The Capitol acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. We respectfully acknowledge their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. We also acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

Lighting Off

Christmas Cinema: The Santa Clause

Scott Calvin is an ordinary man, who accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall from his roof on Christmas Eve and is knocked unconscious. When he and his young son finish Santa’s trip and deliveries, they go to the North Pole, where Scott learns he must become the new Santa and convince those he loves that he is indeed, Father Christmas.

Directed by John Pasquin. Starring Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, David Krumholtz, and Peter Boyle.

United States | 1994 | 94 mins | Rated G 

All proceeds from ticket sales go to Make Room, a project assisting people out of homelessness.

This is a Christmas Festival event, presented by City of Melbourne.

Christmas Cinema: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

All Clara wants is a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread presented to her at godfather Drosselmeyer’s annual holiday party, leads her to the coveted key which promptly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. It’s there that Clara encounters a soldier named Phillip, a gang of mice, and the regents who preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets. Clara and Phillip must brave the ominous Fourth Realm, home to the tyrant Mother Ginger to retrieve Clara’s key and hopefully return harmony to the unstable world.

Directed by Lasse Hallström and Joe Johnston. Starring Keira Knightly, Mackenzie Foy, Richard E. Grant, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and Misty Copeland.

United States | 2018 | 99 mins | Rated PG 

All proceeds from ticket sales go to Make Room, a project assisting people out of homelessness.

This is a Christmas Festival event, presented by City of Melbourne.

Christmas Cinema: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack’s rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

This is a animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced and conceived by Tim Burton. Featuring the voices of Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, and Ken Page.

United States | 1993 | 76 mins | Rated G 

All proceeds from ticket sales go to Make Room, a project assisting people out of homelessness.

This is a Christmas Festival event, presented by City of Melbourne.

Christmas Cinema: The Grinch

The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit. Funny, heartwarming, and visually stunning, it’s a universal story about the spirit of Christmas and the indomitable power of optimism. This animated film became the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing Dr. Seuss film adaptation.

Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney. Featuring the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury, and Pharrell Williams.

United States | 2018 | 90 mins | Rated G 

All proceeds from ticket sales go to Make Room, a project assisting people out of homelessness.

This is a Christmas Festival event, presented by City of Melbourne.

Christmas Cinema: The Polar Express

A young boy boards a train and embarks on an extraordinary journey to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. His life takes a turn after he encounters special people that make his journey memorable.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen.

United States | 2004 | 100 mins | Rated G 

All proceeds from ticket sales go to Make Room, a project assisting people out of homelessness.

This is a Christmas Festival event, presented by City of Melbourne.

Christmas Cinema: Elf

When young Buddy falls into Santa’s gift sack on Christmas Eve, he’s transported back to the North Pole and raised as a toy-making elf by Santa’s helpers. But as he grows into adulthood, he can’t shake the nagging feeling that he doesn’t belong. Buddy vows to visit Manhattan and find his real dad, a workaholic publisher.

Directed by Jon Favreau. Starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner, and Bob Newhart.

United States | 2003 | 96 mins | Rated G 

All proceeds from ticket sales go to Make Room, a project assisting people out of homelessness.

This is a Christmas Festival event, presented by City of Melbourne.

Into the Collection: Women in Animation

A Culture Salon celebrating the AFI Research Collection Fellowship

For over 10 years, the AFI Research Collection Research Fellowship has supported scholars to delve into the wealth of the archive.

The AFI Research Collection holds countless gems and current AFIRC Fellow Ruth Richards has spent a year exploring the remarkable archive of Australian film and television for her research project Histories of Australian Women in Animation.

For this Culture Salon, Ruth will share some of the highlights of her research with two very special guests adding colour to those stories: multi-award-winning animator and local trailblazer Lee Whitmore, and animator and RMIT Master of Games, Animation and Interactivity educator Kate Cawley. An incredible opportunity to hear these influential voices discuss the story of animation in Australia – past and present.

The evening will feature screenings of Whitmore’s award-winning work: her debut animated short, Ned Wethered (1984), and 2006 autobiographical work, The Safe House.

We’re also delighted to announce 2023/24 AFIRC fellowship winner on the night.

The Best Films You’ve Never Seen: The Devil’s Playground

RMIT Culture is thrilled to present a screening of the iconic Australian film ‘The Devil’s Playground’ in its glorious original 35mm format, with an exclusive in-conversation with the legendary director Fred Schepisi himself.

Released in 1976, this film has left an indelible mark on the Australian film landscape. Set in a Catholic seminary in the 1950s, it explores themes of faith, desire, and the tumultuous journey to self-discovery. With compelling storytelling and powerful performances, this film is a timeless classic that continues to captivate audiences.

Before the screening, hear Fred Schepisi speak with RMIT academic Dr Stephen Gaunson as he shares rare insights into the creative process behind ‘The Devil’s Playground’ and hear stories from Fred’s remarkable career which spans five decades and includes iconic films such as ‘The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith’, ‘Roxanne’, and ‘Six Degrees of Separation’.

RMIT University is proud to have held the AFI Research Collection for the past 20 years, a unique trove of screen and cinematic heritage, join us for this very special event to celebrate this milestone.

Part of ‘The Best Films You’ve Never Seen’, presented by RMIT Culture, the AFI Research Collection and RMIT Cinema Studies.

35mm print courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

Hear more about Fred Schepisi’s first feature ‘The Devil’s Playground’ (1976), from Olympia Baron, Curatorial Officer, AFI Research Collection, RMIT Culture, here.

Our Social Worlds Family Fun Day: Kids and Tweens

Settle in with popcorn and ice-cream and enjoy a feast of classic screen treats!

We start with beloved Australian classic Round The Twist (1990) and a new hit show Crazy Fun Park (2023) which has just won a Logie for Outstanding Kids’ Show. We then turn to the stop-motion animated film Coraline (2009), acclaimed for its quirky, spooky, moving exploration of how young people experience change. This combo, never before seen on the big screen, is as fun as it is surreal, supernatural, and (maybe even a little) scary.

In the interval, join Crazy Fun Park director Nick Verso and RMIT screen and social scientist experts Dr. Djoymi Baker and Dr. Sarah Polkinghorne for a conversation about what these shows tell us about struggles we all face and the power of screen stories to help us understand memory and change.

Our Social Worlds: (Re)Inventions is a highlight of RMIT’s events marking national Social Sciences Week, convened by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Supported by the RMIT Enabling Impact Platforms, College of Design and Social Context, College of Business and Law, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, and RMIT Culture.

 

Screening + in-conversation: The Giants with Bob Brown

Renowned Australian activist Bob Brown has dedicated his life to environmental conservation and advocacy. Leader of the world’s first Green party, his leadership in the successful campaign to save the Franklin River in Tasmania marked a turning point in Australia’s environmental movement.

The Giants is a powerful film tribute to Bob Brown’s remarkable activism, and a love letter to ancient forests. Drawing on 50 years of inspiring activism, it showcases Bob’s journey from the Franklin campaign to the ongoing battle for the Tarkine rainforest, intertwining his story with the awe-inspiring life cycle of Australia’s giant trees.

Bob Brown, and filmmakers Rachael Antony and Laurence Billiet, join ABC Radio National’s Hilary Harper after the screening to share behind-the-scenes stories, lessons from his journey, the pressing need for collective action and what protest looks like today as legislators crackdown on disruptive protests.

This event is part of Wild Hope: Conversations for a Planetary Commons, an exhibition calling for a radical shift to ‘planetary thinking’ as vital to the survival of human and non-human life on Earth, at Design Hub Gallery 15 August–30 September.

Run time: The Giants 113 minutes + Q&A 50 minutes

Future Play Lab: TRON (1982)

RMIT Culture and Future Play Lab invite you to a special screening of Steven Lisberger’s ground-breaking 1982 arcade game classic TRON, introduced by a discussion from gaming and placemaking experts. 

Prior to the screening hear from Future Play Lab artist gamemaker Troy Innocent, RMIT PlaceLab Co-Lead Kiri Delly and multimedia specialist Uyen Nguyen, as they contextualise playable spaces, game design and how TRON was lightyears ahead in the use of AI within modern cinema and its predictions of society’s adaptation of technology and games.

After the screening discover a street arcade hidden in the middle of the Melbourne CBD and follow the trail of five playable art machines embedded in shops and cafés starting at The Capitol.  

Made by Melbourne artists, designers and musicians, each arcade machine has been transformed into a playable artwork – race to catch a tram, learn Indigenous language, make music from emojis, battle it out with Jukebot or head down the Yomeci Hole. Featuring work by Jarra Karalinar Steel, YomeciPlay, Troy Innocent, tiasu, Honeysmack, and Ranjit Nijjer. Members of the Future Play Lab will also be appearing in the arcade looking for challengers!  

Presented in partnership with RMIT Culture, RMIT Future Play Lab, City of Melbourne and Melbourne International Games Week.  

Social Sciences After Dark: Disturbing Technology

RMIT Culture co-presents Social Sciences After Dark: Disturbing Technology, which explores humanity’s deepest anxieties through a horror double bill. Hosted by Jessica Balanzategui (Media, RMIT), this event is the first in the Social Sciences After Dark series, a celebration of the power of film as a window on human society.

First, a story by RMIT alum James Wan: in M3GAN (2022) we meet a grief-stricken girl and the remarkably disturbing doll who becomes her friend. Next, we mark the 40th anniversary of David Cronenberg’s classic VIDEODROME (1983), where the disturbing technology is the television signal.

Between films engage in a rousing discussion about our deepest fears of technological change, and the implications for society with a panel of diverse social scientists featuring; Jordy Kaufman (Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology), Alexia Kannas (Cinema and Media, RMIT University) and Jacinthe Flore (Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne).

Social Sciences After Dark is a highlight of RMIT’s events marking national Social Sciences Week, convened by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Supported by the RMIT Enabling Impact Platforms, College of Design and Social Context, College of Business and Law, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, and RMIT Culture.

MOVIE TIMES

6:30PM M3GAN

9:00PM VIDEODROME