Thanks to everyone who came along for our screening of ME AND MY MATES VS. THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE on Saturday, and especially those who stuck around to participate in the insightful and highly entertaining Q&A that followed!
Particular thanks must go to our special guests for the evening: writer/director Declan Shrubb, actor Andy Trieu, and producers Daniel Sanguineti and Chris Wiseman. If you weren’t able to make it along, be sure to head over to www.matesvszombies.com to support their film by grabbing a copy of the DVD or watching it online.
We’ve also posted a few snaps of the Q&A onto Facebook, which you can check out by clicking HERE.
If you enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process, make sure you mark down Saturday May 21st in your calendar now, as award-winning director Jennifer Peedom will be joining us for a Q&A screening of her highly acclaimed Everest documentary SHERPA. Save the date!
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SCREENING CHANGES: EVERYBODY WANTS SOME + FREE STATE OF JONES
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Due to a number of theatrical release date changes, we have had to replace two upcoming films on our Semester One programme.
First up, director Richard Linklater’s EVERYBODY WANTS SOME, which was originally programmed for May 19, will now only be released in late June. Replacing it on our programme will be acclaimed Australian drama THE DAUGHTER, starring an ensemble cast including Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Otto, Paul Schneider, Anna Torv and Sam Neill.
The film tells the story of a man returning home to his small logging hometown for his father’s wedding, where he inadvertently unearths a long-buried family secret. As he tries to right the wrongs of the past, his actions threaten to shatter the lives of those he left behind years before.
THE DAUGHTER will screen on Thursday 19 May at 7:30 PM.
Secondly, FREE STATE OF JONES starring Matthew McConaughey has also had its release delayed to late July. In its place on June 25 will now be BASTILLE DAY, an upcoming action thriller starring Idris Elba.
Elba stars as a CIA agent on assignment in Paris who is forced to work with an American pickpocket when the young man inadvertently stumbles upon a terrorist plot against the city. The unlikely duo soon uncovers a deadly conspiracy that turns them both into targets.
BASTILLE DAY will screen on Saturday 25 June at 7 PM. It will be followed by the night’s originally scheduled second feature, ROCK THE KASBAH, at approximately 8:45 PM.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these changes, and will endeavour to screen both EVERYBODY WANTS SOME and FREE STATE OF JONES as part of our Semester Two programme.
The first of this semester’s filmmaker Q&A screenings will be taking place tomorrow night as the ANU Film Group presents Canberra’s very own Oz-zom-com! Special guests, including writer-director Declan Shrubb and actor Andy Trieu, will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion, with plenty of stories to be told and prizes to be won, so be sure to come along/stick around for that.
• Sat 16 Apr @ **7 PM**: ME AND MY MATES VS. THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
Three telecom tradesman unwittingly discover the onset of a zombie apocalypse and must use their (limited) intelligence to come up with a plan – possibly involving cricket bats, sausage rolls, lawnmowers and beer – to save the day… or at the very least survive long enough to see another one!
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DONATE BLOOD AND SAVE LIVES TOGETHER
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It may be fun to see zombies spilling blood on the big screen, but did you know that donated blood platelets only have an extremely short life span of just five days? The Australian Red Cross is always on the lookout for blood donors, and the need for blood never takes a holiday, so we would like to encourage those of you who are eligible to donate blood to please consider doing so.
The ANU Film Group is registered with the Red Cross’s RED25 program, which unites communities around Australia in saving lives through blood donation, so it would also be greatly appreciated if you nominated us as your associated club to demonstrate our support of such a worthy cause. You can join our RED25 group anytime by clicking HERE.
Call 13 14 95 to make an appointment or go to the Red Cross website – www.donateblood.com.au – to find locations and hours for your local donor centre.
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COMING SOON: SPOTLIGHT, THE BIG SHORT, ROCKY AND MORE!
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Full screenings resume next week with not just one, but two, Best Picture Oscar winners: this year’s Oscar-winning SPOTLIGHT and 1976’s underdog winner ROCKY, screening as part of our Back to the Film Group anniversary series.
Plus, some fantastic films that showcase cinema at its finest and most diverse – from socially conscious entertainment (THE BIG SHORT, FREEHELD) to an introspective, impossibly human stop-motion animated film (ANOMALISA) and even an indie that is as cutting-edge as they come with its transgender cast and cinematography shot entirely on an iPhone (TANGERINE).
This week at the ANU Film Group, catch the Oscar-nominated YOUTH, starring Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, followed by the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong in sports drama THE PROGRAM.
• Sat 9 Apr @ **7 PM**: YOUTH + THE PROGRAM
In YOUTH, two lifelong friends on holiday in the Swiss Alps reflect on their lives and their legacies when one of them, a retired composer, receives a personal invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform for Prince Philip’s birthday. Starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda.
Then, in THE PROGRAM (at approx. 9:15 PM), a sports journalist (Chris O’Dowd) becomes convinced that cyclist Lance Armstrong’s (Ben Foster) Tour de France victories were fuelled by banned substances and sets out to hunt for evidence that will expose the athlete. Directed by Stephen Frears (THE QUEEN, PHILOMENA).
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COMING SOON: ‘ME AND MY MATES VS. THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE’ Q&A SCREENING
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Coming up next Saturday (April 16) is our very special screening of Canberra’s very own ME AND MY MATES VS. THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, which will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A with writer-director Declan Shrubb and actor Andy Trieu.
Not only will this be your chance to see the world’s first Oz-Zom-Com on the big screen, and find out firsthand how it got made right here in Canberra, but you’ll also get the chance to win prizes on the night too. Don’t miss it!
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ROTARY CLUB FUNDRAISER: ‘EDDIE THE EAGLE’ ON APRIL 20
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The Rotary Club of Woden Daybreak, who runs the wonderful canteen at our screenings, will be hosting a fundraising film screening of the inspirational comedy EDDIE THE EAGLE on Wednesday 20 April from 6 PM at Limelight Cinemas Tuggeranong.
All proceeds will be split between two important causes: MS Australia, dedicated to assisting Australians diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and the Rotary of Longreach Drought Appeal.
Tickets are $25 per person, and includes a drink and a popcorn or a choc top. For tickets, please book by Monday at the following link: http://www.trybooking.com/KMKL
The all-new Entertainment Book for 2016/2017 is now available for purchase, and ANU Film Group is once again offering them for sale online and at screenings.
Each Entertainment Book gives you more than $20,000 in offers across Canberra’s best restaurants, cafés, attractions, including offers for shopping, accommodation and travel. Books cost just $60 and a portion of sales from each book purchased through the ANUFG goes towards our fundraising efforts, so it's win-win for all involved!
You can purchase yours now either as a traditional Entertainment Book, or as a digital Entertainment Membership that can be conveniently used on your smart phone or mobile device anywhere you go.
To support the ANU Film Group and purchase your Entertainment Book or Entertainment Membership right now simply click HERE!
To find out more, or to preview this year’s offers, click HERE.
The all-new Entertainment Book for 2016/2017 will be launching in early April and the ANU Film Group will once again be offering them for sale online and at screenings.
Each Entertainment Book gives you more than $20,000 in offers across Canberra’s best restaurants, cafés, attractions, including offers for shopping, accommodation and travel. Books cost just $60 and a portion of sales from each book purchased through the ANUFG goes towards our fundraising efforts, so it's win-win for all involved!
Plus, if you pre-order your book before March 31st, you’ll even get an additional $170 in bonus offers to use alongside your regular offers until June 1, 2017.
You can purchase yours now either as a traditional Entertainment Book, or as a digital Entertainment Membership that can be conveniently used on your smart phone or mobile device anywhere you go.
To support the ANU Film Group and purchase your Entertainment Book or Entertainment Membership right now simply click HERE!
To find out more, or to preview this year’s offers, click HERE.
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WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK
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Male supermodels, Irish immigrants, tech geniuses, football players, Benghazi soldiers and scary grandparents… We’ve got it all at the Film Group this week!
• Wed 30 Mar @ 7:30 PM: CONCUSSION
A forensic neuropathologist (Will Smith) researching brain trauma suffered by professional American football players embarks on a dangerous quest to make the truth about their conditions known. Based on a true story.
• Thu 31 Mar @ 7:30 PM: BROOKLYN
** BROOKLYN is proudly presented by the Embassy of Ireland **
An Irish immigrant (Saoirse Ronan) arriving in 1950s Brooklyn quickly falls in love with her new home, but is soon forced to choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. Nominated for 3 Oscars, including Best Picture.
• Fri 1 Apr @ 7:30 PM: STEVE JOBS + THE VISIT
In STEVE JOBS, the Apple co-founder (Michael Fassbender) finds his personal and professional worlds colliding backstage at three iconic product launches. Directed by Danny Boyle, and nominated for 2 Oscars, including Best Actor.
Then, director M. Night Shyamalan makes a return to form with THE VISIT (at approx. 9:45 PM), in which two children are sent to stay with their grandparents for a week, only to discover their dark and horrific secret.
• Sat 2 Apr @ **7 PM**: ZOOLANDER NO. 2 + 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI
In ZOOLANDER NO. 2, when a mysterious organisation begins murdering the world’s most beautiful people, former supermodels Derek and Hansel must hit the runway once more to uncover the culprit.
Then, in 13 HOURS (at approx. 8:45 PM), when militants attack the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, six security contractors must make a desperate stand to defend the ambassador and his staff. Directed by Michael Bay.
** ‘NO GUESTS’ SCREENINGS THIS WEEK: ZOOLANDER NO. 2 **
We've only got one screening this week due to the Easter long weekend, but it's a cracker of a film: SUFFRAGETTE. Important, timely and still painfully relevant, the film is anchored by a powerful cast including Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep.
And we’ll be back next Wednesday with a bountiful selection of Oscar nominees, true stories, clever scares, all-out action and, yes, even the return of international male model Derek Zoolander. Have a safe and happy Easter, everyone!
• Tue 22 Mar @ 7:30 PM: SUFFRAGETTE
After achieving nothing through peaceful protest, a group of working women decide to risk it all to become the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement – facing off against an increasingly brutal British government that forces the women underground.
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REMINDER: SUPPORT US AT THE CANBERRA SOUTHERN CROSS CLUB
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In case you missed it, the ANU Film Group has teamed up with the Canberra Southern Cross Club to take part in their Community Rewards program. The CSCC has generously committed to giving back to the community by donating 10% of all food and beverage purchases made at any one of their five locations to groups nominated by their members.
If you’re a CSCC member, all you have to do is nominate the ANU Film Group as your preferred community group, and the Club does the rest whenever you spend. How easy is that?
Simply email info@anufg.org.au with your full name and 6-digit CSCC membership number and we’ll sign you right up! Plus, email us by Monday 28 March, and you can even win one of 10 double passes one of the year’s most talked-about horror films: THE WITCH.
For more information about the CSCC’s Community Rewards program, click HERE.
Before Ben Affleck dons the cape and cowl in BATMAN V SUPERMAN, join us for the first in our Back to the Film Group screenings for a trip back in time to 1966 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BATMAN: THE MOVIE tonight. POW! BAM! BIFF!
Also on this week: it’s Cate Blanchett night on Friday featuring two fantastic performances from the celebrated actress in the Oscar-nominated romance CAROL and the shocking political drama TRUTH. Plus, a pair of highly acclaimed foreign films on Saturday with Hitchcockian German thriller PHOENIX and absurd Swedish comedy A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE.
• Thu 17 Mar @ 7:30 PM: BATMAN: THE MOVIE
Batman and Robin must take on their most dastardly challenge yet, when the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman all team up to hold the world ransom. Have the dynamic duo finally met their match?
• Fri 18 Mar @ 7:30 PM: CAROL + TRUTH
In CAROL, a young, idealistic sales clerk (Rooney Mara) in 1950s New York finds herself in an unexpected love affair with an older, married woman (Cate Blanchett). Nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Actress.
Then, in TRUTH (at approx. 9:30 PM) a veteran newscaster (Robert Redford) and producer (Cate Blanchett) find their jobs and their reputations under fire after they air a segment investigating President George W. Bush’s military record.
• Sat 19 Mar @ **7 PM**: PHOENIX + A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH
** PHOENIX is proudly presented by the Embassy of Germany **
In PHOENIX, following the end of WWII, a Holocaust survivor and former cabaret singer returns to Berlin after undergoing facial reconstruction surgery to search for her lost husband, who she suspects might have betrayed her to the Nazis.
Then, in A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH (at approx. 8:45 PM), a pair of travelling salesman attempt to win customers for the novelty toys that they sell, an exercise that takes them on a whimsical tour of the human condition.
** ‘NO GUESTS’ SCREENINGS THIS WEEK: CAROL **
It’s the film everyone’s been talking about… the foul-mouthed, ultra-violent DEADPOOL is coming to the ANU Film Group this week. Be sure to leave the kiddies at home for this one!
Plus, we return to a galaxy far, far away with our encore screening of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. Dress up as your favourite characters, strike a pose at our photo booth, and hang out with 501st Legion stormtroopers on the night. Plus, prizes to be won for the best dressed, courtesy of Dee’s Comics in Belconnen.
And last but certainly not least, we’ve got the latest films from three acclaimed and prolific directors: Quentin Tarantino (THE HATEFUL EIGHT), Terrence Malick (KNIGHT OF CUPS) and Noah Baumbach (MISTRESS AMERICA).
It’s a positively massive week of screenings ahead – don’t miss out!
• Tue 8 Mar @ 7:30 PM: KNIGHT OF CUPS
A tormented Hollywood screenwriter (Christian Bale) tries to find his place in the world by making sense of the strange events occurring around him, in director Terrence Malick’s latest film. Also starring Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman.
• Thu 10 Mar @ 7:30 PM: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
When a new evil threat to the galaxy emerges, only a ragtag group of heroes – made up of scrappy newcomers and familiar faces – can save the day and restore balance to the Force in the next instalment in the STAR WARS saga.
Dress up as your favourite STAR WARS characters for your chance to win prizes!
• Fri 11 Mar @ 7:30 PM: THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Eight strangers seek refuge from a blizzard in a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. Through betrayal and deception, the strangers soon realise that not all of them will make it out of there alive. Directed by Quentin Tarantino.
• Sat 12 Mar @ **7 PM**: DEADPOOL + MISTRESS AMERICA
In DEADPOOL, a mercenary (Ryan Reynolds) is subjected to an experiment that leaves him badly scarred but with accelerated healing powers. Armed with a twisted sense of humour, he adopts an anti-hero alter ego and sets out for revenge.
Then, in MISTRESS AMERICA (at approx. 9 PM), a lonely college freshman is rescued from her solitude by her soon-to-be stepsister (Greta Gerwig) – an adventurous free spirit who entangles her in alluringly mad schemes. Directed by Noah Baumbach.
** ‘NO GUESTS’ SCREENINGS THIS WEEK: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, DEADPOOL **
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COMING SOON: BACK TO THE FILM GROUP – ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS
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As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, we’re bringing back iconic films from each of our past five decades that, like us, are celebrating special anniversaries this year. Make sure you catch these classics of cinema back on the big screen, starting next week!
• Thursday 17 March: BATMAN: THE MOVIE (1966) – 50th Anniversary
• Thursday 21 April: ROCKY (1976) – 40th Anniversary
• Thursday 26 May: CROCODILE DUNDEE (1986) – 30th Anniversary
Plus more films from 1996 and 2006 coming in Semester Two.
Cancel all your plans because tonight is the night of the ANU Film Group’s Annual General Meeting!
Our AGM is your one chance each year to find out all about your friendly neighborhood Film Group and have your say in how it’s run for the next 12 months. You can ask questions. You can make suggestions. You can even get involved by running for a spot on the committee and earn your place in history as one of the people behind the largest film society in Australia in its golden anniversary year.
It’s all happening tonight from 6 PM in the Coombs Theatre. Be there or be square!
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COMING UP: ‘STAR WARS’ DRESS UP SCREENING ON THURSDAY
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THE FORCE AWAKENS is back at the Film Group for an encore screening this Thursday at 7:30 PM – and we’re inviting you to come along dressed up as your favourite STAR WARS characters!
You can strike a fun pose at our photo booth, hang out with our stormtrooper friends from the 501st Legion, and even win prizes courtesy of the good folks at Dee’s Comics in Belconnen.
The Force is strong in this one. Don’t miss out!
SPOTLIGHT, THE REVENANT and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD may have taken home the most gold at the Oscars earlier this week, but as far as we’re concerned, Film Group members are the real winners with some of the best films of the year still to come on our programme!
This week in our dedicated Oscar Week, we’re screening the winning films for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Cinematography (THE REVENANT) and Best Actress (ROOM). Not to mention two frontrunners in the Best Supporting Actor (CREED) and Best Documentary Feature (THE LOOK OF SILENCE) categories – along with a Hollywood remake of an Oscar-winning foreign thriller, starring three Oscar winners/nominees (SECRET IN THEIR EYES).
How’s that for Oscar madness?!
• Wed 2 Mar @ 7:30 PM: THE LOOK OF SILENCE
An Indonesian man – who survived the country’s “communist” purge in 1965 – visits the men who carried out the killings under the pretence of an eye exam to confront them about their actions. Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature.
• Thu 3 Mar @ 7:30 PM: CREED
When the son (Michael B. Jordan) of a late rival requests his help, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) agrees to train him as a boxer – even as he struggles with his own mortality and legacy. Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actor (Stallone).
• Fri 4 Mar @ 7:30 PM: THE REVENANT
In the 1820s, during an expedition of uncharted wilderness, an explorer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is attacked by a bear and left for dead by his companions. He must then navigate the winter landscape in a relentless pursuit to exact revenge. Winner of 3 Oscars, including Best Actor (DiCaprio) and Best Director.
• Sat 5 Mar @ **7 PM**: ROOM + SECRET IN THEIR EYES
In ROOM, a young mother (Brie Larson) and her 5-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) have been confined to a windowless room for as long as he has lived. As their existence reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape. Oscar winner for Best Actress (Larson).
Then, in SECRET IN THEIR EYES (at approx. 9 PM), a team of FBI investigators are torn apart when they discover that one of their children has been brutally and inexplicably murdered. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts.
** ‘NO GUESTS’ SCREENINGS THIS WEEK: THE REVENANT, ROOM **
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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – MONDAY 7 MARCH @ 6 PM
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Our AGM is the chance you’ve been waiting for to find out all about the inner workings of the Group that you love so much.
You can ask questions. You can make suggestions. You can even run for a spot on the committee and earn your place in history as one of the committee members behind the largest film society in Australia in its golden anniversary year.
Guaranteed to be the most entertaining AGM ever held at the Coombs Theatre on a Monday evening in the first week of March for a group celebrating its 50th anniversary. We look forward to seeing you there!