's 1952 Japanese drama. (Thu 20 Apr, 7:30 pm)

• THE GREAT ESCAPE – an all-star cast leads this 1963 action classic which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. (Fri 21 Apr, 7:30 pm)

• TILL – an African-American mother seeks justice for her murdered teenage son in this powerful, 1950s-set drama (Thu 27 Apr, 7:30 pm)

• AFTERSUN – a young girl takes a final summer vacation with her struggling father, in one of the most celebrated films of the year. (Sat 29 Apr, 5 pm)

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Even if you got plenty of chocolate over the weekend, you're in for a treat this week with four terrific films: Brendan Fraser's Oscar-winning turn, a satirical class black comedy, an animated reimaginging of Anne Frank's diary, and Hugh Jackman delivering one of his best performances to date.

• THU 13 APR @ 7:30 PM: THE SON (M, 123 MINS)

A successful lawyer (Hugh Jackman) agrees to look after his troubled teenage son from a previous marriage, seizing the opportunity to correct the mistakes of his own upbringing, in director Florian Zeller's follow-up to THE FATHER.

• FRI 14 APR @ 7:30 PM: TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (M, 147 MINS)

A supermodel couple are among the rich passengers invited to take a trip aboard an exclusive cruise. But when the ship runs into trouble during a storm, the balance of power quickly shifts in this Best Picture-nominated dark satirical comedy.

• SAT 15 APR @ **5 PM**: WHERE IS ANNE FRANK (PG, 99 MINS)

The story of Anne Frank is retold through the journey of Kitty, the imaginary friend to whom Anne dedicates her diary, who awakens in present-day Amsterdam and embarks on a journey to find her friend – but instead discovers her lasting legacy.

• SAT 15 APR @ 7:30 PM: THE WHALE (M, 117 MINS)

A reclusive and depressed English teacher (Brendan Fraser) suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption before his time runs out, in this 2x Oscar-winning drama.

Seeking Volunteer Door People + What's On This Week

3rd April, 2023

We're currently hard at work on our upcoming Winter season (commencing May 4) and are now seeking volunteers to join the team to be a door person.

Door people are the friendly faces who greet you and scan your membership card as you enter the cinema. If you're a current ANUFG member and would like to help us out at screenings, we'd love to hear from you!

This is an unpaid volunteer position, but all door people receive a complimentary membership for the following season as a token of thanks upon completion of the requisite number of sessions (usually around 7-8, depending on the season).

Interested? If so, please get in touch by emailing us at info@anufg.org.au.

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WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
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This week is a shorter one due to the Easter long weekend, but you can still get your cinematic fix with a French thriller based on true events (KOMPROMAT), a teenage girl's search for her mother that plays out entirely on device screens (MISSING) and the most personal film to date from Oscar-winning director of BIRDMAN and THE REVENANT, Alejandro G. Iñárritu (BARDO).

• TUE 4 APR @ 7:30 PM: KOMPROMAT (M, 127 MINS)

After taking up a cultural posting in Siberia, a French diplomat falls afoul of the local Russian authorities and soon finds himself accused of a terrible crime. Arrested and imprisoned, he has no hope of surviving – unless he is able to escape.

• WED 5 APR @ 7:30 PM: MISSING (M, 111 MINS)

When her mother disappears while holidaying in Colombia, a Los Angeles teenager must use all the technology at her fingertips to find her before it’s too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers.

• THU 6 APR @ 7:30 PM: BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (MA, 160 MINS)

After winning a prestigious award, a Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles returns home to his native country, where he finds himself pushed to his existential limit, in director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's latest.

Presented in partnership with the Embassy of Mexico.

March 2023

3x Best Picture Nominees This Week + Support Us at CSCC

27th March, 2023

Since 2016, we have been proud to be a part of the Canberra Southern Cross Club's (CSCC) Community Rewards program, which gives back to a wide variety of community groups throughout the year.

If you are a CSCC member, you can choose to nominate the ANU Film Group as your community group of choice and the Club will donate 7.5% of whatever you spend on food and drink at any of their venues to us. So you get to have a great meal and support not just one, but two local organisations too!

If you’re already a CSCC member, nominating us is easy – all you have to do is click the button below and fill out a short online form by CLICKING HERE.

Alternatively, you can speak to reception at any CSCC venue. And if you’re not yet a member, you can find out more about the CSCC and its Community Rewards program at www.cscc.com.au/rewards

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WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
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It's a massive week with not just one, or two, but three of this year's Best Picture nominees – which also picked up six Oscars between them, including Best International Film (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT), Best Visual Effects (AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER) and Best Adapted Screenplay (WOMEN TALKING). Plus, the best film about a drug-fuelled, rampaging bear you'll see this year!

• THU 30 MAR @ 7:30 PM: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (MA, 147 MINS)

In 1917, a German teenager naively joins his country’s military effort – but it’s not long before his dreams of becoming a hero turn into desperation and fear in this 4x Oscar-winning German adaptation of the classic anti-war novel.

• FRI 31 MAR @ 7:30 PM: AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (M, 192 MINS)

Fifteen years after thwarting the human invasion of Pandora, the Na’vi once again find their peaceful existence under attack and must seek refuge with an amphibious reef tribe in director James Cameron's long-awaited, Oscar-winning sequel.

• SAT 1 APR @ **5 PM**: WOMEN TALKING (M, 104 MINS)

In 2010, a group of women in a Mennonite community in Bolivia struggle with their future and their faith after discovering that the colony's men have been drugging and raping the women there for years. Oscar winner for Best Adapted Screenplay.

• SAT 1 APR @ 7:30 PM: COCAINE BEAR (MA, 109 MINS)

After ingesting a large amount of lost cocaine, an American black bear goes on a murderous bloody rampage in a small Georgia town where a group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens must join forces to survive the attack.

What's On This Week

21st March, 2023

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WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
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We're partnering with the Canberra Comedy Festival this week to celebrate them coming to Kambri at ANU for the first time with a weekend of comedy films featuring A MAN CALLED OTTO, THE MEANING OF LIFE and WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?. But if you're in the mood to be thrilled, it doesn't get scarier than SMILE or spellbinding Australian-Macedonian folk horror YOU WON'T BE ALONE. Take your pick!

• WED 22 MAR @ 7:30 PM: YOU WON'T BE ALONE (MA, 109 MINS)

In 19th century Macedonia, a young witch accidentally kills a peasant woman and then assumes her form to live life in her skin. Her curiosity ignited, she continues to wield this power in an attempt to understand what it means to be human.

• THU 23 MAR @ 7:30 PM: SMILE (MA, 114 MINS)

After witnessing a traumatic incident involving a patient, a therapist (Sosie Bacon) suspects that she has become the target of a malevolent entity. Can she survive long enough to figure out how to avoid becoming its next victim?

• FRI 24 MAR @ 7:30 PM: A MAN CALLED OTTO (M, 126 MINS)

Otto (Tom Hanks) is a grumpy widower who is ready to give up on life after the loss of his wife. When a pregnant woman and her young family move in across the street, he finds his outlook changing as his world is turned upside down.

• SAT 25 MAR @ **5 PM**: MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE (M, 107 MINS)

From the miracle of birth to death and everything in between, the Monty Python troupe attempt to shed light on the significance of human existence through a series of skits which leaves no stone unturned, in this 40th anniversary screening.

• SAT 25 MAR @ 7:30 PM: WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

As a filmmaker (Lily James) sets out to document her childhood friend's journey from London to Pakistan where he is to enter into an arranged marriage, she must decide whether to follow her head or her heart in her ongoing search for love.

What's On This Week + And The Oscar Goes To...

14th March, 2023

The multiverse took over the Oscars this year, with EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE bringing home seven awards (including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress) during the course of a history-making night. Here's when the remainder of this year's Oscar-winning films will be screening at the ANUFG:

• All Quiet on the Western Front – Thu 30 Mar, 7:30pm
WINNER: International Film, Cinematography, Original Score, Production Design

• Avatar: The Way of Water – Fri 31 Mar, 7:30pm
WINNER: Visual Effects

• Women Talking – Sat 1 Apr, 5pm
WINNER: Adapted Screenplay

• The Whale – Sat 15 Apr, 7:30 pm
WINNER: Actor (Brendan Fraser), Makeup and Hairstyling

An Oscars sweep by one film usually means that many other films are left unrecognised – but that doesn't mean they're any less worthy. So be sure to give the many other nominated films some love when we screen them, including two bigs ones with TÁR and THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN coming up this week!

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We cap off Oscar Week with three films nominated for a combined 16 Oscars: black comedy THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, Cate Blanchett in psychological drama TÁR, and the adorable adventures of MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON. Plus, the true story of a Māori trailblazer (WHINA) and Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie reuniting for superspy hijinks (OPERATION FORTUNE).

• WED 15 MAR @ 7:30 PM: WHINA (PG, 112 mins)

Trailblazing Māori activist Whina Cooper spent her entire life breaking boundaries and fighting to improve the lives and rights of Indigenous New Zealanders – all while contending with a tumultuous journey of her own.

• THU 16 MAR @ 7:30 PM: OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE DE GUERRE (M, 114 MINS)

When a deadly weapons technology comes onto the market, super spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) must track down an arms broker (Hugh Grant) to stop the sale, aided by top operatives and a Hollywood movie star.

• FRI 17 MAR @ 7:30 PM: TÁR (M, 158 MINS)

Celebrated conductor Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) has it all: a dream job, countless awards and a supportive family – until old habits cause her carefully constructed life to unravel and fracture. Nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Picture.

• SAT 18 MAR @ **5 PM**: MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (PG, 89 MINS)
Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colourful existence with his grandmother – until they are discovered by a documentary filmmaker, who gives Marcel a new hope at re-discovering the family he never knew he had.

• SAT 18 MAR @ 7:30 PM: THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (M, 114 MINS)

On an island off the coast of Ireland, Pádraic (Colin Farrell) is devastated when his best friend (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly puts an end to their friendship – and resolves to change his mind. Nominated for 9 Oscars, including Best Picture.

March Highlights + What's On This Week

8th March, 2023

With March well and truly upon us – and the Oscars taking place on Monday – here are some highlights to look forward to this month at the ANU Film Group:

• Tár – Cate Blanchett delivers a virtuoso performance as a celebrated conductor whose perfect life begins to unravel (Fri 17 Mar, 7:30pm)
• Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – the Oscar-nominated animated adventures of an adorable one-inch shell with real heart (Sat 18 Mar, 5pm)
• Banshees of Inisherin – Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are terrific in this Guiness-black comedy about two estranged friends (Sat 18 Mar, 7:30pm)
• A Man Called Otto – Tom Hanks is the world's most likeable grump in this Hollywood remake of the Swedish comedy (Fri 24 Mar, 7:30pm)
• All Quiet on the Western Front – war has never been bleaker in this acclaimed German-language take on the classic novel (Thu 30 Mar, 7:30pm)
• Avatar: The Way of Water – James Cameron's long-awaited follow-up to his 2009 box office hit is cinema at its most spectacular (Fri 31 Mar, 7:30pm)

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. To see what else we're showing this month, click below to check out the rest of our Autumn 2023 programme at www.anufg.org.au/programme

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Take a stand, tap your toes or jump out of your seat at the ANU Film Group this week, with a stranger-than-fiction Lithuanian doco, Magic Mike’s final hurrah, one of the most talked-about horror flicks in recent years, and Tim Minchin's musical take on Roald Dahl's beloved children's book.

• THU 9 MAR @ 7:30 PM: THE JUMP (85 MINS)

In 1970, a Lithuanian sailor defects by jumping off a Soviet vessel onto an U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat. His bid for asylum is cut short when the Americans return him to the Soviets in one of the biggest political dramas of the Cold War.

Presented in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania

• FRI 10 MAR @ 7:30 PM: MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE (M, 117 MINS)

Magic Mike (Channing Tatum) takes to the stage again after a bad business deal leaves him broke. For one last hurrah, he heads to London with a wealthy socialite (Salma Hayek Pinault) after she lures him with an offer he can’t refuse.

• SAT 11 MAR @ **5 PM**: ROALD DAHL’S MATILDA THE MUSICAL (PG, 117 MINS)

Neglected by her parents, an extraordinary girl named Matilda is sent off to a boarding school, where she takes a stand against its ruthless headmistress (Emma Thompson), in this musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved novel.

• SAT 11 MAR @ 7:30 PM: BARBARIAN (MA, 103 MINS)

Arriving in Detroit for an interview, a woman discovers that her rental home has been double booked by a strange man. Against her better judgement, she decides to spend the evening there – but soon discovers there's much more to fear.

February 2023

Annual General Meeting on March 20

28th February, 2023

Save the date: our 2023 Annual General Meeting will take place on Monday 20 March, from 6 pm in the Cinema.

All members are encouraged to come along and hear about how the Group has performed over the past year, and to help select the committee that will guide us through the next 12 months. If you're keen, you (yes, you!) can even get involved in the running of Australia's largest film society.

Head to www.anufg.org.au/AGM to find out more about getting involved, or send us an email to info@anufg.org.au if you have any further questions.

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Step back in time to the roaring 1920s with Damien Chazelle's Hollywood epic BABYLON, along with Oscar-nominated documentary NAVALNY, an inspirational French drama (RISE), a look at the monumental shift from film to digital (SPLICE HERE) and M. Night Shyamalan's latest nail-biting thriller (KNOCK AT THE CABIN).

• WED 1 MAR @ 7:30 PM: SPLICE HERE: A PROJECTED ODYSSEY

A decade after the single greatest change in the history of cinema – the shift from recording and projecting movies on celluloid film to digital formats – documentarian and projectionist Rob Murphy sets out to discover if the era of film is truly over. (G, 117 mins)

• THU 2 MAR @ 7:30 PM: RISE

A promising young ballet dancer finds her life falling apart after she suffers a devastating injury on stage. Her path to recovery leads her to new friends, a new love and the freedom of contemporary dance in this inspiring French drama. (M, 117 mins)

Presented in partnership with Alliance Francaise Canberra in celebration of the 2023 French Film Festival, screening in Canberra from March 9 to April 5. Find out more HERE

• FRI 3 MAR @ 7:30 PM: BABYLON

A daring, audacious ode to cinema which traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity as Hollywood transitions from silent films to ‘talkies’ in the late 1920s. Nominated for 3 Oscars. (MA, 189 mins)

• SAT 4 MAR @ **5 PM**: NAVALNY

In 2020, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent. Upon his recovery, aided by investigative journalists, he uncovers an assassination plot masterminded by none other than Vladimir Putin. (M, 99 mins)

• SAT 4 MAR @ 7:30 PM: KNOCK AT THE CABIN

While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. But are they telling the truth? (M, 100 mins)

Changes to Annual Memberships

21st February, 2023

We’ve recently made a small but important change to the way that our Annual memberships operate. Since 2019, all Annual memberships have been valid for the season in which they were purchased, along with three subsequent seasons. This meant that those who joined up earlier in the season got slightly more value out of their memberships.

To give members the best value possible going forward, our Annual memberships will now be valid for precisely 365 days, inclusive of the day of purchase. This means that Annual membership will be valid for the same length of time, regardless of when you happen to join up.

Please note that this does not affect the validity of existing Annual memberships for anyone who joined up or renewed this year prior to February 12, 2023, as your memberships would have been extended until February 11, 2024 (i.e. more than 365 days). Our Season memberships also remain unchanged and remain valid only for the fixed period of a particular season, regardless of when they are purchased.

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We begin the week with a powerful new documentary that takes a look at the lives of two women whose lives have been upended by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in commemoration of the first anniversary of the war. It will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Simon Target.

Also making an appearance at the ANU Film Group this week: Guillermo del Toro’s dark, Oscar-nominated take on PINOCCHIO, the incredible true story of an amateur historian (THE LOST KING), an acclaimed French crime thriller (THE NIGHT OF THE 12TH) and a 90th anniversary screening of the one and only KING KONG!

• TUE 21 FEB @ 7:30 PM: MASHA & VALENTYNA (50 MINS)

Masha and Valentyna are just two of the seven million women and children who have crossed the border into Poland in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They find safe haven in Polish homes, but face tough decisions for their future. Followed by Q&A with director Simon Target.

Presented in partnership with the ANU Centre for European Studies, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Embassy of Ukraine.

• THU 23 FEB @ 7:30 PM: THE LOST KING (M, 108 MINS)

Prompted by spectral visions, a lonely amateur historian (Sally Hawkins) becomes obsessed with unearthing the remains of King Richard III, which have been missing for over 500 years, much to the chagrin of Britain's top academics.

• FRI 24 FEB @ 7:30 PM: GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO (M, 117 MINS)

After the death of his young son, an Italian carpenter carves a boy from wood. When he's brought to life, the boy embarks on an adventure into a world of fascism and exploitation, in Guillermo del Toro’s dark animated take on the classic tale. 2023 Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature Film.

• SAT 25 FEB @ **5 PM**: KING KONG (PG, 100 MINS)

The Eighth Wonder of the World turns 90! Celebrate the milestone anniversary of this all-time classic, in which a film crew travel to a remote island in search of a legendary creature, which they bring back to New York – with disastrous results.

• SAT 25 FEB @ 7:30 PM: THE NIGHT OF THE 12TH (M, 114 MINS)

An ambitious young policeman appointed to investigate serious crimes gets more than he bargained for when a horrific murder case lands on his desk, leading to a haunting obsession with the victim's life, in this French crime thriller.