The Melbourne Cinémathèque conducts an Annual General Meeting of members each year around May.

ADDRESS
Melbourne Cinémathèque
Level 11, Manchester Unity Building
220 Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000

GENERAL INQUIRIES
melbournecinematheque@westnet.com.au

MAILING LIST
Click here to subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque is curated & administered by a committee of volunteers.

PROGRAM CO-ORDINATOR
Andréas Giannopoulos | andreas@melbournecinematheque.org

MEMBERSHIP OFFICER & TREASURER
Michael Koller | michael@melbournecinematheque.org

SPONSORSHIPS AND ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR
Andréas Giannopoulos | marketing@melbournecinematheque.org

Admission to The Melbourne Cinémathèque requires a membership.

Memberships can be obtained online at the ACMI website, or from the ACMI box office before screenings. Terms and conditions apply.

VENUE

ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne/Naarm

Accessibility information is available at ACMI’s website.

MEMBERSHIPS

Memberships available at
– ACMI Tickets and Information Desk
– Online at ACMI’s website ($1 booking fee apply for online transactions)

Annual
* Admission for 12 months from date of purchase
– Full $204 / Concession $181

Mini
* Admission to 3 consecutive nights from date of purchase
– Full $37.50 / Concession $31.50

Friends of Cinémathèque*
* Admission for 12 months from date of purchase
– Full $338 / Concession $316

(All prices GST inclusive.)

* The Friends of Cinémathèque membership is a way for you to support the vitality of the Melbourne Cinémathèque, an independently organised, not-for-profit organisation. In addition to annual membership you will receive 3 single passes to bring a friend to a Cinémathèque screening any time in the calendar year.

Membership does not ensure admission: members will only be admitted to cinema capacity. Admission 18+ except where classification is indicated.

Check our program for occasional early starting times as well as breaks and changes in the programming schedule. The Melbourne Cinémathèque reserves the right to alter membership rates and may apply additional charges for special events.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque screens films across the full history of cinema, from its earliest beginnings to the present day, from multifarious cultural, social and political perspectives. The beliefs and attitudes expressed within specific films may not reflect those of our present-day society and should be viewed through an appreciation of evolving cultural standards.

In extreme cases of confronting material, the Melbourne Cinémathèque will aim to communicate content advice but, due to the organisation often not being able to carefully check films before programming or their arrival in Australia, we can only provide provisional content advice and encourage members to seek information about individual titles where necessary. If patrons are concerned about the content of films being screened, we strongly recommend using databases such as UnconsentingMedia.org and the IMDb.com Parents Guide to research advice that is specific to their requirements.

Articles on many films in the program can be found in CTEQ Annotations on Film, online at www.sensesofcinema.com.

How is the Melbourne Cinémathèque funded?

Approximately 75–80% of the Melbourne Cinémathèque’s annual budget is raised from membership sales.

The Melbourne Cinémathèque has received funding from government bodies, such as VicScreen and the City of Melbourne Arts Grants Program, although this varies from year to year (and is not the case in 2026). We also benefit from financial and in-kind support from other organisations. Our Presenting Partner ACMI generously gives us a significant discount on cinema hire as well as other in-kind support, and we have received support from cultural organisations for specific film seasons, for example the Italian Institute of Culture and the Japan Foundation.

For the first time in 2024 and 2025, the Cinémathèque held a mid-year donations campaign amidst lower audience numbers post-COVID and rising costs. We greatly appreciate the support of all who donated, yet fully understand that not all our members are in a situation to provide us with additional financial assistance. A decision regarding further campaigns will be made on a year-by-year basis, according to our situation at the time.

What are the Melbourne Cinémathèque’s main costs?

Three main costs are incurred in our weekly screenings. The first is cinema hire, which is our largest single expense. The second is screening rights. We must get rights clearance for everything we screen, regardless of format. This can involve various charges, including clearing the legal rights to screen the film through the distributor or rights holder, rental charges for screening material (usually a 35mm print or Digital Cinema Package), and administrative costs to film archives and organisations. In special circumstances, we may only need to pay one of these fees for a specific film, although generally, everything we screen involves some cost.

The third major cost is freight, which can be hugely expensive, especially if a film is coming from overseas on a weighty 35mm print. While we always aim to find the most cost-effective freight options, it is worth noting that many overseas archives and film distributors will only work with certain freight providers due to concerns about protecting the films, particularly for old and/or rare 35mm prints. Showing some 35mm prints are also a core part of our identity.

How does the Melbourne Cinémathèque set prices for mini and annual memberships?

We set our prices to break even financially. We are extremely conscious about the rising cost of living and try to set membership prices as cheaply as possible, generally only raising them annually equal to or less than the rate of inflation.

Why can’t I buy a ticket for a single screening?

We are a strictly not-for-profit film society and must follow the conditions set for such an organisation, including not selling individual admissions. Individual ticket sales would turn the Melbourne Cinémathèque into a commercial entity. This would change the conditions under which we can access films, impacting our ability to minimise costs and admission prices. For example, many of the films we source, particularly from archives such as the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, are loaned on the condition that we do not charge individual admissions. This is also a key reason why we are able to keep prices at a lower rate for memberships.

Do I have to buy an annual membership at the beginning of the year?

No. An annual membership is valid for 12 months from whatever date it is purchased.

Do mini memberships carry over during the mid-year break or into the new year?

Yes. Mini memberships are valid for three consecutive screenings, even if separated by our mid-year break during the Melbourne International Film Festival, or by our summer break. For example, if you purchase a mini membership during the week leading up to our last screening of the year, it will still be valid for the first two screenings of the next year.

Does the Melbourne Cinémathèque seek corporate funding or sponsorship?

While we have occasionally accepted corporate funds, we aim to remain an independent, membership-based film society, and ensure that the membership remains the dominant funder of the organisation.

How are programming decisions made?

The Melbourne Cinémathèque is run by a volunteer committee. Within this is a smaller programming committee that makes curatorial decisions. The programming committee consults with the wider committee and is responsive to requests from the membership through our regular audience surveys and other means. Our curators also take note of new restorations and screenings occurring elsewhere in the world.

We carefully curate a wide selection of world cinema. We try to balance historically important films, directors, actors and movements with more contemporary cinema. We also try to balance popular and lesser-known films and filmmakers, taking into consideration what may not already be easily accessible to the local public. Each individual film season can take a significant amount of work and time to put together. For example, sometimes it can take several years to locate screenable prints and clear the rights to show all the films of a single season.

How can I volunteer?

The Melbourne Cinémathèque is a completely volunteer-run organisation. The simplest means of volunteering is to become a member of the committee (which has a capacity of 20 at any one time). You can be elected to the committee at the Annual General Meeting or if vacancies become available during the year. While certain skills are always appreciated, the only criteria are that you must be a current member (ideally an annual membership) and have a passion for cinema.

That said, you do not have to be a committee member to volunteer. We are very open to anyone who has the time and energy to help. To join the committee or volunteer, contact our Membership Officer Michael Koller at: michael@melbournecinematheque.org.

Other questions? Please contact michael@melbournecinematheque.org.