Dedicated to screening rare & significant films in their original format.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run film society.

We hold screenings at The Australian Centre for the Moving image every Wednesday night for most of the year.

Admission is by membership, which can be obtained on a monthly or yearly basis.

NEXT SCREENING

May 23

7:00pm – CHASING THE TRAIN: THE SHORTS OF THOM ANDERSEN
Thom Andersen (1965–2016) 51 mins – Unclassified 15 +

This program presents three of Andersen’s provocative and playful shorts ranging from his early work as a mid-1960s film student at USC to his mature offerings of the last 20 years.

Melting (1965) is an early collaboration with Morgan Fisher that documents a decomposing sundae. A Train Arrives at the Station (2016) is a recent compilation, inspired by Ozu’s The Only Son, joining together material from 26 films showing the action of the title and exploring the locomotive’s foundational influence on cinema. Juke: Passages from the Films of Spencer Williams (2015) mines fascinating footage of spaces and places in the work of the 1940s African-American actor, writer and director.

8:00pm – EADWEARD MUYBRIDGE, ZOOPRAXOGRAPHER
Thom Andersen, Fay Anderson, Morgan Fisher (1975) 59 mins – Unclassified 15 +

“One of the best essay films ever made on a cinematic subject” (Jonathan Rosenbaum), this unclassifiable documentary represents an early synthesis of the essayistic and collagist modes in Andersen’s work. Taking as its subject the work of photographer and cinema pioneer Eadweard Muybridge, Andersen weaves a complex biographical narration, taking in – amongst many other subjects – art history, sociology, film theory and psychoanalysis, while radically realigning our preconceived notions about cinema, aesthetics and representation. Narrated by Dean Stockwell.

CTEQ Annotation:
Naked Came the Stranger: ‘Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer’ by Joseph Sgammato.

9:10pm – RED HOLLYWOOD
Thom Andersen and Noël Burch (1996) 118 mins – Unclassified 15 +*

Andersen’s provocative collaboration with film theorist Burch is an insightful and detailed examination of the movies completed by the victims of the Hollywood Blacklist. Packed with pertinent clips from the work of directors, writers and actors such as Abraham Polonsky, Dalton Trumbo, John Garfield and Ring Lardner Jr, this deftly researched and deeply committed documentary is a treasure trove of revelations and critical insights that demonstrates the lasting value of the films produced by creative artists whose careers were blighted by anti-communism.

CTEQ Annotation:
Rehabilitating the Hollywood Left in Thom Andersen and Noël Burch’s ‘Red Hollywood’ by Sandra E. Lim.

ABOUT

The Melbourne Cinémathèque started out as the Melbourne University Film Society (MUFS) in 1948 and changed its name to Cinémathèque in 1984.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque aims to present films in the medium they were created and as closely as possible to screen films the way they would have originally screened (i.e. big screen, celluloid prints, not video or DVD).

Programmes include a diverse selection of classic and contemporary films showcasing director retrospectives, special guest appearances and thematic series including archival material and new or restored prints.

We have on occasion hosted numerous seminars featuring renowned film scholars such as David Bordwell, Adrian Martin and Ian Christie. We are also dedicated to providing new annotations on the films we screen via the CTEQ annotations, hosted as a part of the quarterly online film journal Senses of Cinema.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered and membership-driven relying on support from individuals, foundations, corporations and government funding to maintain its high standard of excellence. If you would like to be involved, or to offer donations or sponsorship, please contact us.

Presented by The Melbourne Cinémathèque with the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.

Curated by the Melbourne Cinémathèque.

Curatorial Committee: Michael Koller, Michelle Carey, Adrian Danks, Eloise Ross and Cerise Howard.

Supported by Screen Australia and Film Victoria.

NEWS

For all the latest news including program changes follow us via Twitter & Facebook.

MAY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2018

NOTICE: The committee of The Melbourne Cinémathèque wishes to make some changes to our constitution, however, to do that we now have to conform to the model constitution in the 2012 Act, so a number of other changes are also required.

Here is a copy of the constitution with the changes on RED.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque Constitution 2018.

We wish to pass these changes at the AGM on Wednesday May 30, at 6:40pm.

Please read the RED stuff and consider. It won’t take long. Then come along to the AGM.

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