Almost Famous karaoke and a kids’ pizza and pyjama party? NFSA may be the coolest place to be this winter.
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Calling all movie lovers – your winter just got an upgrade.
Australia’s home of all things sound and screen, the National Film and Sound Archive is turning its iconic Art Deco building into the home of cult classics, sporting excellence and school holiday fun this winter.
Highlights include:
- Book Club at the NFSA in partnership with Canberra Writers Festival featuring a screening of Crazy Rich Asians with special guests Mimi Kwa and Qin Qin
- A cosy ‘pizza and pyjamas’ screening of family favourite Casper
- A karaoke night following a screening of noughties music drama Almost Famous
- A special screening of The Trust Fall: Julian Assange followed by a panel conversation with members of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group
The NFSA is also co-presenting BIRRARANGGA Film Festival, which will run from 20 to 23 June. Curated by Tony Briggs and Damienne Pradier, BIRRARANGGA will feature a selection of 15 feature-length and short films from First Nations creatives around the world. Exploring themes of strength, resilience and the environment, festival guests include Tony Briggs himself; activist, artist and actor Tāme Iti; screenwriter Boyd Quakawoot; and filmmakers Nina Nawalowalo and Matthias Luafutu.
For the NFSA team, it’s all about showcasing the very best of cinema, from every perspective.
Ahead of the Paris Olympics, sport takes centre stage, with a selection of grand, Oscar-winning classics (think: Chariots of Fire and Rocky) alongside thought-provoking sports documentaries The Australian Dream and Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning. There are also school holiday screenings of Cool Runnings and Bend it Like Beckham (iconic).
In a special event, a screening of Australian drama Kairos will be followed by a Q&A with writer-director Paul Barakat and lead actor Chris Bunton, who won gold for Australia in gymnastics at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games.
Other notable events include Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) CEO Dr Nell Greenwood, celebrated Australian composer Bryony Marks and award-winning casting director Anousha Zarkesh in a panel conversation about women in the film industry, which will be free to attend and moderated by Screen Canberra CEO Dr Holly Trueman.
And, if you’re just after an affordable night at the pictures this winter (aren’t we all?), the NFSA will launch a low-priced $8 Collection Selection series in Arc Cinema, offering new opportunities for audiences to discover content from the national collection.
You can also catch a free screening of Mark Street’s 2023 documentary Dig Deeper, part of the Art Meets Film partnership between the NFSA and the National Gallery of Australia, or free Science. Art. Film. screenings and panel conversations in collaboration with the Australian National University. And you can pop into the Theatrette each weekend to watch one of several documentaries that will be screened for free (yes, also free!) on a rotating basis.
“Our Winter Film Series and events program offer so many opportunities to engage with the national collection and for audiences to see their own stories reflected here at the NFSA,” says Chris Mercer, Head of Programs and Place.
It’s the stuff a cinephile’s winter dreams are made of.
Feature image: Almost Famous (dir. Cameron Crowe). Image supplied.
