Hot summer nights and silver screens: the NFSA’s season of peace, love and cinema
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NFSA is the place to be this summer as it takes a bold cinematic journey through peace, love, and revolution – from the rebellious spirit of the 1960s to visionary works created in 2025.
Picture this: a warm January evening in the NFSA’s heritage courtyard, a glass of something cold in hand, live music drifting across the space. Then you slip into Arc Cinema as the sun sets, settling into the Art Deco space to watch a classic unfold on the big screen.
This is Hot Summer Nights at the NFSA, and it’s back for round two.
Running every Friday and Saturday from 9 January to 14 February, this single-ticket experience pairs carefully curated live music with films that range from sensual classics to gritty dramas.
The music lineup spans soul-stirring songs from Wallabindi, folk-infused Americana courtesy of The Burley Griffin, the swinging grooves of The Belco Jazz Band, and even the magnetic “Balkan Elvis” energy of Mikelangelo.
Settle in from 6 pm, grab some charcuterie and summer cocktails from Dom’s, and let the evening unfold.
Beyond the summer nights – a season of great cinema
Hot Summer Nights might be the jewel in the crown, but it’s part of something much bigger. The NFSA’s entire summer film series is themed around peace, love and revolution, spanning decades from the rebellious ‘60s right through to visionary works created in 2025.
“The Summer Film Series evokes the spirit of the Summer of Love. With peace, love and music in the air, we explore stories of free spirits, beatniks, and psychedelic flower children,’ says Alice Taylor, NFSA’s Creative Producer & Program Coordinator.
‘The ethos of 1960s counterculture continues to influence art, film, music and politics to this day, and our summer program draws inspiration from the free-loving playfulness of the era, as well as the powerful reverberations of the civil rights and liberation movements.”
Love in all its forms
At the heart of the summer series sits love – chaotic, charming, complicated, and everything in between.
Australian cinema gets its moment, with screenings including Toni Collette’s breakout role in Muriel’s Wedding (1994), the fiery energy of Starstruck (1981), and other homegrown classics, including the bittersweet teenage ache of The Year My Voice Broke (1987), which launched Ben Mendelsohn’s career.
The vibrant chaos of Monsoon Wedding (2001) celebrates family and romance across modern India. Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell dazzle as showgirls with wildly different philosophies on love in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).
For those who prefer their romance with a side of chaos, Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot le Fou (1965) offers a wild detour through the French Riviera. Or there’s the new documentary Whoopee Blues: The Life and Times of the Conway Brothers (2025), exploring the complex bonds between musical siblings Mic and Jim Conway – complete with a Q&A featuring Mic himself.
For the cinephiles
The program pays serious tribute to cinema’s boundary-pushers. A Tennessee Williams spotlight brings four of his most celebrated stage adaptations to screen: A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), and The Night of the Iguana (1964). Each one brims with desire, repression and family tension – Williams’ trademark cocktail.
The European Avant-garde program spans the French New Wave, Czech New Wave, and Cinéma du look – a visually rich exploration of film as art, including the surreal rebellion of Daisies (1966) and the stylish spectacle of Diva (1981).
Not feeling the summer of love? Plug into the Cyberpunk series instead, exploring gritty dystopias where machines and mega-corporations shape identity and control. Think RoboCop (1987), The Matrix (1999), Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982), and Akira (1988).
Yippee ki-yay, it’s a Xmas Party Mix!
The Xmas Party Mix offers the perfect end-of-year outing – cocktails by Dom’s in the heritage courtyard followed by festive favourites like Love Actually and the eternally debated holiday film Die Hard (1988). Personally, we’re team Bruce.
School holidays sorted
Parents, the NFSA has you covered with convenient 1 pm matinees throughout the school holidays.
The animal adventures lineup features everything from the mischievous mouse in Mouse Hunt (1997) to the sweet pig in Babe (1995), clever chickens in Chicken Run (2000), a determined rat in Ratatouille (2007), and a young Māori girl’s bond with whales in Whale Rider (2002).
Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo (2008) brings its signature magic to an ocean-swept tale of love and friendship.
Take a summer holiday without leaving Canberra
Fancy an international journey from your cinema seat? The program whisks you to Taiwan for the 25th anniversary of Edward Yang’s luminous family epic Yi Yi (2000), returning in a new 4K restoration.
There’s the darkly comic French animation The Triplets of Belleville (2003), Bill Forsyth’s charming Local Hero (1983) set on the rugged Scottish coast, and Elvis serenading you through the sun-drenched musical Blue Hawaii (1961).
Head to Hollywood via performances from legends like Al Pacino, Elizabeth Taylor, Keanu Reeves, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando – they all grace the Arc Cinema screen across the summer months.
The full summer experience
Beyond the films, the refreshed Dom’s deli and bar means you can make an evening of it. Catch a Hot Summer Nights session or just drop in for the free Heaven’s Gate installation, Marco Brambilla’s spectacular video art piece that’s having its Australian premiere – running until 9 March.
The full summer program runs from December through to February, with something screening most days. Whether you’re after a romantic date night, a nostalgic trip through cinema history, or just somewhere to escape the heat with the kids, the NFSA’s summer of peace, love and revolution has you covered.
Check out the full program and start planning your summer of cinema.
