From truth to fantasy: Step into cinema’s most imaginative season at the NFSA
Posted on
This autumn, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is inviting audiences to escape into stories that blur the line between reality and imagination.
The NFSA’s Autumn Film Series brings together powerful documentaries, beloved classics, cult favourites and immersive community events, all exploring how cinema helps us make sense of the world – and dream beyond it.
From magic realism and cinéma vérité to fantasy adventures and deeply personal storytelling, the season celebrates film’s ability to connect us to new ideas, cultures and each other.
As NFSA Creative Producer Alice Taylor explains, the program is “brimming with magic and adventure … inviting audiences to travel from gritty truth-telling dramas into wondrous fantasy” while celebrating cinema’s power to reveal unexpected realities and illuminate possibilities beyond everyday experience.
Here’s just some of what you can expect.
Stories worth talking about
A new collaboration between ABC Radio Canberra and the NFSA will bring film lovers and bookworms together for Book Club at NFSA, exploring stories that journey from page to screen. Screenings include American Fiction, The Princess Bride and Wuthering Heights, followed by interactive conversations hosted by Alice Matthews and Rhiân Williams from ABC Afternoons Book Corner Book Club.
First Nations storytelling also features prominently in the program. Coinciding with Reconciliation Week, One Mind, One Heart documents the return of a historic Yirrkala bark petition to Yolngu country, while High Ground confronts Australia’s frontier history through a fictionalised retelling of true events. Both screenings include post-film Q&As with filmmakers and cultural leaders.
Music, movement and powerful true stories
The CLIPPED Music Video Festival returns to Arc Cinema with an exclusive showcase of new music videos from Australian artists and filmmakers, including the ACT premiere of Baker Boy – The Making of DJANDJAY, followed by a Q&A with Baker Boy himself.
Documentary lovers can experience deeply personal storytelling in POINTE: Dancing on a Knife’s Edge, which follows dancer Floeur Alder rebuilding her artistic life after a traumatic attack, with a Q&A featuring Alder and Ausdance ACT Director Dr Cathy Adamek.
Another compelling documentary, Risk, offers an intimate look at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, exploring the complexities and personal costs of radical transparency.
A little movie magic (for all ages)
For those drawn to imaginative storytelling, the Autumn Film Series offers cinematic journeys into fantasy and wonder – from the romance of The Shape of Water to the surreal mystery of Mulholland Drive and the coming-of-age adventure Labyrinth.
Family favourites also shine on the big screen, including Hook, The Wizard of Oz, The Red Turtle and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, complete with an Easter Sunday chocolate egg hunt in the NFSA courtyard before the screening.
The new Science. Art. Film. series, presented with the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU, pairs films like Jurassic Park, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds with researcher-led discussions exploring humanity’s relationship with nature.
Classics and cult favourites
A special highlight of the season is the 40th anniversary screening of Malcolm, presented in 35mm and preceded by the Canberra Symphony Orchestra performing selections from the Penguin Café Orchestra soundtrack. A Q&A with director Nadia Tass and writer David Parker will follow the screening.
The popular Cult Classics series also returns, featuring films like Desperately Seeking Susan and Sex, Lies and Videotape, each introduced by local drag artist and host Venus Mantrap.
Cinema that celebrates every body
This season places connection at its heart, beginning with the Sign on Screen Film Festival, which showcases sign language cinema from around the world, with a focus on Deaf-led Australian storytelling. Presented in partnership with Deaf Connect and the Australian National University, the festival includes screenings, workshops with Deaf filmmakers and live performances – all accessible in Auslan and English.
Celebrating creativity later in life, UPSTAGEING Canberra – Australia’s first large-scale Creative Ageing Arts Festival – will feature screenings including 306 Hollywood, Cocoon, Quartet and Winter at Westbeth, exploring memory, resilience and connection with warmth and humour.
The NFSA will also mark Trans Day of Visibility with a screening of the cult glam-punk musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a story of identity, performance and belonging.
More than movies
While there are some truly epic titles in the Autumn Film series, seeing a movie at the NFSA is much more than just watching a film – it’s a chance to connect with others in one of Canberra’s most beautiful cinemas or most charming heritage courtyards.
Why not go along to make new friends or share ideas over a glass of wine (or perhaps a coffee and home-made tiramisu from onsite deli and bar Dom’s).
It truly is an experience you won’t find anywhere else.
