Bringing together science, big data and audio visual art, immersive installation Ghost Trees offers a new way to connect to nature. Photo: Grace Costa.
Australian cinema is on show at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) throughout the Spring Film Series, including a 30th anniversary re-release of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
The film’s executive producer Rebel Penfold-Russell will introduce the advance screening in the Arc Cinema and take part in a post-screening Q&A alongside costume designer Tim Chappel, stage musical producer Garry McQuinn, and screen executive and former Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason.
“Our Spring Film Series showcases our rich audio visual culture through multiple lenses, from Australian classics on the Arc Cinema big screen to visual arts, engaging conversations and live performance,” NFSA chief experience officer Chris Mercer said.
“We look forward to welcoming new and returning audiences to the NFSA to discover new perspectives and hear from leading artists, thinkers and innovators.”
Other homegrown films in the Spring Film Series include the NFSA restorations of Peter Weir’s Australian New Wave classic, The Cars That Ate Paris and Strictly Ballroom.
The Strictly Ballroom screening is part of A Day at the Movies, an ACT Government initiative offering cinema experiences tailored for people living with dementia and their friends and family.
Developed by a research team of film and screen culture experts led by UNSW Sydney’s Dr Jodi Brooks, A Day at the Movies is funded by the ACT Government and aligns to its Age-Friendly City Plan with in-kind support from the NFSA, Carers ACT, Dementia Australia and the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing.
Dementia-friendly initiatives include Dementia Australia-trained venue staff and event organisers onsite to welcome and assist attendees. Low-level house lighting in the cinema will allow people to move around while the volume will be slightly lower. Additional wayfinding and information signage will also be used.
There’s plenty on offer for kids and families throughout the season, with not one but two Pizza and Pyjamas specials.
Come in your cosiest PJs and enjoy a slice of pizza and a generous helping of nostalgia with Friday night screenings of Toy Story and The Karate Kid.
Beloved characters Babe, Red Dog and Peter Rabbit all return to the big screen in the October school holidays, as well as 1990 animation Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest.
Grab a coffee and a bite to eat before the matinee screenings, with locally roasted Red Brick coffee brewing onsite
October also boasts cutting-edge experimental artist Robin Fox who takes over Arc Cinema for two nights to present his latest work, Triptych.
Uniquely mapped to each performance space, this award-winning immersive audio visual experience has toured Australia and internationally, and features electronic music generated from simultaneous laser graphics. Triptych won the prestigious Prix Ars Electronica Isao Tomita Special Prize in 2023.
Music fans can also look forward to a guest appearance from Sydney’s Rejoice Gospel Choir and a slew of music films, including Sister Act, The Blues Brothers, High Fidelity, Aretha Franklin concert film Amazing Grace, and cherished classics Singin’ In the Rain and The Wizard of Oz.
So much more than a cinema, NFSA Acton is also a place to explore new ideas and thought-provoking conversations.
Special guests this spring include filmmaker Leah Purcell AM, contemporary artist Bronte Cormican-Jones, historian Dr Clare Wright OAM, author Cadance Bell, and Associate Professor Mai Sato, who was inaugural director of the anti-death penalty advocacy organisation Eleos Justice.
The immersive installation, Ghost Trees in the NFSA Gallery is also open daily with free admission until 8 September. Bringing together science, big data and audio visual art, Ghost Trees offers a new way to connect to nature and reflect on our place within it – and our impacts on it.
To check out the program and explore what’s on offer from Hollywood classics to cult favourites, insightful documentaries, visually stunning animated features and more, visit NFSA.
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