The latest films from acclaimed directors Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters, Like Father, Like Son) and Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) make their way to the ANU Film Group this week with Broker and Beau Is Afraid, respectively. Plus, Michael B. Jordan makes his directorial debut with Creed III, while Sam Neill and Christoph Waltz make magic in the Queensland-shot fantasy family adventure, The Portable Door.
• THU 25 MAY @ 7:30 PM: CREED III (M, 116 MINS)
Now retired, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) finds his past returning to haunt him when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy (Jonathan Majors) resurfaces after a long prison sentence, eager to claim his shot in the ring.
• FRI 26 MAY @ 7:30 PM: BEAU IS AFRAID (R, 179 MINS)
After his mother's sudden death, a troubled man (Joaquin Phoenix) embarks on a journey home, but a series of surreal and supernatural encounters along the way force him to confront his darkest fears and decades of generational trauma.
• SAT 27 MAY @ **5 PM**: THE PORTABLE DOOR (PG, 116 MINS)
Two young interns at a mysterious London firm are tasked by their unconventional employers with locating a missing magical door, only to eventually discover the institution's true, hidden agenda to disrupt the world of magic.
• SAT 27 MAY @ 7:30 PM: BROKER (M, 129 MINS)
Two Korean adoption brokers steal an abandoned child to sell him on the black market, but their scheme is discovered by the infant's mother who demands to be let in on the action, in this moving family drama from the director of Shoplifters.
Many thanks to Canberra CityNews for the lovely article about our little film society in last week’s edition of their magazine. We’re big believers in the big screen experience, as we have been for the past 57 years, and that’s never going to change – no matter how fancy home theatres or streaming services get!
Join us in celebrating National Reconciliation Week 2023 and First Nations voices with a series of film screenings between June 1–3.
Narrative features include the latest from acclaimed arthouse director Rolf de Heer (THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS), and a spellbinding anthology film featuring eight interwoven tales by Indigenous Australian and Māori filmmakers (WE ARE STILL HERE). And on the documentary side, we have a beautiful concert film featuring the late Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter (WASH MY SOUL IN THE RIVER'S FLOW), as well as the Canberra premiere of COUNTRYMAN, followed by a Q&A with the film's director and subject, Peter Pecotić and Joseph Williams.
Entry into screenings is free for all ANU Film Group members. Not yet a member? Memberships start at $15 for a week, up to $90 for a full year's worth of films, and can be purchased at the door or online at www.anufg.org.au/join. Please contact us at info@anufg.org.au should you have any questions.
1. THURSDAY 1 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: COUNTRYMAN (2022) + Q&A
Director: Peter Pecotić
Cast: Peter Pecotić, Joseph Williams
Retracing his late father's footsteps, a traveller embarks on a 10,000km road trip across Northern Australia where he encounters a Warumungu artist whose father was also a migrant. Followed by Q&A with Peter Pecotić and Joseph Williams. (78 mins)
2. FRIDAY 2 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: THE SURVIVAL OF KINDNESS (2022)
Director: Rolf de Heer
Cast: Mwajemi Hussein, Deepthi Sharma, Darsan Sharma, Gary Waddell
In a future where people of colour are unaffected by apocalyptic events, an Indigenous woman is left to die in a cage in the desert. When she escapes, she embarks on an odyssey to evade persecution, in director Rolf de Heer's latest. (M, 96 mins)
3. SATURDAY 3 JUNE @ 5 PM: WASH MY SOUL IN THE RIVER'S FLOW (2021)
Director: Philippa Bateman
Cast: Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter
Part documentary, part concert film, this is a celebration of the love, lives and voices of two of Australia’s greatest artists – Indigenous musicians Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter – as they prepare for and perform a legendary concert in 2004. (PG, 89 mins)
4. SATURDAY 3 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: WE ARE STILL HERE (2022)
Directors: Chantelle Burgoyne, Tirana Reweti, Beck Cole, Samuel Nuggin-Paynter, Richard Curtis, Tim Worrall, Dena Curtis, Mario Gaoa, Miki Magasiva, Danielle MacLean, Renae Miami, Tracey Rigney
Cast: Clarence Ryan, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Leonie Whyman, Calvin Tuteao
A sweeping anthology which brings together eight interwoven tales from Indigenous Australian and Māori filmmakers, each exploring the impact of settler colonialism on indigenous culture in their own unique way. (M, 90 mins)
We're commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia this week with Oscar-nominated Belgium drama CLOSE. Also screening is the latest film from Australian-Macedonia director Goran Stolevski (OF AN AGE), Ant-Man's adventures in the Quantum Realm (ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA) and an animated extravaganza with Oscar-nominated animated shorts and Makoto Shinkai's acclaimed SUZUME on Saturday.
• TUE 16 MAY @ 7:30 PM: CLOSE (M, 104 MINS)
Two 13-year-old boys with a seemingly unbreakable bond find their close friendship thrown into disarray when their schoolmates begin questioning their intimacy, causing a rift between them, in this Oscar-nominated Belgian drama.
Presented in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium
• THU 18 MAY @ 7:30 PM: OF AN AGE (MA, 99 MINS)
In Melbourne during the summer of 1999, a 17-year-old Serbian amateur ballroom dancer has an unexpected and intense – but brief – romance with the older brother of his dance partner, in this acclaimed Australian romantic drama
• FRI 19 MAY @ 7:30 PM: ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (M, 124 MINS)
When Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family are accidentally transported to a sub-atomic dimension known as the Quantum Realm, they must find a way to return home – but not before facing off against an exiled intergalactic warlord.
• SAT 20 MAY @ **5 PM**: 2023 OSCAR NOMINATED ANIMATED SHORTS (MA, 94 MINS)
Catch all five of this year’s Oscar-nominated animated short films in one night! From Australia, Portugal, the UK and beyond, each of these extraordinary entries make their mark with wildly different animation styles and poignant stories.
• SAT 20 MAY @ 7:30 PM: SUZUME (PG, 121 MINS)
When she opens a mysterious door and sets off a chain reaction of disaster across Japan, a teenage girl with unknown abilities becomes the only person who can stop the destruction, in the latest film from the acclaimed director of Your Name. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
Presented in partnership with the ANU Anime and Gaming Society
We're proud to be hosting the Canberra premiere of the award-winning comedy EVICTED! A MODERN ROMANCE this Thursday at 7:30 pm. Presented in partnership with ACT Shelter and The Story Mill, the screening will be followed by a Q&A with writer-director Rowan Devereux and producer Sophie Saville.
Evicted! follows four millennial housemates who are soon to be evicted from their rental house in Sydney’s inner west and must embark on a desperate hunt for an affordable new home. Winner of the audience choice award at 2022 Sydney Film Festival, the film takes a satirical and all-too-timely look at today's housing and job market and has been described as ‘THE CASTLE for a new generation’ by the Sydney Morning Herald.
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Wahoo! Put on your overalls and head down your nearest warp pipe to see the biggest film of the year – THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE – at the ANU Film Group. Plus, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Viola Davis in an acclaimed true story (AIR), Woody Harrelson and a neurodiverse cast in a sports comedy (CHAMPIONS), an Aussie satire on the housing crisis (EVICTED!) and an Oscar-nominated doco about the opioid epidemic (ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED).
Please also note that ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED is rated 'R' so only persons aged 18+ will be permitted entry into the screening. Proof of age may be required, but you can consider it a compliment if we ask!
• WED 10 MAY @ 7:30 PM: ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED (R, 122 MINS)
Following a near-fatal overdose on prescription painkillers, renowned photographer Nan Goldin puts her life and career on the line to hold the Sackler family accountable for the opioid epidemic, in this Oscar-nominated documentary.
• THU 11 MAY @ 7:30 PM: EVICTED! A MODERN ROMANCE (M, 113 MINS) + Q&A
With eviction hanging over their heads, four housemates embark on a desperate hunt for an affordable share house, in this indie satire on the Australian housing and rental crisis. Followed by post-screening Q&A with the filmmakers.
• FRI 12 MAY @ 7:30 PM: AIR (M, 112 MINS)
In 1984, an executive (Matt Damon) at fledging start-up Nike hatches a daring – and revolutionary – plan to build an entire line of basketball shoes around just one athlete: an up-and-coming player named Michael Jordan. Based on a true story.
• SAT 13 MAY @ **5 PM**: THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (PG, 92 MINS)
Two Italian-American plumbers are mysteriously transported to a magical world and drawn into a battle between a strong-willed princess and an evil tyrant, in this hit animated comedy based on Nintendo’s beloved video game franchise.
• SAT 13 MAY @ 7:30 PM: CHAMPIONS (M, 124 MINS)
Sentenced by a court to community service after a DUI, a hot-headed basketball coach (Woody Harrelson) is tasked with training a team of young players with intellectual disabilities who dream of becoming regional champions.
It's a new month, and the perfect time for a new programme that will take us through from this Thursday to July 22. Our new flyers should finally be arriving this week too, so be sure to pick one up when you attend your next screening!
Not yet a member? Memberships are now on sale at all screenings or online via www.anufg.org.au/join. You can also join up for an Annual membership to get entry into all screenings for a full 365 days from the purchase date.
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WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
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We're kicking off our new season with a bang – literally – with a hefty dose of action and laughs courtesy of some dungeons, dragons, assassins and Mafia mammas. Plus, a 70th anniversary screening of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck's rom-com classic Roman Holiday for a very different side of Italy.
• THU 4 MAY @ 7:30 PM: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES (M, 134 MINS)
A band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go awry when they discover darker forces at play in this comedic adaptation of the fantasy game.
• FRI 5 MAY @ 7:30 PM: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (MA, 169 MINS)
With the bounty on his head ever rising, retired hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) discovers that the only way to put an end to the army of assassins chasing him across the globe is to challenge the leader of the High Table syndicate to a duel.
• SAT 6 MAY @ **5 PM**: ROMAN HOLIDAY (G, 118 MINS)
A bored princess (Audrey Hepburn) rebels against her royal obligations and sets out to explore Rome on her own, eventually falling for an American reporter (Gregory Peck), in this 70th anniversary screening of the timeless romantic comedy.
• SAT 6 MAY @ 7:30 PM: MAFIA MAMMA (MA, 101 MINS)
When her estranged grandfather passes away, a mild-mannered mother (Toni Collette) is summoned to Italy to attend his funeral, only to discover that she has inherited the family business and must learn how to run a Mafia empire.
Superheroes (SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS) and dinosaurs (65) feature alongside two films that were amongst the most acclaimed of 2022 (AFTERSUN, TILLl) in the final week of our Autumn 2023 season. Who says you can't have it all?!
• THU 27 APR @ 7:30 PM: TILL (M, 131 MINS)
In 1955, Mamie Till Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler) embarks on a relentless and historic pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old-son, who was lynched and brutally murdered for flirting with a shopkeeper while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.
• FRI 28 APR @ 7:30 PM: SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS (M, 131 MINS)
Still struggling to juggle their personal lives with their superpowered alter-egos, young Billy Batson and his foster siblings are thrust into battle against the vengeful Daughters of Atlas who arrive on Earth in search of an ancient magic.
• SAT 29 APR @ **5 PM**: AFTERSUN (M, 101 MINS)
A woman reflects on – and attempts to reconcile – childhood memories of her troubled father, including a summer holiday they took together at a Turkish resort 20 years earlier, in this acclaimed and Oscar-nominated British indie drama.
• SAT 29 APR @ 7:30 PM: 65 (M, 93 MINS)
After a catastrophic crash, a pilot (Adam Driver) discovers he's stranded on Earth – 65 million years ago. With only one chance at rescue, he and one other survivor must find a way to survive an unknown world riddled with prehistoric creatures.
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.
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.
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.