The weather outside may be frightful, but we’re hopefully willing warmer days into existence with the beginning of our Spring season of films this week!
Running until October 2, we’re kicking it all off with an acclaimed Aussie dramedy, a spirited animated film, and the long-awaited return of one of the biggest blockbuster franchises around. Don’t forget to check out the full listing at www.anufg.org.au/programme
• THU 22 JULY @ 7:30 PM: JUNE AGAIN (M, 99 mins)
When a twist of fate grants her a brief reprieve from her dementia, a matriarch (Noni Hazlehurst) makes an escape from her aged care home and sets out to put the lives of her estranged adult children back on track, in this Aussie dramedy.
• FRI 23 JULY @ 7:30 PM: FAST & FURIOUS 9 (M, 143 mins – ‘NO GUESTS’ SCREENING)
Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) must assemble his crew to confront the sins of the past when his estranged younger brother (John Cena) re-emerges on the hunt for a device capable of controlling any weapons system in the world.
• SAT 24 JULY @ **5 PM**: SPIRIT UNTAMED (G, 88 mins)
A young girl finds her life changed forever when she moves from her home in the city to a small frontier town, where she befriends a wild mustang who shares her rebellious spirit – until a heartless wrangler threatens to capture its herd.
After a couple of unexpected delays due to some last-minute changes, our new programme is finally ready to be released into the world!
You can find the full Spring 2021 line-up online now in three ways:
1. On our website with posters, synopses and cast listings by CLICKING HERE
2. In a printer-friendly PDF flyer version by CLICKING HERE
3. Or import all screenings into your phone or computer’s calendar by CLICKING HERE
Running from July 22 through to October 2, there’s bound to be something for everyone as we bring you the biggest and best new films alongside classics, world cinema and little-known gems. Below are a couple of things worth keeping an eye out for:
• FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: We’re continuing our celebration of milestone cinematic anniversaries on the last Friday of each month. This season, we’re getting into the Olympic spirit with CHARIOTS OF FIRE, yelling for Stella in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and going ‘Aw, jeez’ with a trip back to FARGO.
• LEBANESE FILM FESTIVAL: After 2020’s at-home edition, the Lebanese Film Festival is back with three free screenings between September 10 and 12, featuring films direct from major film festivals such as Cannes, Toronto and Berlin.
• PANEL DISCUSSIONS: ANU academics, subject matter experts and even some ANUFG members will be partaking in eye-opening panel discussions after our screenings of acclaimed documentaries COLLECTIVE and BRAZEN HUSSIES this season.
• SATURDAY SCREENING TIMES: Due to some unfortunate venue booking clashes outside of our control, we are breaking from our 5 PM start time in lieu of 7:30 PM starts for three Saturdays this season on August 21, August 28 and September 4. Reminders will be issued closer to the date.
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SPRING MEMBERSHIPS ON SALE + CARD SURCHARGES NOW WAIVED
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Not yet a member? Spring memberships are already available for purchase and include entry into the remainder of our current Winter season too, so there’s no better time to join up. Head to www.anufg.org.au/join or visit us at any screening to become a member!
As a small gesture of thanks to everyone who has been supporting us, we have made the decision to waive all credit card and EFTPOS surcharges for payments made in person at screenings from this week onwards. As we are no longer accepting cash as a payment method, we hope that this will help make it easier – and more affordable – to become a member.
Please note that a $2 surcharge will still apply for any memberships purchased online and paid for using PayPal or credit card. Payments made via direct bank deposit will continue to be accepted at no extra charge.
Thank you to everyone for their swift cooperation with ACT Health’s new mask requirements last week.
As you may have heard, earlier today it was announced that the existing mandate will be lifted on Saturday 10 July. This means that masks will still be mandatory at this Thursday’s and Friday’s screenings but won't be required from Saturday’s screening onwards.
Although they are no longer mandatory, the official health advice is that the wearing of masks is still strongly encouraged in spaces where physical distancing is not possible, such as in crowded indoor venues like cinemas. Therefore, as we have been doing since screenings resumed in December, we will continue to offer free masks from the front desk to anyone who wishes to use one. You are also encouraged to bring your own and use it if you wish.
Beyond that, it's business as usual this week for the penultimate week of screenings for the season – featuring Robin Wright's directorial debut, one of the big hits of this year's French Film Festival, and Jason Statham's long-awaited re-teaming with director Guy Ritchie.
And stay tuned for the big reveal of our new July to October programme... coming sooner than you think!
• THU 8 JULY @ 7:30 PM: LAND (M, 89 mins)
In the aftermath of a tragedy, a woman (Robin Wright) finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew, and retreats to the magnificent but unforgiving wilds of the Rocky Mountains to build a new life off the grid.
• FRI 9 JULY @ 7:30 PM: WRATH OF MAN (MA, 119 mins)
When criminals attempt to rob a cash truck, a mysterious new security guard (Jason Statham) dispatches the would-be robbers with deadly precision and skills, leaving his co-workers wondering who he is and what his true motives are.
• SAT 10 JULY @ **5 PM**: ANTOINETTE IN THE CEVENNES (M, 96 mins)
School teacher Antoinette finds her weekend plans with her married lover upended when he decides to go hiking with his family instead. Undeterred, she follows them on their trek and gets far more than she bargained for in this hit French comedy.
As a result of an unfortunate double booking at the cinema, we regret to inform you that our screening of SUPERNOVA on Saturday 17 July will now begin at 7:30 PM instead of 5 PM as originally scheduled.
The film follows a couple – Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) – who find their love for each other tested as they travel across England in an old campervan visiting people and places from their 20 years together, after Tusker is diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
We apologise for any and all inconvenience caused by this change, and hope that anyone who was planning on seeing the film will still be able to make it along at the later start time.
The ANU Film Group’s committee is typically selected at our Annual General Meeting in March each year, but casual vacancies can occur if not all spots are filled at the AGM or a committee member resigns. As it happens, we currently have a few casual vacancies on the committee and are putting a call out to see if any members are keen on helping out!
As most of you probably know, since it began in 1966, the ANUFG has been run by a team of volunteers who do everything from being on duty at screenings to booking our films, designing our publications, updating our Facebook page and everything in between. If you’ve been enjoying being a member (or perhaps even if you haven’t) you may wish to consider getting involved. Running Australia’s largest film society is a lot of work, but it’s worth it – and there are a couple of perks including free membership too!
If you are currently a member and think you might be interested in filling one of our committee’s casual vacancies, please send us an email to info@anufg.org.au with a bit about yourself and why you’d like to get involved, preferably by Sunday 11 July. Alternatively, you can also reach out if you’d simply like to know more about what the role entails. Either way, we look forward to hearing from you!
We kick off the month of July with the return of everyone’s favourite jacket-wearing rabbit, Michelle Pfeiffer in a performance many have called her best yet, and Casey Affleck as a psychiatrist fending off a psychopath in a psychological thriller.
• THU 1 JULY @ 7:30 PM: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE (MA, 105 mins)
A psychiatrist (Casey Affleck) has his career thrown into jeopardy when his unusual methods result in one of his patients committing suicide. But that soon becomes the least of his problems when the patient's brother (Sam Claflin) becomes involved with his family.
• FRI 2 JULY @ 7:30 PM: FRENCH EXIT (M, 113 mins)
After she spends the last of her inheritance, a widowed New York socialite (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her aimless son (Lucas Hedges) move to Paris, along with their cat, who may or may not be embodying the soul of her late husband.
• SAT 3 JULY @ **5 PM**: PETER RABBIT 2 (G, 93 mins – NO GUESTS)
Despite his best efforts, Peter Rabbit can't shake his reputation for mischief. Adventuring out of the garden to the big city, he finds himself in a place where his mischief is appreciated but must eventually decide what kind of bunny he wants to be.
As per ACT Health’s latest public health direction, face masks must now be worn by anyone over the age of 12 as a precautionary measure when visiting indoor venues such as cinemas – including ANU Film Group screenings.
Please ensure that you and any guests you invite have a mask when coming along to screenings from this week onwards. We will continue to have a limited supply of free masks for anyone who has forgotten theirs, but stock is limited, and you will not be permitted to enter the cinema if you don’t have a mask.
Masks must also continue to be worn inside the cinema for the duration of the film, and can only be removed if/when eating or drinking. More advice on what classifies as a face mask and how to properly wear one can be found on ACT Health’s website by CLICKING HERE
This is also a timely opportunity for a reminder that anyone who is feeling unwell or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home and get tested. Further to that, if you have recently been to any of the COVID-19 areas of concern, you should not be attending screenings and be following stay-at-home orders instead. An up-to-date list of such areas can be found again on ACT Health’s website by CLICKING HERE
Thank you in advance for your cooperation, and for keeping each other safe!
In celebration of LGBTQI+ Pride month, the Embassy of Mexico is hosting a free screening of the award-winning Mexican film, I CARRY YOU WITH ME (TE LLEVO CONMIGO) this coming Wednesday (June 23) at 6 PM in the Kambri Cinema – and have kindly extended an invitation to ANUFG members to attend.
The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of a decades-spanning romance that begins in Mexico between an aspiring chef (Armando Espitia) and a teacher (Christian Vázquez). Ambition and societal pressure soon propel them to embark on a treacherous journey to New York City with only their dreams, hopes, and memories in tow.
You can find out more about the film at the Embassy's event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/352090762941569/) and, if you wish to attend, be sure to register here: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/3cyu
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WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
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There’s certainly no shortage of remarkable women throughout history and two of this week’s films – A CALL TO SPY and MISBEHAVIOUR – shine a light on some incredible female-led true stories. Plus, a special 80th anniversary screening of film noir classic, THE MALTESE FALCON!
• THU 24 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: A CALL TO SPY (M, 124 mins)
At the outset of WWII, on the orders of Winston Churchill, Britain’s newest spy agency recruits and trains women as spies in a secret army. Together, this group of civilian women work to undermine the Nazi regime in France and turn the tide of the war.
• FRI 25 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: THE MALTESE FALCON (PG, 101 mins)
80th anniversary screening of this film noir classic, in which a San Francisco private eye (Humphrey Bogart) takes on a case that involves him with a deadly band of international thieves who will stop at nothing to obtain a priceless falcon statuette.
• SAT 26 JUNE @ **5 PM**: MISBEHAVIOUR (M, 107 mins)
A group of women involved in the newly formed Women's Liberation Movement hatch a plan to invade the stage and disrupt the live broadcast of the 1970 Miss World competition in London, in this British comedy based on a true story.
This week at the ANU Film Group, take a cinematic journey to whole new worlds, ranging from outer space in the future to race-divided 1940s America and deep into the forests of Northern Italy – for a magical and delightful little documentary about truffle hunting that you’ll have to see to believe!
• THU 17 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: VOYAGERS (MA, 108 mins)
With the future of the human race at stake, a group of young men and women embark on an expedition to colonise a distant planet – but the mission descends into madness when they uncover disturbing secrets about their true nature.
• FRI 18 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY (MA, 130 mins)
In the 1940s, jazz musician Billie Holiday (Best Actress Oscar nominee Andra Day) finds herself targeted by the US Bureau of Narcotics during an undercover sting operation in an effort to undermine the Civil Rights movement.
• SAT 19 JUNE @ **5 PM**: THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS (M, 84 mins)
In the forests of Northern Italy, a dwindling group of joyful old men and their expertly-trained dogs search for the world’s most expensive ingredient – the white Alba truffle – using secret techniques passed down through the generations.
This year’s Oscar-winning performance for Best Actor in THE FATHER is our top recommendation of the week, screening along with a drama about the literary world and a martial arts action flick based on the popular video game franchise.
Please note that MORTAL KOMBAT on Friday is rated 'R' so only persons aged 18 or over will be permitted into the screening. Verification of ID may be required if you look underage – but please take it as a compliment if we ask!
• THU 10 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: MY SALINGER YEAR (M, 101 mins)
In 1995, after leaving graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, a young woman gets a coveted job working for a literary agent and soon discovers her own voice while replying to fan mail for reclusive author J.D. Salinger.
• FRI 11 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: MORTAL KOMBAT (R, 110 mins)
A failed boxer uncovers a family secret that leads him to a mystical fighting tournament where he meets a group of Earth's greatest warriors as they battle to the death against otherworldly enemies for the fate of the universe.
• SAT 12 JUNE @ **5 PM**: THE FATHER (M, 97 mins – NO GUESTS)
An ageing man (Anthony Hopkins) suffering from dementia refuses all assistance from his daughter and begins to doubt his loved ones and his own mind as his condition deteriorates. Oscar winner for Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.