https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/Colour%20TV%20Mega%20Menu%203%20TVs_1000x745%20px.jpg
FILM SERIES
What’s On at Arc Cinema
11
May
Sunday 1:00 pm
Fantasia
Disney’s classic animates eight classical-music pieces in eight different styles.
14
May
Wednesday 6:00 pm
Science. Art. Film.: Inception (35mm)
An industrial spy can steal from your dreams in a film that beautifully reconstructs subconscious worlds.
15
May
Thursday 7:00 pm
The Plains
A daily Melbourne commute becomes a powerful window into a man’s life.
16
May
Friday 7:00 pm
The Grand Budapest Hotel
A star-studded cast, oddball storyline and visual splendour combine in a Wes Anderson classic.
17
May
Saturday 1:00 pm
Cleopatra
A cast of thousands join Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the lavish 1963 spectacle.
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
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-04/M%26C%201_SIP0445_19.jpg
SAT 10 MAY | 1PM
Walkabout
David Gulpilil rescues two English children in the movie that made him a star.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-04/grand%20budapest%20hotel.PNG
FRI 16 MAY | 7PM
The Grand Budapest Hotel
A star-studded cast, oddball storyline and visual splendour combine in a Wes Anderson classic.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-04/BANFF_1600x1200%20crop.jpg
6-9 MAY
Banff Mountain Film Festival
Presented by World Expeditions, the 2025 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is a 3-hour celebration of the mountain and adventure sport world.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-02/1407692_0001_022_PICNIC%20Select_M%26C%20Hero.PNG
16 FEB–7 DEC
Book Club at the NFSA
Join the NFSA in partnership with Canberra Writers Festival for a series of screenings and discussions, exploring how culturally significant books have been adapted and reimagined as films. Perfect for bookworms and film buffs alike!
Explore the NFSA
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/RecentRelics_gracecostaphotographer%20crop.jpg
Open daily - free admission
Recent Relics
A pop culture exploration from the '80s, '90s and early 2000s, this new permanent installation boasts two beautifully restored display cases filled with iconic objects that celebrate our contemporary audiovisual experiences.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/NFSA%20-%20Mediatheque%20-%20%20Christopher%20Morris.jpg
Open daily - free admission
Mediatheque
Step into the Mediatheque, a welcoming lounge to gather and enjoy highlights from the NFSA’s audiovisual archives.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/NFSA%20-%20Theatrette%20-%20%20Christopher%20Morris.jpg
Open weekends and for events
Theatrette
Catch free documentaries on rotation every weekend and book your tickets for our monthly Vinyl Lounge listening party.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-11/NFSA%20-%20Cafe%20-%20%20Christopher%20Morris.jpg
OPEN WEEKDAYS 8.30AM–3PM | WEEKENDS 10AM–2PM
Cafe and bar
Enjoy locally roasted Redbrick coffee and a selection of sandwiches and sweet treats. Open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 3pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 2pm. Joining us for an evening screening? The cafe and bar is also open late for NFSA screenings and events.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-09/Venue-hire_courtyard.jpg
Open daily
1930s courtyard
A sanctuary for all seasons, with beautifully landscaped gardens framed by covered seating areas – perfect for quiet coffees.
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-10/Kookaburra%20Room.jpg
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
Based in or around Canberra? Sign up to our weekly What’s On e-newsletter.
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.