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FILM SERIES
What’s On at Arc Cinema
19
July
Saturday 1:00 pm
The Home Song Stories
A glamorous Hong Kong performer struggles to make a home in 1960s suburban Australia.
19
Jul
Saturday 7:00 pm
Dead Poets Society
Robin Williams’ inspiring performance challenges everyone to seize the day.
20
July
Sunday 1:00 pm
Johnny Guitar
Joan Crawford rules the West in a 1950s showdown of power, politics and gender.
24
July
Thursday 7:00 pm
Fearless
After surviving a plane crash, a man confronts mortality and meaning in a haunting meditation on trauma and transcendence.
25
July
Friday 8:00 pm
Cult Classics: Wild at Heart
If you are truly wild at heart, you'll fight for your dreams.
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 25 JUL | 8PM
Cult Classics: Wild at Heart
If you are truly wild at heart, you'll fight for your dreams.
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SUN 27 JUL | 1PM
Book Club: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
True story of a down-and-out biographer who turns to making literary forgeries for money.
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1 - 3 AUG
Asian Film Archive: Reciprocal
Reciprocal is Asian Film Archive’s (AFA) annual collaborative film program that spotlights the archival collections of AFA and a partnering archive. This curated line-up explores the creative intersections and juxtapositions between the preserved national, regional, and international film and moving image, offering perspectives on archival issues and concerns confronting contemporary archivists.
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5 - 6 AUG
Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour
Brace yourself for an exhilarating showcase of female adventurers pushing boundaries and defying expectations. The 2025 Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour brings you six extraordinary short films in two and a half hours of heart-pounding action and soul-stirring storytelling.
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 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.
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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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POP-UP OPEN WEEKDAYS 8.30AM–3PM | WEEKENDS 10AM–2PM
Cafe and bar
Our cafe is getting a makeover! Same great team and coffee, but with a revamped menu and fresh look. While we're under construction, Melted Toasted Sandwich Emporium will be serving coffee, toasties, and cold drinks from 8:30am to 3pm (Mon-Fri) and 10am to 2pm (Sat-Sun and public holidays). A pop-up bar will be onsite for evening screenings.
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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.