How time flies! It's hard to believe that our Autumn 2024 season will be coming to a close in just one month – as will the Kambri Cultural Centre when the ANU comences its planned hail remediation project in June.
We have been so humbled and buoyed by the many messages of support and thanks received from our members since announcing the screening break earlier this year. While there is no doubt that we will return, we understand that many of you also have questions that we'll aim to address below.
Thank you again for your support, and we hope you make the most of these last few weeks of screenings!
Why are you taking a screening break?
The ANU Film Group will regretfully be taking a break from screenings as the ANU will be undertaking major building work on the Kambri Cultural Centre, where our cinema is located. The work is part of a campus wide hail remediation project to repair damage sustained in the January 2020 hailstorm. As the repairs will primarily involve the roof and walls, the entire building and all venues within it will be closed for the duration.
How long will the screening break last?
Repairs to the Kambri Cultural Centre are expected to take place from June 2024 until early February 2025, a period of approximately eight and a half months. As with any major building work, there is always the possibility of delays for a number of reasons, including weather, but we remain optimistic that we will be able to resume screenings in time for O-Week next year.
To receive the latest updates on when screenings will resume, please subscribe to our mailing list at the top of our homepage or follow our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ANUFG.
What will happen to my membership during the screening break?
All memberships that are valid when the break begins on June 2, 2024 will be automatically extended by a period equivalent to the screening break to ensure that no one is left out of pocket. If screenings can resume as planned from the start of O-Week on February 10, 2025, then this will be for a period of 36 weeks (inclusive). There is nothing that you need to do to have your membership extended, and there is no cost to you. If you wish to find out when your membership currently expires, please ask us at the next screening you attend or email us at info@anufg.org.au with your membership number.
If for any reason you are unable to make use of your membership extension, we are also able to offer pro rata refunds on any membership fees already paid. To obtain a refund, please send us an email to info@anufg.org.au with your details and membership number for further information.
Why can’t you screen films at a different venue during the screening break?
As much as we’d like to continue screening films during the break, there are unfortunately no other venues on campus that have the professional cinema-grade projection and sound equipment required to run our screenings. This includes our former home at the Coombs Theatre, which was remodelled after we moved to Kambri in 2019 and is no longer suitable for film screenings.
We have even explored the possibility of holding screenings at other venues outside of the ANU, but the cost of hiring a commercial cinema with a similar seating capacity or technical capability was simply too expensive.
What can we do to remain involved during the break?
We plan on staying in touch with our members via our Facebook page and through regular mailing list messages, but are open to any suggestions you might have on how we can keep you entertained and engaged during the screening break. If you have any ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing us at info@anufg.org.au.
We regret to inform you that we are no longer able to screen THE THIRD MAN as scheduled on Thursday 23 May, as its distributor is now planning a re-release of the film in cinemas for its 75th anniversary.
In its place, we will instead be screening THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, the much beloved drama is consistently ranked by many as one of the greatest of all time and remains a mainstay as the #1 voted film on IMDb.
We apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment caused, and hope that you will be able to join us at THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION instead at the same date and time. For more information about the film, CLICK HERE.
It's finally here: our brand new Autumn 2024 programme. And because this will sadly be our one and only season for the year we're pulling out all the stops!
Case in point: we'll be kicking things off next week with not one, not two, but three free screenings: Oscar-nominated THE BOY AND THE HERON on Monday, raunchy rom-com ANYONE BUT YOU for Valentine's Day on Wednesday, and the MEAN GIRLS musical remake on Thursday. Entry is free and open to all, so bring everyone you know to try out Australia's best film society for free.
You can also now check out our full programme featuring more than 65 films screening between February 12 and June 1 at the links below. Our new programme flyers will also be available at all screening from this week onwards.
• View the programme online by CLICKING HERE
• Download a printable PDF version of the programme by CLICKING HERE
• Import all screenings directly to your phone or computer's calendar by CLICKING HERE
As a friendly reminder, to reflect the extended duration and number of films screening this season, the cost of an Autumn season membership for 2024 has been increased to $40. Annual 365-day memberships and season memberships can both be purchased at any screening or online at www.anufg.org.au/join.
Please note that online memberships take 2-3 working days to process, so if you intend on seeing a film sooner than that, we recommend joining up at the door.
It is with much disappointment that we have to inform you that the ANU Film Group will be going on a temporary screening break from June 2024 until February 2025 due to building works taking place in the Kambri Cultural Centre.
The ANU will be carrying out major hail remediation work in the Cultural Centre that will unfortunately result in the closure of the entire building and all venues within it, including our cinema, for more than eight months. We have explored all avenues to allow us to continue screenings, including moving to another venue for the duration of the works, but regretfully none were viable.
All currently scheduled screenings will not be affected, and we will still be permitted to screen until the start of June. This means that our upcoming Autumn 2024 season will be our only season for the year, and as a result the season has been extended by five extra weeks to run from February 12 until June 1, 2024.
Similar to what we did during the COVID shutdown, we will be automatically extending all memberships for the affected period so that no one is out of pocket, and also offering pro rata refunds where necessary. More information will be provided in the coming weeks once details have been worked out.
We couldn’t be more sorry – and heartbroken – that we have to go on another forced hiatus, but rest assured that this break is only temporary and we will be back as soon as we can. Until then, we still have five months of screenings to go and look forward to sharing what we have planned with you. Stay tuned!
This is a friendly reminder that this week's screenings will be our last until 2024, as we'll be taking a few weeks off before returning with the remainder of our Summer season on Friday 12 January, 2024.
On behalf of all of us here at the ANU Film Group, we wish you a merry and restful holiday season. 2023 has been an eventful year with festivals galore, a bounty of filmmaker screenings and even a few full houses to keep us on our toes – not to mention an abundance of great films. And we couldn't have done it without your ongoing support, so thank you for being members!
And when we return in 2024, you can get a head start on your New Year's resolution to watch even more movies with the likes of The Creator, Napoleon, Ferrari, Saltburn, Wonka and more!
With the launch of our new Summer programme, we are now officially in the home stretch for the year – but that doesn't mean we're taking it easy!
You can now check out our full programme of more than 50 films screening between October 19, 2023, and February 10, 2024 at the links below.
There's a lot to see this Summer, from historical epics and superb sequels to stunningly original cinema, infamous classics, and homegrown Aussie films to be proud of. Plus, the return of the Lebanese and Hungarian film festivals and a one-night-only Canberra Short Film Festival special event.
• View the programme online by CLICKING HERE
• Download a printable PDF version of the programme by CLICKING HERE
• Import all screenings directly to your phone or computer's calendar by CLICKING HERE
Summer memberships can now be purchased at any screening or online at www.anufg.org.au/join. Season memberships also include entry into all remaining screenings from our current season, including The Last Daughter, Elemental and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
For the best value movies anywhere, don't forget that our Annual memberships are now valid for a full 365 days from the purchase date.
The BARBENHEIMER phenomenon strikes again with our second full house in as many weeks!
As a result of its original screening on September 1 filling up, we will be re-screening OPPENHEIMER on Sunday 10 September at 7:30 PM.
All members and invited guests are once again welcome. Doors will open for entry from 7 PM.
Please remember that entry into any given screening is strictly limited to the capacity of the cinema. If all 305 seats are taken before the film starts and a re-screening is called, we will advise accordingly here on our website, our mailing list or our Facebook page (www.facebook/com/ANUFG).
Due to a full house at its original screening on August 26, we will be re-screening BARBIE on Sunday 3 September at 7:30 PM.
All members and invited guests are once again welcome. Doors will open for entry from 7 PM.
So if you missed out last week, or simply couldn't get 'Kenough' of the film, here’s your chance!
Please remember that entry into any given screening is strictly limited to the capacity of the cinema. If all 305 seats are taken before the film starts and a re-screening is called, we will advise accordingly here on our website, our mailing list or our Facebook page (www.facebook/com/ANUFG).
Our Spring 2023 line-up features everything from Christopher Nolan's latest to Barbie, Indiana Jones, Spider-Man, John Farnham, Wes Anderson, alongside a bunch of films with unwieldy titles (we're looking at you, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One).
Throw in some bonafide classics like The Birds and The Piano, the 18th edition of the Latin American Film Festival and three special director Q&A screenings (including an exclusive preview screening), and we reckon we've got a pretty good programme in store. Check it out for yourself below!
• View the programme online by CLICKING HERE
• Download a printable PDF version of the programme by CLICKING HERE
• Import all screenings directly to your phone or computer's calendar by CLICKING HERE
Running from July 24 to October 14, memberships for Spring are now on sale at screenings or online at www.anufg.org.au/join. Season memberships also include entry into all remaining screenings from our current season, including The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Innocent and Renfield.
Or for the best value movies anywhere, you won't get better deal than our Annual memberships which are valid for a full 365 days from the purchase date.
Due to some unfortunate clashes with the ACT Government's upcoming Uncharted Territory Festival, we regret to inform you that we have been forced to cancel three of our upcoming screenings. The following films will no longer be screening as originally scheduled:
• LINOLEUM on Friday 7 July at 7:30 pm
• JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS on Saturday 8 July at 5 pm
• YOU HURT MY FEELINGS on Saturday 15 July at 5 pm
We apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment that these changes will cause, and are working hard to reschedule these films as part of our next season, which will commence on July 24. More on that to come next week.
Please also note that the 7:30 pm sessions on both Saturday 8 July (FAST X) and Saturday 15 July (THE INSPECTION) will be proceeding as normal. Only the 5 pm sessions on those days have been affected.
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WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
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A terrific trio of homegrown Australian films feature at ANUFG this week: coming-of-age drama SWEET AS, Simon Baker's outback neo noir LIMBO, and the extraordinary story of environmental folk hero Bob Brown in THE GIANTS. Plus, scream queen Mia Goth in horror prequel PEARL for a bit of variety!
• THU 29 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: SWEET AS
In remote Western Australia, a troubled 16-year-old Indigenous girl is given the chance to join a group of at-risk teens on an unusual youth retreat where she discovers a passion for photography, in this uplifting coming-of-age drama. (M, 88 mins)
• FRI 30 JUNE @ 7:30 PM: LIMBO
Arriving in a remote Outback mining town to investigate the unsolved cold case of a missing Indigenous woman, a police detective (Simon Baker) uncovers uncomfortable truths about the injustices faced by Aboriginal Australians. (MA, 108 mins)
• SAT 1 JULY @ **5 PM**: THE GIANTS
The story of Australian environmental folk hero and queer icon Bob Brown is interwoven with the life cycle of the ancient eucalyptus trees he's spent decades fighting for, in this poetic exploration of the relationship between man and nature. (M, 113 mins)
• SAT 1 JULY @ 7:30 PM: PEARL
In 1918, a disturbed young woman (Mia Goth) tends to the needs of her parents on the family's isolated farm. She secretly longs for the glamorous life she's seen only in the movies, with her ambitions soon leading to deadly violence. (MA, 103 mins)