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FILM SERIES
What’s On at Arc Cinema
4
December
Thursday 7:00 pm
Easy Rider
Peter Fonda and Derennis Hopper search for the American dream on custom chopper motorcycles.
5
December
Friday 5:30 pm
Vinyl Lounge
Bring your favourite records, share your music stories and hear what’s spinning on the NFSA’s turntables this month.
5
December
Friday 7:00 pm
The Triplets of Belleville
A whimsical and inventive animation paying homage to the silent movie era.
6
December
Saturday 1:00 pm
Whoopee Blues: The Life and Times of the Conway Brothers
A documentary exploring the fierce and fraught connection between musical geniuses, The Conway Brothers.
6
December
Saturday 7:00 pm
The Doors
Oliver Stone conjures Jim Morrison as the hallucinatory, poetic maniac of his generation.
Discover more about Arc Cinema and the program
Enjoy our curated program of recent releases and revived classics, from high art to guilty pleasures. There’s something for everyone!
A celebration of pop culture curiosities
Installations and experiences
The Library
Lose yourself in The Library, a treasure box of the NFSA’s most precious, wondrous, and whimsical artefacts.
Special events
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FRI 12 DEC | 8PM
Cult Classics: Basic Instinct
A brutal murder. A brilliant killer. A cop who can't resist the danger.
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SUN 14 DEC | 1PM
Horrorshow x CLIPPED: Inside Story Uncut
Hip hop outfit Horrorshow mark the 15th anniversary of their seminal 2009 album Inside Story with a groundbreaking cinema concert event, Inside Story Uncut, produced by audiovisual collective CLIPPED. Join us for an interactive Q&A session with frontman Nick Solo, and director and CLIPPED founder Samuel Bright.
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18 - 20 DEC | 8PM
Xmas Party Mix
Celebrate this holiday season at the NFSA with our Xmas Party Mix featuring Edward Scissorhands, Love Actually and Die Hard. Join the party from 6 pm with a DJ playing festive tunes, enjoy local wines, summer cocktails and charcuterie available for purchase from Dom’s deli & bar, then head into Arc Cinema for your classic holiday film.
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9 JAN - 14 FEB
Hot Summer Nights at the NFSA
Hot Summer Nights returns for its second year with an unforgettable blend of live local music and classic cinema — all in one ticket for the ultimate summer evening. Whether you’re drawn to the soul-stirring songs of Wallabindi with Aussie classic The Sapphires, the swinging grooves of Belco Jazz Band alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or high-energy indie rock from ARCHIE with Heath Ledger in Two Hands, there’s a perfect music-and-movie combo for everyone this summer.
Partner series
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With Venus Mantrap
Cult Classics
A series of Friday night filmic feasts showcasing cinema with bite: edgy movies and fan favourites that unnerve, push buttons, ask questions, or simply look good on the big screen! Each event includes a performance and introduction to the film from series host Venus Mantrap, local drag artist and culture warrior.
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Canberra Writers Festival
Book Club at the NFSA
Perfect for bookworms and film buffs alike, this series of screenings and discussions spans a variety of genres, styles and subjects, from Little Women to Australian grunge lit and everything in between. Presented in partnership with Canberra Writers Festival.
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Australian National University
Science. Art. Film.
A series of screenings and panel discussions that uncover wacky, weird and wonderful facets of science and art in films in partnership with the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, ANU.
Explore the NFSA
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Open for screenings
Arc Cinema
Arc Cinema is Canberra’s go-to spot for the culturally curious. Enjoy family favourites, curated classics, and special events. Grab a drink, settle into our art deco cinema, and experience the movies the way they were meant to be.
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Open daily - free admission
Mediatheque
Step into the Mediatheque, a welcoming lounge to gather and enjoy highlights from the NFSA’s audiovisual archives.
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Open weekends and for events
Theatrette
Catch free documentaries on rotation every weekend and book your tickets for our monthly Vinyl Lounge listening party.
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All Day – Dine in – Takeaway | Open 7 Days
Dom’s Deli
Dom’s is a modern deli and bar serving locally roasted coffee, pastries and their signature sandwiches by day, transforming into an intimate wine bar by night with local wines, drinks, charcuterie, and your favourite pre-movie snacks.
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Open daily
1930s courtyard
A sanctuary for all seasons, with beautifully landscaped gardens framed by covered seating areas – perfect for quiet coffees.
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Open daily - free admission
Kookaburra Room
Newly renovated in collaboration with Australian designer Mel Page, the Kookaburra Room celebrates the heritage aesthetic of our Acton building, with vintage 1930s furniture from the Institute of Anatomy and a colourful array of entertainment-themed mugs on display from the NFSA collection.
Stay connected
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Visit us
There’s something for everyone at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in Canberra. Drop in for date night, a family outing or a quiet afternoon to yourself.
Open daily, in Acton’s cultural precinct.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.