Cult Film Club Melbourne Cinémathèque Still Screens Its Films in Glorious 35mm Celluloid

With origins as an underground student film society, the Melbourne Cinémathèque has been screening cult, classic and contemporary flicks since 1948. These days it presents its programme on the big screen at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), which means movies can be projected on 35mm film.

Speaking to The Creators Project, President and Programme Manager Eloise Ross explains that the Cinémathèque began as the Melbourne University Film Society, changing its name in 1984 and moving to ACMI in 2002. “Our ethos regarding the programming of films in their original format has remained—and we are one of the only organisations in Australia that strives to curate a program comprised of global and stylistic diversity,” she says.

There aren’t many venues left that can screen 35mm and 16mm film prints, and the state-of-the-art projection equipment at ACMI means that every Cinémathèque screening is special. Prints for most of the films are imported from overseas, or from the National Film and Sound Archive.

“We mostly screen 35mm prints,” Ross explains. “But as film exhibition and restoration culture is undergoing a significant shift, we are showing more films in digital format. Our current season of Mexican Noir films, which are digital, have been restored in Mexico and the only way for us to see them outside that country is in that format. But our dedication to big screen celluloid film prints, that are often imported, is what makes us unique and integral to film culture in Melbourne.”

The Cinémathèque programme includes a little bit of everything, screening films across a myriad of genres, styles, and nationalities. “Whether they be classical narrative, experimental, or exploitation films,” Ross says.

She’s looking forward to a special season of six films by French filmmaker and provocateur Catherine Breillat, many of which haven’t been seen on the big screen since their release. “Her work can be controversial, as she doesn’t shy away from explicit explorations of women’s sexuality and psychology, but she’s an incredibly important artist and it’s a great opportunity for audiences to explore her oeuvre.”

There’s also an upcoming tribute to Manoel de Oliveira, a Portuguese filmmaker who passed away last year at the age of 106. The Cinémathèque will be showing two of his films, including Memories and Confessions—which he made in 1982, but requested to be released posthumously.

“Each year, it’s important that we curate a programme that highlights the national and cultural diversity of cinema across the world,” Ross explains. “And we always include Australian work in our programme, because you don’t see enough of it on the big screen.”

The Melbourne Cinémathèque hosts its screenings every Wednesday night. You can find out more and view the programme here.

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