Catalogue

The Third Wife

Dir. Ash Mayfair | Vietnam. 2018. | 97 min | Drama | MA 15+

In 19th-century rural Vietnam, 14-year-old May becomes the third wife of wealthy landowner Hung. Soon, she learns that she can only gain status by asserting herself as a woman who can give birth to a male child. May’s hope to change her status turns into a real and tantalizing possibility when she gets pregnant. Faced with forbidden love and its devastating consequences, May finally comes to an understanding of the brutal truth: the options available to her are few and far between.

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RocKabul

Dir. Travis Beard | Australia 2017 | 90 min | Documentary | M

ROCKABUL by Melbourne based director Travis Beard, follows Afghanistan’s first rock band District Unknown in the war torn capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, where Rock music is forbidden by Islam.

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I Am No Bird

Dir. by Em Baker, Australia, 2019. 77 mins | Documentary.  Women spend their lives receiving contradictory messages about marriage: an aspiration, a fantasy, a trap. An ancient institution, whose meaning has been fiercely debated the world over, it can be difficult to pin-point what marriage means to modern women.

To Benay, in Turkey, it means a new beginning and a new family, something she lost with the passing of her mother when she was a child. To honour this, she’s getting married on Mother’s Day. To Anna, in Australia, it means being made one with her partner and her God, and preparing to lose her virginity. To Luthanlu, in India, it means an opportunity to continue her Rongmei Naga culture, a tribal minority in the North-East of the country. And to Dalia, in Mexico, it means the validation of her relationship with her girlfriend, and hopefully, reconciliation with her conservative mother.

Wajib – The Wedding Invitation

(M) Dir. by Annemarie Jacir, Palestine, France, Germany, Colombia, Norway, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, 2017. 96 min | Drama

Writer-director Annemarie Jacir’s multi-award winning comic drama explores the lives of Palestinians living in Israel, and stars real-life father and son Mohammad and Saleh Bakri. The title of Wajib translates as ‘duty’, and it’s duty that brings architect Shadi (Saleh Bakri) from Rome back to Nazareth, where his sister Amal (Maria Zriek) is to be married. Local tradition dictates that Shadi and his divorced dad, Abu Shadi (Mohammad Bakri), must drive around town delivering wedding invitations. Friction is in the air even before the duo clamber into Abu Shadi’s beloved and beaten-up old Volvo. Shadi thinks the exercise is outdated and meaningless. For his father, it’s about maintaining important community rituals. Bakri and son Saleh are terrific and earthily funny as the bickering duo who meet colourful characters on their cross-city travels. A Palestinian born in Bethlehem, raised in Saudi Arabia and educated in New York, Annemarie Jacir (Salt of this Sea, 2008; When I Saw You, 2012) brings a worldly, wise and witty eye to this hugely entertaining and illuminating slice of Palestinian life.

The Song Keepers

Dir. by Naina Sen, Australia, 2017. 84 min | Documentary

Australia’s answer to The Buena Vista Social Club, The Song Keepers tells the inspiring story of an Aboriginal women’s choir and their first tour of Germany.
In the churches of remote Central Australia, a 140-year musical legacy of ancient Aboriginal languages, German sacred hymns and baroque music is being preserved by four generations of women that make up the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir. With their charismatic musical director Morris Stuart, the choir embarks on an historical tour of Germany, singing the baroque Lutheran hymns brought to their great grandparents by German missionaries in their own Western Arrarnta and Pitjantjatjara languages. Together these remarkable women take their music and stories of cultural survival, identity and cross-cultural collaboration to the world.

Marina Abramović in Brazil – The Space in Between

(M) Dir. by Marco del Fiol, Brazil, 2016. 87 min | Documentary

Marina Abramović travels through Brazil, in search of personal healing and artistic inspiration, experiencing sacred rituals and revealing her creative process. The route is comprised of poignant encounters with healers and sages from the Brazilian countryside, exploring the limits between art and spirituality. The film features healing sessions with the medium John of God in Abadiania, herb healers in Chapada dos Veadeiros, spiritual rituals at Vale do Amanhecer in Brasilia, the strength of religious syncretism in Bahia, ayahuasca in Chapada Diamantina, shamanic processes in Curitiba and energy of crystals in Minas Gerais. This external trip triggers in Marina a profound introspective journey through memories, pain and past experiences. A mixture between road movie and spiritual thriller, the documentary brings an unprecedented approach of the intimate creative process of one of the most important artists of our time.

Bad Blood

(MA) Dir. David Pulbrook, Australia , 2017. 90 min | Thriller
Carrie is in love with her new fiancé Vincent, a handsome and successful author. Vincent is besotted with Carrie, she’s everything he’s ever dreamed of. However, he’s harbouring a dark secret from his past and on top of that he’s experiencing a series of strange daily occurrences. It’s almost as if someone is following his every move. Who’s following him? And what do they want? When Vincent asks Carrie on a romantic weekend away to celebrate their engagement, cracks start appearing that threaten their happy and secure relationship. And maybe even their lives. Bad Blood stars Xavier Samuel and Morgan Griffin.

Two Bits

(PG) Dir. James Foley, USA, 1995, 85 min | Drama
A day to remember…Al Pacino stars in this heartwarming critically acclaimed movie about a boy, his grandfather and the lucky quarter that brings them together. Gennaro is a youngster who will do anything to earn “two-bits” (a quarter – 25 cents) to get into the brand new neighbourhood movie theatre.

To Kill a King

(M) Dir. Mike Barker, UK, 2003, 102 min | Drama, History
England 1645: After years of civil war, King Charles I is overthrown and two heroes have emerged – Lord General Thomas Fairfax (Dougray Scott) and his best friend deputy General Oliver Cromwell (Tim Roth). Their close friendship is threatened when Fairfax and his wife conspire to return the King to power while Cromwell instead orders his execution seizing control. As Cromwell’s armies spread violence and fear throughout the country, Fairfax realises that Cromwell must be stopped. A riveting historical drama with superb performances.

Metropolis – Reconstructed & Restored

(G) Dir. Fritz Lang, Germany, 1927. 150 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
The definitive, authorised version of this towering classic, at a length over one-third longer than any previous release. This restored and reconstructed version includes 25 minutes of lost footage recovered in Argentina in 2008. Lavish and spectacular, with elaborate sets and modern science fiction style, Metropolis stands today as the crowning achievement of the German silent cinema.

Buster Keaton Collection

THE GENERAL – Based on real events in the Civil War, Buster Keaton’s comic masterpiece is still regarded today as one of the greatest films ever made. (35mm prints available)
STEAMBOAT BILL JR – In Steamboat Bill Jr, visionary comedian Buster Keaton pioneered the art of physical comedy still used in modern filmmaking
THE THREE AGES – Tackling romance across the ages, Keaton compares courting in the stone age, Roman times and in the early 20th century.
COLLEGE – Showcasing his physical dexterity, Buster Keaton heads to college where he must use his skills on the field to win the heart of the beautiful Mary.

Jour de Fête

(G) Dir. Jacques Tati, France, 1949. 86 min | Comedy
2K DCP digital format now available and also on 35mm print
Tati is an inept and easily distracted mailman. Influenced by too much wine and an account of rapid transportation methods used by the United States postal system, he goes to incredible lengths to speed the delivery of mail. A smart comedy filled with physical slapstick and sight gags.

M. Hulot’s Holiday

(G) Dir. Jacques Tati, France, 1953. 88 min | Comedy
2K DCP digital format now available and also on 35mm print
Tati’s best-known work is a masterpiece of gentle slapstick as the titular character, Monsieur Hulot, takes a holiday at a seaside resort where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Exquisitely funny.

Mon Oncle

(G) Dir. Jacques Tati, France, 1958. 116 min | Comedy
2K DCP digital format now available and also on 35mm print
Monsieur Hulot visits the technology-driven world of his sister, brother-in-law and nephew, but finds that he can’t quite fit into the surroundings. Unforgettably funny, wonderfully observed and, as always, technically brilliant. Oscar winner Best Foreign Film 1959.