What better way to come out of hibernation than with a brilliant movie? Arc Cinema’s upcoming film season explores humanity’s relationship with nature. The Chronology of Water (2025). Image: NFSA.
Earth, fire, water, air … the National Film and Sound Archive has a stellar lineup planned this spring, inspired by nature’s most powerful forces.
Kicking things off is Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, The Chronology of Water. Screening on 3 September as part of the returning Queer Flicks series, this memoir adaptation follows Lidia Yuknavitch as she transforms trauma, tragedy and addiction into art.
Canberra’s queer community, friends and allies are invited to catch up and connect before the movie.
Next up on 6 September is the first Q&A of the season: Signatures of Earth. Join director Rob Nugent on a poetic journey across Australian skies, and reflect on humanity’s place within our environment and the cosmos.
While developing the season, creative producer and programming coordinator Alice Taylor was delighted to explore how filmmakers use the four elements to evoke themes of resilience, wonder, passion and transformation.
“I’m always inspired when cinema reflects our shared lived experience,” she says.
“The Spring Film Series invites audiences to discover these connections across decades of cinema and to reflect on the relationship between storytelling, the natural world and our own lives.”
Book Club returns with relaxed discussions on some of film’s best adaptations, including Never Let Me Go (13 September), The Shawshank Redemption (11 October) and Howl’s Moving Castle (15 November).
In for a thrill? ABC Canberra’s Ross Solly is set to introduce Aussie horror Dead Calm on 17 September. Or knuckle down for Disaster Fridays, with nail-biting features like The Wave and The Quake (25 September), The Day After Tomorrow (9 October) and The Day the Earth Caught Fire (30 October).
Science. Art. Film. is back with AI romance drama Her (30 September), post-apocalyptic adventure The Girl with All the Gifts (28 October) and Spielberg favourite Minority Report (18 November).
Bring the kids along these school holidays for a selection of family favourites: Up (29 September), Frozen 2 (1 October), Kiki’s Delivery Service (7 October) and Finding Nemo (8 October).
Explore the true power of love with the special 30th birthday screening of Romeo + Juliet on 10 October. A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, the critically acclaimed film follows two youths who fall and fight for each other amid a violent feud between their families.
Canberra’s very own Venus Mantrap is back with seductive drag and electric film geekery for this season’s Cult Classics: Strange Days (18 September), The Lair of the White Worm (23 October) and Death Becomes Her (13 November).
Intersex Awareness Day is on 29 October. In celebration, Arc Cinema introduces Girl for a Day, directed by Jean-Claude Monod and based on the true story of Anne Grandjean. Born intersex but raised female, Anne’s attraction to women results in them living – and marrying – as a man later in life … until their past catches up.
The NFSA’s A Day At the Movies series invites people living with dementia, their loved ones and carers to a special screening of Victor/Victoria on 31 October. Carers enter for free, and all attendees get a complimentary Bulla ice cream.
The NFSA is also hosting a Halloween Party that evening, with vampire costumes and blood-themed cocktails, followed by the 80s horror-comedy The Lost Boys.
Indulge in Australian glitter-soaked, fuzz-guitar fever dream Wolf Cat Fever on 5 November, complemented by a Q&A session with director Josh Collins and costume designer Babzotica.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke takes centre stage in Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke: Tall Tales, screening in Canberra for the first time on 21 November. This ambitious album film combines a new collaborative record with captivating animation by Australian artist and director Jonathan Zawada. Following the screening, join Zawada and Pritchard for a special Q&A exploring their creative process.
Audiences are more than welcome to gather early. Why not take in the NFSA’s beautiful 1930s courtyard, grab a pre-movie snack at Dom’s Deli and Bar, and browse the treasure-filled archive before settling in?
Alice says Arc Cinema is the perfect backdrop for such a broad range of films, woven together by the raw beauty of earth, water, fire and air.
“This program offers a chance to nestle in, reconnect and enjoy these remarkable stories as they were meant to be experienced – together, on the big screen.”
The National Film and Sound Archive is located on McCoy Circuit, Acton, between Lake Burley Griffin and the ANU. To view the event calendar or purchase tickets for this year’s spring film series, visit NFSA.
