Coming Soon
Tuesday, 28 July 2026
After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000.
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) lives in Paris, and in a world of her own. Introverted, but with a very extroverted imagination, Amelie is obsessed with the small pleasures of life and believes she can orchestrate the fate of others by affecting the slightest changes in their environment. So she sets out to give the lonely and unloved a new lease of life, taking some time to enjoy skimming stones and planning to win the heart of Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz). Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, his incomparable visionary style captures the exquisite charm and mystery of modern-day Paris through the eyes of a beautiful ingénue. French language, English subtitles
Tuesday, 25 August 2026
In the Eighteenth Century, in a small village in Ireland, Redmond Barry is a young farm boy in love with his cousin Nora Brady. When Nora gets engaged to the British Captain John Quin, Barry challenges him to a duel of pistols. He wins and escapes to Dublin but is robbed on the road. Without an alternative, Barry joins the British Army to fight in the Seven Years War. He deserts and is forced to join the Prussian Army where he saves the life of his captain and becomes his protégé and spy of the Irish gambler Chevalier de Balibari. He helps Chevalier and becomes his associate until he decides to marry the wealthy Lady Lyndon. They move to England and Barry, in his obsession of nobility, dissipates her fortune and makes a dangerous and revengeful enemy.
Thursday, 09 July 2026
Introducing The Readings Big Book Club: Bringing thinkers and readers together to explore great works of literature. Our inaugural five-part Book Club series will occur weekly from Thursday June 18 to Thursday July 16 and explores Homer's The Odyssey. The series takes place at Cinema Nova and is hosted by Michael Williams, editor of The Monthly. Each session, commencing at 6.50pm sharp, is guided by one of The University of Melbourne's leading academics, featuring a 35-minute lecture, followed by conversation and audience discussion: June 18th - Dr Seth Robinson – The Odyssey: The Original Hero's Journey June 25th - A/Prof K.O. Chong-Gossard – The Women in The Odyssey July 2nd - Dr Tom Hercules Davies – Who was Homer? July 9th - A/Prof Ika Willis – The Afterlives of The Odyssey July 16th - Screening of Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film adaptation of The Odyssey Live in-cinema Big Book Club membership: MEMBER EARLY ACCESS: $200 for Readings subscribers, Cinema Nova subscribers and University of Melbourne Alumni. Please note Early Access pricing is available for a limited time, with tickets at this discounted rate ending at midnight on Sunday May 17, 2026. PUBLIC ACCESS: $250. This price will apply from Monday May 18, 2026. There is an Online/virtual Big Book Club membership available, please see the separate ticket listing. Registration includes access to all four seminars and a copy of Homer’s The Odyssey (translated by Emily Wilson). Live in-cinema membership includes a ticket to a public screening of Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of The Odyssey (to take place on Thursday July 16), and will occur weekly on the above dates at Cinema Nova. All seating is allocated and consistent across all five sessions. Conditions: By purchasing a membership to the Live or Online Big Book Club you agree to receive email correspondence regarding this event by the presenting partners. Email correspondence will include full information about the event including collection of your copy of The Odyssey as well as cinema ticket information, once tickets to the film go on sale. Please note that once The Readings Big Book Club has commenced (June 18, 2026), refunds and changes to your membership cannot be made.
Thursday, 09 July 2026
Introducing The Readings Big Book Club: Bringing thinkers and readers together to explore great works of literature. Our inaugural five-part Book Club series will occur weekly from Thursday June 18 to Thursday July 16 and explores Homer's The Odyssey. The series is hosted by Michael Williams, editor of The Monthly. Each session, commencing at 6.50pm sharp, is guided by one of The University of Melbourne's leading academics, featuring a 35-minute lecture, followed by conversation and audience discussion: June 18th - Dr Seth Robinson – The Odyssey: The Original Hero's Journey June 25th - A/Prof K.O. Chong-Gossard – The Women in The Odyssey July 2nd - Dr Tom Hercules Davies – Who was Homer? July 9th - A/Prof Ika Willis – The Afterlives of The Odyssey Online/virtual Big Book Club membership: $100 For the Big Book Club live event, please see separate listing. Registration includes access to all four seminars and a copy of Homer’s The Odyssey (translated by Emily Wilson). Online membership grants access to a live video stream of each seminar and does not include a ticket to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Conditions: By purchasing a membership to the Live or Online Big Book Club you agree to receive email correspondence regarding the event by the presenting partners. Email correspondence will include full information about the event including collection of your copy of The Odyssey. Please note that once The Readings Big Book Club has commenced (June 18, 2026), refunds and changes to your membership cannot be made.
Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Iconic science fiction from the early 80s
Thursday, 30 July 2026
To maximize economic productivity, the government orders the elderly to relocate to distant housing colonies. Tereza, 77, refuses-instead embarking on a journey through the Amazon that will change her destiny forever.
Thursday, 30 July 2026
When 80-year-old Marie announces a family trip to Switzerland to collect a mysterious inheritance, her unreliable son and teenage granddaughter join her in a battered camper van. With a reluctant caregiver as driver, the unlikely group sets off on a chaotic and heartfelt road trip. Along the way, love, laughter, and the messy beauty of being together emerge unexpectedly. Will Marie find the courage to reveal the true purpose of their journey?
Thursday, 17 September 2026
Rock icon Marianne Faithfull's six-decade journey through music, fame and reinvention unfolds in an intimate documentary, blending reality and imagination as she makes her final artistic statement.
Thursday, 13 August 2026
CatVideoFest is a hilarious, family friendly, feature length compilation of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions, sourced animations, music videos and classic internet powerhouses. Only in cinemas, CatVideoFest is a joyous communal experience which raises money for cats in need, as a percentage of the proceeds from each screening goes to local animal shelters and/or animal welfare organisations to best serve cats in the area. People love cat videos, and they love coming together for a shared experience. CatVideoFest is committed to bringing the joy of cat videos to the masses, while doing good for the worldwide community of people working to help cats in need.
Thursday, 20 August 2026
Lidia Yuknavitch’s raw and searing memoir comes to life in this intimate portrait of a woman who turns to writing to survive a lifetime of trauma, addiction, and self-destruction.
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
DOUBLE FEATURE! It's a double feature of two Stanley Kubrick classics. Malcolm McDowell stars in the sci-fi satire nased on the novel by Anthony Burgess. Gang leader Alex (McDowell) lives a life filled with crime, sex and the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven. When his crimes catch up with him, an opportunity to participate in an experiment goes awry. Banned from release when made in 1971, Stanley Kubrick's film has since become recognised as a masterpiece of cinema. A pragmatic U.S. Marine (Matthew Modine) observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits, from their brutal boot camp training led by Sgt. Hartman (R Lee Ermey) to the bloody street fighting in Hue, in Stanley Kubrick's 1987 wartime epic FULL METAL JACKET.
Thursday, 23 July 2026
Directed by Cedric Klapisch, this sweeping French drama brings together family mystery, historical texture and artistic curiosity in a story that moves between contemporary Normandy and the final years of the 19th century. When four estranged cousins inherit a long-abandoned house, their investigation into its past gradually reveals the life of a young ancestor and opens a wider reflection on memory, kinship and the way personal histories continue to shape the present. What gives the film its distinctive appeal is the way it combines intimate emotion with a broader cultural backdrop. By linking the story to the emergence of photography and the Impressionist moment in Paris, it creates a visually rich setting that feels both historically detailed and emotionally immediate. Klapisch’s humanistic style helps the material remain warm and accessible, while the ensemble cast, including Suzanne Lindon, Abraham Wapler, Vincent Macaigne, Julia Piaton, Paul Kircher and Cecile de France, adds depth and strong cross-generational appeal. Presented Out of Competition at Cannes in 2025, it arrives with clear prestige and strong appeal for patrons interested in French cinema, family storytelling and elegant period-inflected drama
Thursday, 23 July 2026
An intimate yet globally-minded documentary following filmmaker Kane Guglielmi as he questions the economic and political systems that have come to shape modern life. Raised within a conservative, capitalist-minded family, Guglielmi travels across eight countries, including Australia, to learn alternative models that prioritise compassion, community and shared prosperity. What begins as a search for answers becomes a thoughtful exploration of how societies might build greater unity and equity in an increasingly divided world. Gentle in spirit yet ambitious in scope, COMMON WEALTH is a deeply personal and hopeful call to reimagine the structures that define how we co-exist.
Tuesday, 22 December 2026
DOUBLE BILL: Ho, Ho, Ho, it's a Die Hard double feature! Bruce Willis stars in his most iconic role - that of off-duty NYPD Detective John McClane - in the first two instalments of the DIE HARD series, exploding back onto the big screen for Christmas. NYPD officer John McClane (Willis) tries to save his wife and her colleagues when a group of German terrorists take a Christmas party hostage at Los Angeles' Nakatomi Plaza. Making a movie star of Willis when DIE HARD became a smash hit in 1988, it was also the feature debut of Alan Rickman as charismatic terrorist ringleader Hans Gruber. History repeats when John McClane finds himself in the midst of another terrorist takeover, this time at Washington D.C.'s Dulles International Airport in the midst of the Christmas rush. And, wouldn't you know it, his wife (Bonnie Bedilia) is on-board one of the planes caught up in the emergency. Are you ready to Die Harder this holiday season?
Tuesday, 15 September 2026
Star-making cult classics ahead of their time
Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Mind-bending black comedies from Charlie Kaufman
Tuesday, 24 November 2026
Stanley Kubrick's final masterpiece is a mystery thriller starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. After his wife, Alice (Kidman), tells him about her sexual fantasies, William Harford (Cruise) sets out for a night of sexual adventure. After several less than successful encounters, he meets an old friend, Nick Nightingale - now a musician - who tells him of strange sex parties when he is required to play the piano blindfolded. All the men at the party are costumed and wear masks while the women are all young and beautiful. Harford manages to find an appropriate costume and heads out to the party. Once there, however, he is warned by someone who recognizes him, despite the mask, that he is in great danger. He manages to extricate himself but the threats prove to be quite real and sinister.
Tuesday, 29 December 2026
Ingmar Bergman's 4-time Oscar winning masterpiece
Thursday, 09 July 2026
Set in the remote mountains of the Philippines, the death of a young construction worker forces an elderly nun to confront the muddied ethics of an institution she dedicated her life to. The script is a deeply personal story exploring the intersection of duty, faith, and institutional power.
Thursday, 29 October 2026
Dario Russo, of 'Danger 5' cult fame, draws on Japanese and Korean folktales, as well as his own upbringing in the Adelaide Hills, with this story of a trickster fox let loose in the henhouse of Australian culture. Nick is your average good bloke - heart of gold, a bit thick, a dud root, looks forward to schnitty night at the pub. When his fiancée betrays him, Nick is unwise enough to listen to a fox who has a typically cunning scheme for returning his foxy lady to him. An all-star cast headed by Jai Courtney and Emily Browning, includes Miranda Otto and Kym Gyngell, with the voices of Olivia Colman and Sam Neill. There are also talking magpies, magic holes, and lots of yapping Jack Russells. Russo explores the struggle between domestication, commitment and stability against the wild and primal desire for freedom, novelty and lust-but most importantly, he does it in a very, very funny way.
Saturday, 25 July 2026
Who was Frida Kahlo? Everyone knows her face but who was the woman behind the bright colours, the big brows and the floral crowns? Take a journey through the life of a true icon, discover her art, and uncover the true story of her rebellious, passionate and turbulent life. Making use of the latest technology to deliver previously unimaginable quality, we take an in-depth look at key works throughout her career. Using letters Kahlo wrote to guide us, this definitive film reveals her deepest emotions and unlocks the secrets and symbolism contained within her art. Exhibition on Screen’s trademark combination of interviews with those who knew her and world experts, commentary and a detailed exploration of her art, combined with new special bonus footage from the 2026 Tate exhibition, delivers a treasure trove of colour and emotion. This personal and intimate film offers privileged access to her works, her home, her studio and highlights the source of her feverish creativity, her resilience and her unmatched lust for life, beauty and revolution.
Thursday, 25 June 2026
The legendary Brian Cox makes his directorial debut with this compelling family drama, set in the stunning Scottish Highlands and co-starring Alan Cumming. When his beloved Chicago blues club burns down, Donal (Cumming) returns to his family-owned whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands for the first time in nearly 40 years. Donal didn’t leave Scotland on the best terms, having wound up in a violent exchange with his brother Sandy (Cox) and their father on the day of their mother’s funeral. Joined by his daughter Amy (Alexandra Shipp, Barbie), Donal returns to his homeland in the hopes of making amends with his brother. But with old wounds running deep and the fate of the family business on the line, can inner peace finally be found before it’s too late? Written by David Ashton (The Last King of Scotland) and accomplished TV writer Jeff Murphy (Hinterland), Glenrothan explores the complexities of familial bonds, set against the proud and timeless tradition of whisky making. Cumming gives one of his best on-screen performances, opposite Cox who brings gravitas to every scene - both in front of and behind the camera.
Tuesday, 17 November 2026
Twentieth century documentaries that broke the mould
Friday, 17 July 2026
40TH ANNIVERSARY! Conor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) must fight his way through the centuries until the time of The Gathering, when the few immortals who have survived the ages will come together to fight until only one remains. In New York City the final fight is about to begin, and in the end, there can be only one.
Tuesday, 15 December 2026
DOUBLE BILL: It's a hair-burning, ice-slipping, glass-decoration-crushing, iron-to-the-face double feature as Macauley Culkin stars as Kevin McAllister, the innocent young moppet left behind by his vacationing family to battle home-invading burgulars in John Hughes and Christopher Columbus' blockbuster comedies HOME ALONE and HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK. Eight-year-old Kevin (Culkin, who went on to become one of the biggest stars of the 90s) must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas. THEN, one year after being left home alone to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself stranded in New York City - and the same criminals are not far behind.
Tuesday, 08 December 2026
Oh the places you'll go with Studio Ghibli
Thursday, 27 August 2026
When fresh-faced Elliot (Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.
Thursday, 27 August 2026
When fresh-faced Elliot (Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.
Tuesday, 29 September 2026
A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.
Tuesday, 20 October 2026
DOUBLE BILL: Demonic Double! Join us to watch cult classics JENNIFER’S BODY and the 1992 film BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER on the big screen. The unapologetically campy and queer horror film starring Megan Fox as a high school student turned demon is one of the biggest cult classics of the 21st century and is now returning the big screen in this back to back screening! Before the hit 90s TV show, there was a 1992 film bringing Buffy to life. Watch the original Buffy Summers as she learns that she is her generation's destined battler of vampires.
Thursday, 09 July 2026
RESTORATION! From the legendary Studio Ghibli and director Hayao Miyazaki comes "Kiki’s Delivery Service", the beloved coming-of-age story of a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt. It is tradition for all young witches to leave their families on the night of a full moon and set out into the wide world to learn their craft. When that night comes for Kiki, she embarks on her life journey with her chatty black cat, Jiji, landing the next morning in a sea-side village, where a bakery owner hires her to make deliveries. Rarely has the animator’s art been so brilliantly rendered as in this delightfully imaginative film – a beautiful and timeless story of a young girl finding her way in the world. Dubbed in English on July 23 and subtitled on July 24, this special two-day event will also feature GKIDS Mini-Fest, an ongoing festival of the best animated shorts from around the world. Japanese language, English subtitles.
Thursday, 23 July 2026
BAFTA Award-winner Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) joins Aidan Turner (Rivals) in a striking new staging of Christopher Hampton’s celebrated adaptation of the classic novel, where among the glittering salons of the super-rich, one misstep can mean ruin. Marquise de Merteuil is a master in the art of survival. Alongside the magnetic Vicomte de Valmont, they turn seduction into strategy and weaponise desire. But when their alliance collapses into rivalry, the battle between them threatens to destroy everyone in their path. Filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, Marianne Elliott (Angels in America) directs this thrilling game of love, lies, and social warfare.
Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Two folk horror favourites from director Robert Eggers
Friday, 10 July 2026
40 YEARS OF F*CKING UP is the unbelievable story of how a group of untalented teenage punks became the most successful independent band in history; NOFX. Told with raw energy and humour, the film reveals their haphazard journey filled with chaos, determination, and unlikely triumph.
Saturday, 11 July 2026
15m Q&A Exploring the lives of stray cats in Athens and beyond, ACROPOLIS CATS AND OTHER WONDROUS CREATURES examines the tenderness and tragedies in human-animal relationships. It reflects on love, cruelty, compassion, and what we can learn about freedom in a rapidly changing world.
Thursday, 09 July 2026
10m Intro Stand-up comedians openly share their battles with anxiety, therapy sessions, and daily coping mechanisms. Through humour and honesty, ANXIETY CLUB reveals how laughter helps brilliant minds navigate mental health struggles while highlighting the universal challenges many face. Comedy Shorts: AMATEUR HOUR (14:15, Lachlan Kelaart) — Two comedy novices perform stand-up for a live audience. THE IMMATURE AGE STUDENT (05:08, Gretel Isabelle Papson) — Veteran TV doctor returns to university. DOUGH PUNCHERS (07:47, Guillermo Ignacio) — Unqualified bakers on a chaotic night shift
Sunday, 19 July 2026
Six underdog surfers from a tiny village in Portugal travel to Australia and take on the world elite in one of the country’s most iconic surfing championships, embodying determination and unexpected triumph.
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
15m Q&A Six Australian runners and their support crew tackle the world’s longest, hardest unsanctioned race — the 550km Speed Project from LA to Las Vegas. BOUND BY DISTANCE captures vulnerability, authentic human connection, and explores run clubs as a cure for loneliness.
Saturday, 11 July 2026
10m Intro Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and Inspired by live cinema, BROTHER VERSUS BROTHER is a one-take musical that follows combative twin musicians as the scour the San Francisco streets for their dying poet father. Funny and moving, it celebrates music, brotherhood, and the city’s Beat legacy. Experimental Shorts: TIME TRACES (04:10, Max Schleser & Martin Koszolko) — Mobile-produced audiovisual meditation on nature, time, and place. 3042 (04:22, David Peter Mallen) — A day with the Polito family in Melbourne's postcode with the highest concentration of Italian immigrants. HUNGERE NAO (07:42, Greg Coates) — A young Solomon Islands man sets out to feed his growing family. This documentary captures the soul of his resourceful, subsistence life (Solomon Pijin with subtitles).
Friday, 10 July 2026
Featuring never before seen footage of the most seminal rock band in music history, BUILDING THE BEATLES is an unprecedented look at the players who have been left out of the story of The Fab Four’s meteoric rise… until now. Journey back to meet Mona Best (mother of the first Beatles drummer Pete Best), Alan Williams, and Sam Lech, each of whom played a crucial role in making The Beatles who they are. Unearthing the pieces of unseen Beatles history, this documentary is a moving testament to the people who changed history forever.
Thursday, 09 July 2026
Comedian and peace activist Noam Shuster Eliassi delivers a sharp, satirical one-woman show that confronts the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Shot between 2019 and 2024, COEXISTENCE, MY ASS follows Eliassi’s stand-up routine while tracing the continued escalation of violence by Israel’s government against the Occupied Palestinian territories. A former peace activist with the United Nations, Eliassi uses her wit and courage to challenge audiences to face uncomfortable truths about equality, coexistence, and the possibility of peace.
Friday, 17 July 2026
15m Q&A A hybrid documentary exploring parental loss through real stories interwoven with the orphan trope in popular culture. Participants perform iconic scenes from films like The Lion King and Frozen, creating a poignant, absurd, and funny meditation on grief and identity.
Saturday, 18 July 2026
10m Intro THE MAN WHO SAW THEM ARRIVE (Zev Howley, 71 min): In January 1968, the quiet life of Melbourne resident Colin Cameron was shattered following a mysterious encounter on Kew Boulevard. Obsessed with uncovering the truth, Colin documented strange phenomena and shared his experiences with those closest to him as the events grew increasingly intense and dangerous. Told through the eyes of his cousin Andrea, who honours a promise to share his story, THE MAN WHO SAW THEM ARRIVE is a haunting exploration of mystery, memory, and unanswered questions hidden in Melbourne’s backstreets. THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE BELGIAN TRIANGLE (Bram Conjaerts, 90 min): In the late 80s thousands of Belgians observed strange triangular objects hovering over their otherwise calm country. Nobody knew what they were. What on earth was going on in the skies over Belgium?
Friday, 10 July 2026
The first official biography of rock ’n’ roll pioneer Eddie Cochran. Featuring never-before-seen archival material, dramatic recreations, and powerful testimonies from legends including Keith Richards, Sting, Rod Stewart, and Alice Cooper, DON'T FORGET ME explores the immense influence, tragically short life, and enduring legacy of a musical great.
Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Drawn by a primal instinct to forage, Tiffany wanders Manitoba’s boreal forests in search of wild mushrooms — and something far deeper. Living with complex PTSD, she finds in Nature a refuge that offers calm, clarity, and connection. In Winnipeg’s threatened Lemay Forest, she meets community members fighting to protect this rare urban sanctuary, including Terrance, who has conducted traditional healing ceremonies there for decades. Her path then leads to the east side of Lake Winnipeg, where Indigenous land defenders oppose silica sand mining on their ancestral territory, framing environmental protection as both spiritual duty and survival. Through Tiffany’s eyes, the film becomes a poetic exploration of trauma, resilience, and ecological justice — a meditation on how human well-being is inseparable from the health of the land. Blending intimate observation with lyrical imagery, it is ultimately a hopeful story of healing: one woman’s record.
Saturday, 11 July 2026
15m Q&A Passionate conservationist Neil Waters embarks on a decade-long search through Tasmania’s wilderness to prove the Tasmanian Tiger still exists. Once celebrated but now ridiculed, his quest becomes a moving story of belief, science, redemption, and the ethics of extinction.
Tuesday, 07 July 2026
20m Q&A A deeply personal exploration of living with and overcoming depression, FROM DEPRESSION WITH LOVE shares intimate stories of struggle, healing, and renewed hope. Through specialized hands-on therapy originally developed in Geelong, Victoria, this film goes beyond quick-fix solutions to uncover a deeper meaning—one that redefines depression not just as a struggle, but as a catalyst for growth, self-discovery, and renewal
Wednesday, 08 July 2026
10m Intro Leading alcohol-free advocate Andy Ramage guides moderate drinkers across the US, UK, and Canada through a 90-day break from alcohol in GOING DRY. The film uncovers hidden health risks including cancer links, exposes industry influence on public policy, and celebrates the rising sober-curious movement. Health Shorts: BLEEDING THE DEMON (37:51, Mat Love) — Mathew Love's transformation from addiction/trauma via "loaded" training and accountability. THE STORY OF WHEAT (09:22, Arran Jones) — Sarah Wheat turns personal trauma into strength for her social work career. FACTOR ZERO: DEFYING A BLEEDING DISORDER (19:52, Emilie Lowe) — Haemophiliac surfer Steve (and recently diagnosed daughter) pushes boundaries despite the genetic condition. WHAT AM I LOOKING AT? IS IT SOMEONE’S NAVEL? (11:29, Thomas Athan) — Arthur unintentionally documents his family's unravelling while filming everyday life.
Thursday, 16 July 2026
15m Q&A A heart-wrenching true-crime documentary re-examining the 2020 death of 18-year-old Linnea Mills during a cold-water scuba dive in Montana’s Glacier National Park. The film follows her family’s pursuit of truth, accountability, and resilience amid grief and betrayal.
Sunday, 12 July 2026
15m Q&A The story of frontman Jimmy Somerville, the rebellious singer who became the English voice of gay and minority rights. From Bronski Beat to The Communards and solo success, he never compromised his identity. Music Shorts: KHEPA GAN (12.07, Harry Bell) Explores Bangla hip hop as a powerful voice for artists navigating poverty, corruption, and social struggle in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Through music and personal stories — including women challenging both society and the genre — the film shows how hip hop becomes a tool for resistance, identity, and change SEE ME: A FILM ABOUT REDRO RODRIGUEZ (29:03, Nathan Lee Woods) Life story of musician/sound engineer David “Redro Rodriguez” Whip, from skate scene to Cherry Bar and Moonah Arts Collective; completed shortly after his cancer-related passing. SOMETHING ABOUT GIANNI (11:36, Ange Tcaciuc) Jazz musician Gianni Marinucci's autobiography told through instrument and voice. DEARLY BELOVED (06:18, E. C. Balazs) — Meditation on grief and Prince's legacy via pilgrimage to his former homes.
Sunday, 19 July 2026
15m Q&A Three different Australian photographers, each with a different photographic style, discuss their lives and their work. Tony Mott- Rock ‘n roll photographer. Born in the UK Tony migrated to Australia as a young adult, settling in Sydney. Mott is recognised as Australia’s premier rock photographer and a leading worldwide exponent of the craft. In a career spanning more than 30 years, his photographs have appeared in local and international magazines, newspapers, and album covers. Atong Atem – Artist. Atong Atem is an Ethiopian born, South Sudanese artist and writer living in Narrm. Atem’s photographic practice includes textiles and video, and explores migrant narratives, postcolonial practices in the African diaspora, and concepts of identity, home, and liminal space. Atem has exhibited internationally at the Tate Modern, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, Fotografiska Shanghai, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, and more. Adam Ferguson - Photojournalist & War Photojournalist. After growing up in NSW and studying photography in QLD, Adam moved internationally to pursue a photojournalism career, with a particular interest in war photojournalism. He worked in India, Afghanistan, Africa, as well as in New York, often for Times or the New York Times. Having survived some traumatic war situations, he returned to Australia to do a photographic survey of the Australian bush, published as a book titled Big Sky. This series includes rural life, shrinking small-towns, Aboriginal connection to country, pastoralism and the adversity of climate change.
Sunday, 19 July 2026
15m Q&A Three different Australian photographers, each with a different photographic style, discuss their lives and their work. Ruth Maddison - Feminist Photographer. Born in Melbourne into a Russian-Jewish migrant family, Ruth grew up in St Kilda. Her father was a prominent political peace activist monitored constantly by ASIO. Ruth became politicised by feminism in the 1970s and picked up a camera alongside Ponch Hawkes. Many of her early photos reflected the alternative arts and ‘left-wing’ environment she was living in within Melbourne. And from early on she also started hand-colouring her prints, including her first series Christmas Holidays with Bob’s Family (1977-78). Ruth continued her social documentary work after moving to Eden, NSW in 1996, with a series on local teenagers, as well as series focusing on the fishing industry and the timber industry, the two major workplaces in the town. Ashlee Jansen - Underwater Photographer. Born and raised in Melbourne, Ashlee developed a love for the ocean at an early age. After many years traveling, developing skills and improving my knowledge on the ocean, in 2022 she was named the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year. With a young baby she is now based in Exmouth, Western Australia living her dream job as an underwater photographer on the Ningaloo Reef. Michael Cook - Indigenous Art Photographer. Michael is an Aboriginal Australian artist of Bidjara heritage. He was raised in Hervey Bay by adoptive parents who were not Indigenous but brought him up to value and nurture his Aboriginal identity. Michael uses his camera as the ‘third eye’, bridging European and Indigenous worlds and perspectives. His images are carefully crafted and often multilayered, sumptuous and fantastical. Michael won the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, the Josephine Ulrick & Win Schubert Photography People’s Choice Award, and was also a finalist in the Bowness Photography Prize. His artworks are held in all major Australian collections and in significant international collections, and was exhibited in 2025 at Les Rencontres d’Arles photography festival, and at the Paris Art Fair in late 2025.
Saturday, 18 July 2026
15m Q&A LOVE LETTER TO THE UNSEEN (45 min, Josh Murphy) follows youth conservationist Spencer Hitchen on his journey of discovery to understand the imminent threats to the endangered Maugean Skate, a sting ray like fish found only in the Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania, under threat due to intensive salmon farming. SENSING HOME (60 min, Milo Inglis): Made by Patagonia Australia, SENSING HOME follows Dave Rastovich, Chris Miyashiro, and friends set sail from Yamba to the Great Barrier Reef – stopping off to surf with locals and explore the health of the area's big rivers.
Saturday, 18 July 2026
An intimate observation of the creative process of Australian & Chinese artists navigating simmering tensions & their cultural differences; in an attempt to create a contemporary performance ritual that involves the entire audience moving in unison to make dazzling visual textures. MAKING INFINITY is a political fable, echoing the often fraught relationship between China & the West. Can the artists transcend language & access their shared humanity to make something beautiful?
Saturday, 11 July 2026
15m Q&A In a remote Yolŋu island community, Elder Ḻäwurrpa Maypilama works to return birthing to Country. Navigating ancestral laws, colonial resistance, and legal contradictions, MAYPILAMA: KEEL LINE OF CREATION charts her journey as it becomes a powerful act of cultural sovereignty and renewal. First Nations Shorts: GANIBARRA (19:13, Sonya Takau & Alix Livingstone) — Intimate portrait of First Nations displacement from Country and parallel journeys with dingoes. THE LAND BRIDGE (23:24, Jary Nemo) — 40,000-year-old Bass Strait "land bridge" (Bassian Plain) explored through science, ecology, and First Peoples' spiritual connection. KIN - DUDI & JOJO (25:00, Tumeli Tuqota) — Animated/live-action exploration of Fijian Australian twin sisters' ancestral consciousness, diaspora, and gospel family roots. BOODJARA (18:09, Hugh Sando) — Noongar people reviving language, placenames, and lore amid cultural revival and the failed 2023 Voice referendum.
Friday, 17 July 2026
15m Q&A Born without arms or legs in Melbourne, Nick Vujicic and his family fought Australia’s education system to change disability integration nationwide. Their story is one of radical hope and limitless possibility.
Sunday, 19 July 2026
A time capsule from the underground: restored footage from the legendary 1978 Nova Convention featuring William Burroughs, Frank Zappa, Patti Smith, and other counterculture icons, reimagined for today’s audiences.
Tuesday, 07 July 2026
10m Intro Opening Night Shorts: DAD VS. BEES (20:29, David Quach) — A 79-year-old Asian man battles a bee infestation in his garden while navigating age, language barriers, intergenerational trauma, and refugee experiences in Australia. RIPPLES (14:31, Brian Chiu) — Ted Tsang channels childhood abuse into competitive diving for Australia, only to face a career-ending injury. FINDING MAMA (14:59, Zeta H-D) — Docu-fiction with comedic elements: A resurrected Harold Holt investigates why Melbourne's La Mama Theatre (and independent arts) is struggling. GASOLINE DREAMS (07:05, Guy Wilkinson) — Thirty years later, a man rediscovers the motorcycle that defined his youth. IN THE MAKING: THE ZINE MAKER (06:52, Guy Wilkinson) — A young Melbourne creative finds identity through punk, print, and self-made zines during lockdown. SHADOW OF HOPE (05:35, Mitchell Nielsen) — A young Burmese man in Australia stays connected to his people amid the military coup back home. FARHANA (06:20, Claire Riverland, Monty Harper, Frank Morrison, Lachlan Covich) — Photojournalist Farhana Satu explores the love, mystery, and magic beneath Dhaka's hustle. FEUERWERK (20:00, Timothy George Kelly) — Explosive, experimental look at Berlin's chaotic New Year's fireworks tradition across decades (award-winner at multiple festivals). SURF SISTERS (07:02, Christian Buxton) — Lara finds community, courage, and reinvention through surfing after loss ICED OUT OF AMERICA (19:09, Michael Nigro) — Photojournalists document masked arrests of immigrants at U.S. asylum courts.
Sunday, 12 July 2026
15m Q&A Friedel Dausab challenges Namibia’s criminalisation of same-sex love in a landmark court case. The film traces colonial and religious roots of anti-queer laws while celebrating courage, humour, and global resistance. Queer Shorts: QUEERING SYDNEY (10:00, Lynn Lee) — Poetic doc on young queer people of colour navigating identity, freedom, and nighttime sanctuary in Sydney. HIV STILL MATTERS (Episode 2/6) (07:09, Jake Neville) — People living with HIV share stories of diagnosis, treatment, relationships, and ongoing stigma. QUEENS (10:44, Rea Xenitopoulos) — Intergenerational drag in Melbourne: from camp comedy and the AIDS crisis to modern transformation and resistance. SHOVE-IT (14:13, Elyssa Triskelidis) — Women and non-binary skateboarders breaking barriers in a male-dominated scene. THE LAST CLOSET (23:39, Reese Leigh) — Why the AFL was the last major sports league without an openly queer male player; explores inclusion in Australian football culture. URBAN NIPPLE (14:00, Dayna Di Fulvio) — Artist Michelle Kometz confronts female nipple censorship through interactive art and social media. DANCE LIKE EVERYONE'S WATCHING (13:35, Ash Hingston) — Trans Irish pole dancer Hayden finds refuge and advocacy through Irish dance and pole.
Tuesday, 07 July 2026
Join Andy Evans, Australian renewable energy pioneer, on a sweeping journey through ten countries where humanity’s bond with the sun has shaped civilisation, science, and survival. PLANET SUN carries viewers from the pyramids of Teotihuacán and Chichén Itzá in Mexico to the solstice light at Stonehenge in the UK and the winter sunrise at Newgrange in Ireland; from the blazing Mojave Desert at Ivanpah in the USA to the shimmering Northern Lights above Finland’s Arctic Circle. In Chile, solar plants power Santiago’s metro; in Morocco, Amazigh traders, desert caravans, and Marrakesh dyers live by the sun’s rhythms; in Madagascar, communities trade kerosene for clean solar light; while in France and Australia, cutting-edge projects explore solar fusion and renewable innovation. More than a story of energy, PLANET SUN is a meditation on connection — between nature, culture, and technology. Spanning continents and centuries, the film reveals how the sun has guided agriculture, navigation, architecture, and spirituality, while now driving breakthroughs in science and sustainable power. From ancient tombs aligned with the solstice to the world’s most advanced solar observatories, PLANET SUN shows how our brightest star has always been central to human progress. At a time of transformation, it offers a vision of resilience and renewal — where our shared relationship with the sun lights the path to a sustainable future
Sunday, 19 July 2026
15m Q&A Filmmaker Dr Vikrant Kishore travels 3,500 kilometres across Australian cities, speaking with Dalit community members and allies about persistent caste discrimination in the diaspora, and demands for recognition and equality.
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
15m Q&A Four unsung migrant heroes in regional Victoria open their kitchens to a travelling film crew. What begins as a quest for connection becomes a deeply personal journey into stories of migration, identity, resilience, trauma, and humanity shared through food.
Saturday, 11 July 2026
20m Q&A STRANGER IN THE WORLD (Sturla Pilskog 29.50mins) Follows a filmmaker, his autistic son, and a composer's earth-inspired work. A MAGIC THREAD (15:34, Patrick Green) — Father recreates daughter's wildfire-destroyed stuffed animal as an act of healing. I WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE (12 mins James Pellerito) After eight years of caring for his mother with severe dementia, a son struggles through their daily care routine. Recorded voicemails serve to show the progression of the disease, underscoring the frustration, isolation and burnout that comes with intensive caregiving MOTHER OF CHOOKS (18:49, Jesse Samos Leaman & Maite Martin Samos) — Elaine finds companionship in chickens after loss and becomes "Mother of Chooks." THE CAPTAIN (10:45, Matthew Adekponya) The Captain had a future already mapped out: a thriving family business, and a life most people would never question. But he chose to walk away—not out of recklessness, but from a rare and unflinching honesty with himself. Trading certainty for the unknown, he leaves it all behind to build a fishing charter business in Hervey Bay, chasing a childhood dream he refuses to let slip beneath the tide. LIVING IN BALANCE (06:31, Juzzy Kane) — Sustainable farming and land connection on Victoria's Surf Coast. WOMEN OF THE WAVES (05:06, Han Soo Yoo) — Community breaking barriers for female surfers. LACHLAN (04:53, Joey George) — Queer artist reflects on HIV/AIDS epidemic suffering via visceral fire-based practice. JULIO THE LOLLIPOP MAN (12:20, Joe Novella) — Beloved 80s crossing attendant at Mornington Primary School.
Saturday, 11 July 2026
15m Q&A SCRAP (17.01 Noémie Lobry) The corridors of a consciousness invaded by broken cars, where images of the past, present and possible futures coexist. ANN AND ALFONSO (10.01, Anna Lesley Outridge) Anna & Alfonso is a heartfelt documentary short about a young woman who leaves her small hometown of Newcastle to begin a new life in New York City. Amid the excitement of this new chapter, she starts to feel homesick until she meets Alfonso, a spirited dachshund who becomes her loyal companion CLAIRE (Gabrielle Bryant 19mins) CLAIRE is an inspiring documentary that chronicles the remarkable journey of Claire Pollard, a primary school teacher, her husband Sean, a Paralympic snowboarder, and their three-year-old daughter Mila. Claire's life takes an unexpected turn when she is diagnosed with cancer, adding to the family's already challenging history, including Sean's highly publicized shark attack in 2014, highlighting the exceptional dynamics of their family AG FAB - FROM PADDOCK TO CATWALK (27:38, Karen McMullan) — Rural women create fashion from farm materials for the Ag Art competition; legacy after its loss. THE COST OF A ROSE (13:00, Maxwell Shannon) — Abstract painter processes trauma through his work. BLACK EYES (18:25, Mateo Arango Guerrero) — 13-year-old Mongolian girl Kharakoz learning eagle-hunting and invigorating Kazakh traditions. DEAD CERTAIN (14:20, Charley Cowen & Alex Rozen) — Psychic Debbie Malone aids police (including Milat case) while navigating skepticism. COURTESY (10:09, Glenn D'Cruz & Steven Andrew McIntyre) — Personal essay on objects as memory portals, including repressed trauma. REUNION (21:03, director not listed) — Intimate talks with high school classmates beyond performative reunion expectations. FADING FORWARD (07:20, Dean Ginsburg) — Revival of film photography and questioning "newer is always better."
Sunday, 12 July 2026
15m Q&A KALEIDOSCOPE (40m): Micro shorts from around the world. CROC COUNTRY (Sinead Reynold 20:05) In tropical North Queensland, locals must share the coast with saltwater crocodiles, one of nature’s most successful apex predators. With fatalities on both sides of the conflict, is it possible to achieve a peaceful co-existence between man and ‘monster’? THE CIRCLE: Fire as a Tool for Healing Country and Community (07:39, Clare Young) Traditional burning workshops healing land and community post-2019-20 bushfires. HUMPBACK (Alexander Forrest, 7.27 mins) Once on the edge of extinction, an over 1,500 percent rebound in numbers has symbolised the Humpback Whale’s success story - yet the survival of these gentle giants now depends not on fleeing from harpoons, but adapting to an ocean that’s being redefined by humanity. A SHORT FILM ABOUT ANYTHING (13:13, Oscar Axel Thorborg) — Multiple voices on meaningfulness and shared experience. A STORY ABOUT VOICES (35:00, James Barahanos) — Participatory doc on Māori/LGBTQI+ woman "Shell" living with schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations. A MAGICAL STORY (11:50, Jun Yang Mah) — Malaysian magician Marcus Mah overcomes scepticism to pursue his craft before moving to Melbourne.
Sunday, 12 July 2026
15m Q&A KALEIDOSCOPE (45m) short docs. GOING COASTAL (16:15, Henry Smith) — Couple's simple life climbing, gardening, and birding on remote Flinders Island. LA PIAZZA (05:34, Tahlia Sciarrone) — Enduring Italian community at Sydney's Italian Forum despite changes. REEFS OF RESILIENCE: The Shellfish Reef Restoration Story (15:10, Jarrod Boord) — Scale restoration of Australian shellfish reefs and community benefits. FINAL HOURS - A PASSIONATE JOURNEY (39:29, Phil Dickson) — 35-year tradition of a teacher re-enacting Christ's final hours at an Australian school. IT'S MICCA'S WORLD (19:53, Janna Saige Wong) — Surrealist painter Micca: faith, ex-stripper past, and creative identity.
Saturday, 18 July 2026
15m Q&A A heartwarming and spine-tingling documentary following spirited senior citizens who step far outside their comfort zones to create their own horror film, discovering adventure, creativity, and camaraderie along the way.
Saturday, 18 July 2026
20m Q&A Seven Australians share their isolation hopes, dreams, and fears via video calls early in the pandemic. Three years later they revisit those recordings, reflecting with surprise, humour, vulnerability, and triumph on reinvention after life-changing events.
Friday, 17 July 2026
15m Q&A A warm celebration of photobooth culture and its enduring role in capturing spontaneous moments, self-expression, and memory across generations.
Saturday, 11 July 2026
20m Q&A THAT HALF BARBARIC TWANG is a spiritual road movie following two renowned Australian actors, David Field (The Rover) and Geoff Morrell (Top of the Lake), and renowned musical wizard Tim Oxley, as they bring powerful “bad ass gospel” country music to remote and marginalized communities across Australia while dreaming of playing the Grand Ole Opry.
Sunday, 12 July 2026
Director: David Wilkinson THE MARBLES is the story of the greatest art heist in history and the fight to change a great wrong. In 1801, Lord Elgin removed half of the Parthenon, causing a scandal among his contemporaries. What followed was a 200-year battle between Greece and the British Empire over stolen heritage. In 1983, Melina Mercouri ignited a global movement that redefined cultural ownership and national pride, and it started a long battle by citizens of the United Kingdom insisting that these priceless works of art be returned to the country of their creation. A Guerilla Docs/AHEPA Victoria co-production.
Wednesday, 08 July 2026
10m Intro After suffering tragedy, Tim Edwards embarks on an epic national walk right across the UK with comedian John May in TWO OF US. Together they confront grief, unravel personal demons, forge unexpected connections, and inspire others to find hope amid profound loss. Sports Shorts: GRIP IS DEAD (09:20, Mitchell Mansfield-Smith) — Circuit drifting through semi-pro drifter Patrick Barlee and family sacrifices. BIRDERS (07:25, James Van Der Linden) — Best mates Andrew and Nicolas bond over birdwatching. THE POCKET THAT BROKE ME (16:10, Phillip Le & David Shin) — Climber confronts a rare tendon rupture on a grade 30 route and the road to recovery. OLD DOGS (05:38, Will Brien) — Fathers and sons, football, and the 2016 Western Bulldogs AFL Grand Final. EYE OF THE GAME (13:27, Ramas McRae) — Profoundly Deaf Australian Rules footballer strives for seniors in an all-hearing team
Saturday, 18 July 2026
15m Q&A TYCHO! Beyond the Baton (Stephan Wellink, 95 min): The little-known personal story of child prodigy Maestro Tommy Tycho — Holocaust survivor, pianist to the Shah of Iran, and one of Australia’s most influential musical directors. PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES: The Mavis Bramston Show (Stephan Wellink, 91 min): In 1964 Carol Raye became the first female television executive in Australia when she created The Mavis Bramston Show, which boldly tackled subjects such as sexuality, politics, religion, women's rights and racism. PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES explores the effect of Mavis Bramston on a rapidly changing Australian society, and how this pioneering show set the scene for generations of satirical programs including: Fast Forward, Norman Gunston Show, The Gillies Report, Full Frontal, Frontline, The Big Gig, Clark & Dawe, The Chasers, and Mad As Hell.
Thursday, 16 July 2026
15m Q&A WHISTLEBLOWER (Marc Bauder, 91 min): Follows Africa’s most important whistleblower Jean-Jacques Lumumba, former NSA intelligence analyst Daniel Hale, and others, including Australian military lawyer David McBride. The film examines the immense personal cost of exposing unlawful conduct by powerful institutions, and those who support them in their fight for the truth. DAVID MCBRIDE: DECLASSIFIED (25 min, Paul Pinga Matereke) explores the struggles of Australian Whistle-blower David McBride, as he faces a life sentence for exposing war crimes committed by Australian SAS Soldiers in Afghanistan. McBride sheds light on the unseen “warrior culture” of Australia’s Special Forces - accused of killing unarmed civilians
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
15m Q&A An intimate portrait of critically acclaimed regional dance company Dancenorth based in tropical North Queensland. The film follows the company on a national tour of 19 cities, celebrating dance, community connection, and life in regional Australia.
Saturday, 18 July 2026
A retrospective of documentary shorts from acclaimed filmmaker Wim Wenders (Perfect Days, Paris, Texas). ROOM 666 (1982, 50m) Shot during the Cannes Film Festival, this documentary places a fixed camera in a hotel room and invites major filmmakers—including Jean-Luc Godard, Werner Herzog, and Steven Spielberg—to respond to a central question: Is cinema a dying art? The result is an intimate, philosophical time capsule capturing anxieties about the future of film in the early 1980s. REVERSE ANGLE (1982, 42 min) A personal “diary film” made in New York, reflecting on Wenders’ experiences working on Hammett with Francis Ford Coppola. Blending travel impressions, music, literature, and visual art (including references to Edward Hopper), the film explores creative displacement and contrasts between European and American filmmaking cultures. A TRICK OF THE LIGHT (1995, 1hr19m) A hybrid docu-fiction created for the centenary of cinema, recounting the story of the Skladanowsky brothers—early German innovators who developed one of the first projection systems. Mixing reenactments, archival-style imagery, and interviews, the film playfully examines the birth of cinema while reflecting on invention, illusion, and the fragile origins of the medium.
Sunday, 02 August 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL! In 1983, John Carpenter and Stephen King, two titans of horror, collided in a nightmarish film about a sentient 1958 Plymouth Fury that becomes fixated on a bullied teen, killing anyone who comes between them… and the world was never the same again.Keith Gordon stars as Arnie Cunningham, a shy, bullied high school student who discovers a battered 1958 Plymouth Fury and slowly becomes consumed by its restoration—while the car becomes fixated on him. As the car’s fixation turns into obsession and Arnie’s tormentors begin to die in increasingly brutal and inexplicable ways, his best friend Dennis (John Stockwell) and girlfriend Leigh (Alexandra Paul) watch helplessly as something far more dangerous takes hold of him. A slick, unnerving fusion of suburban teen drama and supernatural horror, this is Carpenter at his best.
Friday, 31 July 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL! This exhilarating collaboration between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino starts as a brutal crime thriller before detonating into full-blown horror carnage, as two outlaw brothers take a family hostage and head for the Mexican border.George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, and Juliette Lewis must remove heads and stake hearts in order to stay alive when they stumble into a remote desert dive bar known as the Titty Twister and discover it is actually the apex of a hidden temple that worships a demented evil. As the true nature of the place is revealed and the walls themselves seem to close in, survival becomes a desperate, no-holds-barred fight against a fanged force of scantily clad strippers with a taste for human flesh. Cult cinema icons Cheech Marin, Tom Savini, Fred Williamson, and Danny Trejo round out the cast in this insane genre mash-up where hard-boiled crime collides headfirst with full-blown monster movie madness.
Saturday, 01 August 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL! The man in the face mask is back - and his chainsaw is freshly sharpened and hungry for human meat. This criminally underrated sequel builds on the Sawyer family mythos and delivers plenty of kills, cannibals, and corpses in a relentless blast of roadside carnage built for hardcore horror fans.A young couple take a wrong turn deep into the Texas backroads and find themselves assaulted by perverts and attacked with coyote corpses, leaving them stranded in a remote, sun-scorched stretch of nowhere. Little do they know they are being hunted by a savage clan of cannibalistic killers who know the land far better than they do. Starring Kate Hodge, William Butler, along with a then-unknown Viggo Mortensen and genre legend Ken Foree, this is a nasty, violent entry in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.
Friday, 31 July 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL! Monster Fest is proud to present the film that set the gold standard for post-apocalyptic action. George Miller’s Mad Max 2 is a relentless, high-octane cinematic landmark that shaped a genre and turned its leather-clad drifter into one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.In a world where fuel is more valuable than life itself, Max (Mel Gibson) drifts through a scorched wasteland before being drawn into a desperate battle between a small band of survivors and a savage gang of marauders led by the feral Lord Humungus. What follows is one of the most iconic vehicular assaults ever committed to film—a relentless barrage of roaring engines, leather-clad ravagers, and high-speed destruction that redefined action cinema. With its unforgettable villains, stripped-back storytelling, and groundbreaking stunt work, Mad Max 2 remains the blueprint for post-apocalyptic mayhem and is arguably Australia’s greatest contribution to the global zeitgeist.
Saturday, 01 August 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL! Satanic cults, high-speed RV chases, and Warren fucken Oates—it doesn’t get any more awesome than RACE WITH THE DEVIL. This white-knuckle blast of ‘70s paranoia turns a fun couples road trip into a relentless fight for survival when they witness a human sacrifice in the wilds of Texas.Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, and Lara Parker star as two couples whose road trip through the wilds of Texas takes a horrifying turn when they witness a brutal human sacrifice in the desert. Spotted by the cultists, the couples escape but soon find themselves hunted by the shadowy group determined to silence them at any cost. Directed by Jack Starrett, best known as Galt, the sadistic deputy sheriff in Ted Kotcheff’s franchise-spawning First Blood, Race with the Devil is an action-packed, paranoia-fuelled chase thriller where the open road offers no escape and every passing stranger might be a killer in disguise.
Saturday, 01 August 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL Remakes don’t usually hit this hard but Alexandre Aja’s brutal, blood-soaked retelling of Wes Craven’s desert vacay nightmare cranks up the terror, tension, and gore, unleashing a hillbilly mutant free-for-all. Fun for the whole family, guaranteed. When the Carter family’s cross-country trip takes a wrong turn into a remote stretch of desert, they find themselves stranded and picked off one by one by a clan of savage, bloodthirsty mutants. As the body count rises and escape becomes impossible, the survivors are pushed to breaking point and forced to fight back with extreme, take-no-prisoners violence. Starring Aaron Stanford, Kathleen Quinlan, Vinessa Shaw, Dan Byrd, and Australia’s own Emilie de Ravin, this is family time at its most vicious.
Sunday, 02 August 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL! No film captured the nightmare scenario of what happens when you pick up the wrong hitchhiker better than Robert Harmon’s relentless, blood-soaked road terror, The Hitcher. Featuring the perfectly cast Rutger Hauer as the world’s worst travelling companion, this nasty piece of cinema is the gold standard against which all other highway slashers are measured.When young cross-country driver Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) on a desolate highway, he unwittingly becomes the patsy for a relentless killer who frames him for a series of brutal murders. As the body count rises, Jim is pushed to the edge of sanity, with only truck stop waitress Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) believing in his innocence. Directed by Robert Harmon, whose later work would include the Jean-Claude Van Damme banger Nowhere to Run, The Hitcher is a nonstop barrage of bloody carnage across the highways and byways of the Texan countryside.
Sunday, 02 August 2026
MONSTER FEST WEEKENDER: HIGHWAY TO HELL! Charlie Sheen tears through a small desert town leaving behind a trail of dead bodies, mangled cars, and Sherilyn Fenn’s modesty in this action-packed ‘80s tale where supernatural revenge takes the form of a ghostly Dodge Turbo Interceptor.After drifter Jake Kesey arrives in the small town of Brooks, Arizona, a wave of brutal, seemingly targeted murders tears through a vicious gang of local car thieves, who lash out at everyone and everything in revenge. As the violence escalates, Jake finds himself both suspect and prey as the mysterious killer continues its bloody campaign, while Packard (Nick Cassavetes) and his savage crew close in on him for punishment. Directed by Mike Marvin (Hamburger: The Motion Picture), The Wraith, with its metallic-blue VHS cover, became a highly sought-after video store staple throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s for its fusion of cool cars, shocking violence, and striking nudity. Randy Quaid and Clint Howard also star.
Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Dani and Christian are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing. From the visionary mind of Ari Aster comes a dread-soaked cinematic fairytale where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight.
Wednesday, 08 July 2026
In Cumbria, England, in the year 1348, a village prepares for the dreadful onslaught of the Black Plague. Their only hope comes from an unlikely source -- Griffin (Hamish McFarlane), a boy who envisions salvation by journeying on a quest into another world. With his brother (Bruce Lyons) and four companions, Griffin leads them into a time portal to the 20th century. Suddenly, they find themselves in New Zealand in 1988, facing challenges even more frightening than the world they know.
Tuesday, 04 August 2026
DOUBLE BILL! Alfred Hitchcock directs two must-see thrillers that forever changed cinemas. Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, a New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt in NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Adapted from the novel STRANGERS ON A TRAIN by Patricia Highsmith, a psychopathic man tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person.
Thursday, 27 August 2026
Veneno, a rebellious young drifter, frequents roadside diners where he sleeps with truck drivers. Urgently needing a ride, he meets Muñeco, a hard-edged driver who keeps to himself. He convinces Muñeco to take him deep into the hyper-masculine world of long-haul trucking across the north of Mexico. As they travel together and an unexpected intimacy builds between them, shadows from Veneno’s past resurface, putting both their lives at risk. Spanish language, English subtitles.
Thursday, 29 October 2026
In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, PRESSURE follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg as they face an impossible choice—launch the largest and most dangerous invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.
Thursday, 20 August 2026
Deep within the backwoods of rural Oklahoma, charismatic and musically gifted Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) herds a bluegrass-playing band of misfits while overseeing the premier honey-making operation in town. When Amziah’s estranged foster daughter (Angelina LookingGlass) unexpectedly returns, Amziah leaps at the possibility to renew connection and create a family business. But the honey game is ruthless, and Amziah’s rivals threaten to destroy everything he has built.
Thursday, 30 July 2026
This feature documentary charts Rod Quantock’s five-decade career and his tireless efforts to communicate the perils of neoliberalism and the urgency of climate change through humour. His journey illustrates the building of the thriving comedy landscape we take for granted today, showcasing a man who has remained steadfast in his pursuit of truth in an hilarious fashion.
Friday, 05 September 2025
Tommy Wiseau's THE ROOM first screened at Cinema Nova in February 2010, where it has since become a cult-favourite, expanded into other Australian states, been introduced by co-star and bestselling author Greg Sestero on countless occasions, and adapted into an Oscar nominated 'making of' comedy/biopic. It is the most outrageous cinema experience you’ll ever have and is like nothing you've seen before. Written by, directed by, and starring the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau, this misguided disaster-piece has garnered a massive cult following all over the world, leaving audiences stunned and wondering “how can something so bad be so good?” Johnny (Wiseau) seems to have it all - a beautiful fiancée, Lisa (Juliette Danielle), great friends and a job with a promotion in the works. But Lisa isn’t who she seems. Manipulative and restless, she sets her sights on Johnny's best friend Mark (Greg Sestero) and they start a torrid affair that soon causes Johnny’s perfect world to crumble. THE ROOM is an audience interactive event like no other at Nova. Each screening comes with it's own 'The Room Guide', as well as loud cheering, quoting, and yelling, and LOTS of (eco friendly) spoons to be thrown at the screen. So take a seat and watch THE ROOM as it was (never) meant to be seen! Please note that it is a condition of entry to all sessions of THE ROOM that bags must be presented for inspection if requested.
Thursday, 09 July 2026
Hana (midori Francis), a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.
Tuesday, 27 October 2026
Signing a contract, Jack Torrance, a normal writer and former teacher agrees to take care of a hotel which has a long, violent past that puts everyone in the hotel in a nervous situation. While Jack slowly gets more violent and angry of his life, his son, Danny, tries to use a special talent, the "Shining", to inform the people outside about whatever that is going on in the hotel.
Thursday, 23 July 2026
One voice. One unforgettable spectacle. Sia: Nostalgic for the Present - a bold, genre-defying experience that trades pop pageantry for pure artistry. Awe-inspiring vocals, breathtaking choreography, and iconic performances, captured cinematically and soundtracked by an unmatched catalog of hits. In 2016, Sia toured the world mirroring this film live on stage, frame for frame. Remastered for its tenth anniversary, it stands alone for the first time - not as a concert film, but as a visual masterpiece unlike anything in music since. Starring Maddie Ziegler, Kristen Wiig, Paul Dano, Ben Mendelsohn, Gaby Hoffmann, and Tig Notaro. Choreographed by Ryan Heffington. Directed by Sia and Daniel Askill.
Thursday, 03 September 2026
After #MeToo broke the cultural silence on gender violence, survivors swiftly found themselves facing a new kind of silencing and fear as defamation laws became weaponized against women for speaking out. International human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson takes audiences into the courtroom and behind the headlines to reveal how the legal system is used to discredit and re-victimise survivors, with lawsuits designed to emotionally and financially ruin those who dare to speak their truth. Robinson brings unrivalled access to the women and journalists at the centre of high-profile legal battles across the globe. From International Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Selina Miles and Blayke Hoffman, SILENCED is a powerful, emotional and urgent documentary that challenges the devastating flaws maintaining the status quo within the justice system.
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Visually dazzling adventures from Argento and Tarsem
Thursday, 06 August 2026
After years of slapdash sequels and waning fandom, the Camp Miasma slasher franchise is handed over to an enthusiastic young director (Hannah Einbinder, Hacks) for resurrection. But when she visits the original movie’s star (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files, Sex Education), a now-reclusive actress shrouded in mystery, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium.
Thursday, 23 July 2026
This music-packed documentary tells the story of Pene Pati and his brother Amitai Pati, and their against-the-odds journey from Samoa to platinum-selling success in the trio Sol3 Mio and on to the world’s greatest opera stages. Bursting with humour, heart and soaring performances, the film reveals the resilience born of adversity, the richness of family and culture, and the rewards that come from following an unlikely dream.
Tuesday, 01 December 2026
Revenge thriller masterpieces from Welles and Wilder
Tuesday, 03 November 2026
The ultimate "that could never happen here" double
Thursday, 09 July 2026
Chris Neilson dies to find himself in a heaven more amazing than he could have ever dreamed of. There is one thing missing: his wife. After he dies, his wife, Annie killed herself and went to hell. Chris decides to risk eternity in hades for the small chance that he will be able to bring her back to heaven.
Tuesday, 01 September 2026
The ultimate road trips from the trippiest directors
Thursday, 23 July 2026
Russia, in the early 1990’s is the aftermath of the USSR’s collapse. In a new world that promises freedom and flirts with chaos, a young artist-turned-TV producer, Vadim Baranov, unexpectedly becomes the spin doctor of a promising member of the FSB (ex-KGB), Vladimir Putin.