What's On at ACMI

February – March, 2018

Wonderland
Opens Thu 5 Apr
acmi.net.au/wonderland
Fall down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, a world premiere exhibition celebrating the timeless stories of Lewis Carroll and Alice's adventures on screen. From first gracing the page in 1865, Alice has delighted audiences and inspired artists across generations. In more than 40 cinematic odysseys, she has epitomised the best in animation, been an arthouse icon and a blockbuster success. Alongside her journey through pop culture, Wonderland explores how filmmaking, special effects and technology have reimagined one of the world's most beloved characters. In this must-see event, take a trip through the looking glass into an immersive, enchanted world that draws together a remarkable selection of original behind-the-scenes material. The more curious you are, the more you'll discover.

Exhibition: TERROR NULLIUS
World premiere
Opens Tue 20 Mar
Free entry
Hitch a ride into the dark heart of Australia with Soda_Jerk's TERROR NULLIUS, a blistering, badly behaved sample-based film that confronts the savagery of our contemporary moment. Equal parts political satire, eco-horror and road movie, TERROR NULLIUS is a rogue remapping of national mythology, where a misogynistic remark is met with the sharp beak of a bird, feminist bike gangs rampage and bicentenary celebrations are ravaged by flesh-eating sheep. TERROR NULLIUS is the third Ian Potter Moving Image Commission, a ten year program for new works by mid-career Australian artists. The Ian Potter Moving Image Commission is a collaboration between ACMI and The Ian Potter Cultural Trust. More at acmi.net.au/terror-nullius

White Night
Sat 17 Feb – Sun 18 Feb
Free entry
Delight your senses with our White Night tasting plate. From interactive artworks and amazing music videos to live games and hilarious cat videos, we have your evening covered. Featuring the work of some of Australia's most exciting artists including Antony Hamilton, Byron Perry, Soda_Jerk and The Avalanches, this is your opportunity to check out our free exhibitions or fuel up in our Cafe & Bar. White Night Melbourne is an all-night, free cultural event with visual art, illuminations, music, food, theatre, sport, fashion, film, design and performances on display. Join us for an evening like no other. acmi.net.au/white-night

TV Premiere: Safe Harbour
Special sneak preview
Sun 25 Feb
From the director of Seven Types of Ambiguity and Puberty Blues, Safe Harbour tells the story of sailing holidaymakers whose adventure takes an unexpected turn when they collide with a fishing boat overloaded with asylum seekers. Join us for a special sneak preview screening of first two episodes of the miniseries, followed by a Q&A with director Glendyn Ivin (Seven Types of Ambiguity, The Beautiful Lie) and cast. More at acmi.net.au

Presented by Alliance Francaise French Film Festival and ACMI
Talk: BPM in conversation

Fri 2 Mar
Join author Christos Tsiolkas and Philippe Mangeot for a conversation about queer activism and the HIV pandemic. As an academic, activist and co-writer of the 2017 Cannes Grand Jury Prize-winning film BPM, Mangeot's unique perspective reflects his background as a member and former president of Act Up-Paris, a militant association fighting against AIDS, and as founder and editor-in-chief of French journal Vacarme. Mangeot's writing and background offer a unique viewpoint to the maelstrom of 90s AIDS activism in Paris, the topic at the heart of BPM. More at acmi.net.au

Exhibition: Eija-Liisa Ahtila: Studies on the Ecology of Drama
5 Dec 2017 – 25 Feb 2018
Free entry
Studies on the Ecology of Drama is a four-screen installation by renowned Finnish filmmaker and artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila. Against the backdrop of the Finnish countryside, a -human actor' guides us through a series of thoughtful yet playful visual exercises. Through meditative animation and visual effects we're invited to consider how cinema constructs our relationship to nature. Featuring a juniper tree, a common swift, a horse, a butterfly and a group of acrobats, the work encourages us to imagine how the moving image can be used to explore the experience of non-human beings in this time of ecological crisis. acmi.net.au/events/eija-liisa-ahtila

ACMI's free, interactive Screen Worlds exhibition is open daily
Open every day except Christmas Day, 10am–5pm
Free entry
acmi.net.au/screen-worlds
Screen Worlds is ACMI's free, permanent and interactive exhibition that tells the remarkable story of the moving image; a vibrant biography that explores its past, past present and future. Presented in conceptually connected sections Emergence, Voices, Sensation, Games Lab, Kids Space, and VR Lounge featuring a rotating series of VR works, Screen Worlds brings together rarely seen footage, fascinating objects and interactive displays. New to Screen Worlds: see some of the original Bush Toys from filmmaker Warwick Thornton's We Don't Need a Map, together with spectacular extended time lapse footage and learn about Indigenous histories, tattoo traditions and astronomy in a new exhibit "We Don't Need a Map: Australian identity and the Southern Cross".

Family Programs
Family Films, activities and workshops for various ages

The Little Prince PG
Exclusive to ACMI
Thu 11 Jan – Sat 24 Feb
Rediscover one of the most beloved stories of all time. From Mark Osborne, Academy Award nominated director of Kung Fu Panda, comes the first-ever animated feature film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's iconic masterpiece, The Little Prince. At the heart of it all is The Little Girl (Mackenzie Foy), who's being prepared by her mother (Rachel McAdams) for the very grown-up world in which they live – only to be interrupted by her eccentric, kind-hearted neighbour, The Aviator (Jeff Bridges). The Aviator introduces his new friend to an extraordinary world where anything is possible; a world that he himself was initiated into long ago by The Little Prince (newcomer Riley Osborne). It's here that The Little Girl rediscovers her childhood and learns that human connections are what matter most. Evening sessions in French with English subtitles.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh G Thu 18 Jan – Sun 25 Feb
Whether we're young or forever young at heart, the Hundred Acre Wood calls to that place in each of us that still believes in magic. Experience for the very first time Tigger "pounces" Pooh; laugh out loud when Pooh's rumbly tumbly gets him stuck in a hilariously sticky situation. All your favourite Hundred Acre Wood characters come alive in this timeless motion picture. Comprising of 3 Winnie the Pooh featurettes (including Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day which won the 1968 Academy Award for Animated Short Film) and inspired by A.A. Milne's stories, this feature-length version was originally released in 1977 and includes songs from Disney legends the Sherman Brothers, known for such classics as 'It's a small world".

For session times and more information on these and all other ACMI events visit acmi.net.au