Close up of the band Silverchair when they were teenagers, circa 1995.
30th birthday
Silverchair: Frogstomp

In March 1995, Silverchair’s debut album Frogstomp propelled three 15-year-olds from Newcastle to global stardom. Read more

Aerial shot of houses in the outer suburbs of Melbourne.
40 years ago
Neighbours: the first episode

The first episode of Neighbours aired on Channel 7 on 18 March 1985. It overcame a rocky start to become a cultural phenomenon. Watch the clips

A 3801 steam locomotive pulling a passenger train on a raised railway track above a grass embankment. The train is about to cross a railway bridge
Remastered in 4K
A Steam Train Passes

We're celebrating 50 years of Australia's most acclaimed film about the age of steam with special screenings and vintage train footage from the NFSA collection. All aboard!

A steam train on a track passing through a rural area while a young boy watches on from behind a fence.
A great track record
The art of trainspotting
Jim Powe's train-chasing footage gives us a unique record of the Australian age of steam.
Going viral
From Gotye to Doechii
Underpinning ‘Anxiety’ by Doechii is a huge hit by Gotye, itself braided with samples.
Experimental filmmaker Corinne Cantrill holding up an analogue film camera and smiling
Vale
Corinne Cantrill
We mark the passing of a legendary figure in Australian alternative and experimental cinema.
Chris Hemsworth looking uncertain in a scene from Home and Away
Before They Were Famous
Suds to stardom
9 Australian Hollywood stars who were good Neighbours or called Summer Bay home.
Two women standing in a crowd of protesters and police. A placard near them reads "Drop all charges against the 53".
Where it all began
First Mardi Gras
Watch recently discovered news file footage from the first Mardi Gras protests in 1978.
A lick of flame rises against a night sky filled with glowing embers
NFSA Commissions
WINHANGANHA
Jazz Money's acclaimed film about how the legacies of collection affect First Nations people.

'Our collection tells the story of the nation – our memories, our lives, our futures.'

Explore a wealth of stories
Video game consoles and hardware laid out on a table
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-08/Games-preservation_hardware.jpg
Video games at the NFSA

Hitting the start button on preserving our video game history

Our video game collection continues to expand rapidly as the NFSA evolves in response to 21st-century media production and consumption trends. 

In late 2023, we conducted a landmark international survey that revealed the threats to the survival of important video game heritage.

View the key findings of the international survey

Computer screen with the words 'Game Not Over' on it.
International survey
Video game preservation
Computer graphics of Space Invaders computer screen.
Retro gaming
Advertising, news and reviews
A screenshot from a video game featuring a goose being chased by a farmer.
1980s to Now
Video games in the NFSA collection
A woman in a floral dress pictured from the waist up, walking away but with her head turned to look back over her shoulder.
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A celebration of First Nations culture

Experience Nangamai

Nangamai ('Dream' in the Dharawal language) is the NFSA's online collection of First Nations content.

It pays tribute to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander icons, trailblazers, dreamers and performers who have kept their rich culture and history alive through activism, writing, filmmaking, song, dance and art.

View Nangamai: a celebration of First Nations culture

Image (above): Deborah Mailman

Nova Peris flanked by team mates receiving an Olympic gold medal
Icons
Sporting legends
Indigenous singer/songwriter Archie Roach, pictured in profile from the waist up.
Trailblazers
First Nations Portraits
Close up of actor Miranda Tapsell holding a wedding bouquet and smiling.
Dreamers
First Nations filmmaking
Canberra highlights
2
Apr
Still from Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Wednesday 7:00 pm
Sunset Boulevard
Scathing Hollywood satire about a faded star desperate for a comeback.
3 - 5
Apr
MGFF still
Thursday 7:00 pm
Mardi Gras Film Festival
Share your love of cinema as Queer Screen's 32nd Mardi Gras Film Festival (MGFF) brings the best new LGBTQIA+ films to the NFSA.
6
Apr
Still from A Steam Train Passes (1974)
Sunday 1:00 pm
Special Event: A Steam Train Passes
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Australia's finest railway film, A Steam Train Passes, with a special film screening and discussion event.
View full event calendar
Open daily 10am–3pm
Blue light laser installation
Constellations

An immersive audiovisual experience by Robin Fox in which sound, light, and space collide.

Open 27 February to 4 May in the Gallery, seven days a week. Admission is free. 

Find out more

Cinema in Canberra
People in NFSA's Arc Cinema
NFSA's Arc Cinema

Arc Cinema is Canberra’s go-to spot for the culturally curious. Enjoy our curated program of recent releases and revived classics, from high art to guilty pleasures. There’s something for everyone!

Find out more 

Visit the NFSA

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Two young girls looking at screen with headphones on

We're Australia's national audiovisual cultural institution

Our strategic direction
Our story and vision