ACMI drops a stacked line up of must-see film series this summer

With the year coming to a close, ACMI is looking back on all the defining films of 2025. If there’s a film you might’ve missed (or you’re just a little out of the loop), then this celebratory series is for you. The program pays homage to excellence in acting, writing, design, cinematography and direction – as well as looking beyond box office hits to curate a line-up jam-packed with international and local films. From Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying Sinners to the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning look at cultural memory, Dahomey, and the taut thriller A House of Dynamite, from Academy Award-winner Kathryn Bigelow, there’s something for everyone in this series. Tickets start from $14, with discounts on multi-session passes in case you want to catch them all. Screening will take place between December 27, 2025 and January 21, 2026.

Thiss school holidays, ACMI is serving up a charming program that helps kids explore emotional intelligence through the magic of fantasy films. Each screening comes with a curator-led introduction and a take-home activity kit to keep the creativity flowing long after the credits roll. Expect thoughtful picks that help little ones unpack big feelings – from the imaginative The NeverEnding Story and David Bowie’s goblin-king turn in Labyrinth to the sweet stop-motion adventure Komaneko. Tickets start from $14, with screenings running from December 22, 2025 to January 23, 2026.

Ease into the afternoon at ACMI’s matinee screenings, where you can beat the heat with a sensibly-timed film this summer – because not everyone’s a night owl. The program features cinema from around the world, with Akira Kurosawa’s retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies in Ran; the award-winning Oslo Trilogy Sex, Love and Dreams; a tale of intersecting lives in Young Mothers; a stirring political portrait of Jacinda Ardern in Prime Minister; and the tearjerking romance starring Paul Mescal, The History of Sound. The daytime-friendly screenings run every Friday to Sunday throughout summer with tickets priced at $9 each. Multi-session passes are available. 

If the thought of sitting through ‘Wicked: For Good’ at the cinema in polite silence makes you twitch, now is your chance to get tickets for a screening where your passionate rendition of ‘As Long as You’re Mine’ is actually encouraged. Warm up your vocal cords because glamorous drag queens Lazy Susan and Zelda Moon will be making sure that there’s not a quiet voice in the house. Don your pink and green for the ACMI Cinemas pink and green carpet and get in quick for tickets – there are only two screenings on January 22 and 23 at 6.30pm.

If you think your key to global cinema lies in obscure film library websites, think again. The masterminds at ACMI Cinemas know a thing or two about curating a niche program, all while giving it the silver screen cinema treatment. Settle in for a flick, or three, featuring highly esteemed Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai. He’s worked with some of cinema’s greatest directors like Wong Kar Wai, Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao-hsien and John Woo and starred in everything from high-octane action to romance. You can catch some of his highlights like the award-winning erotic thriller ‘Lust, Caution’, era-defining ‘In The Mood For Love’ and action-packed crime ‘Infernal Affairs’. 

Are you ready for ACMI Cinemas to take you on a trip? A trip on hallucinogenic cinematography that’s going to open your mind, man. The curated Psychedelic Cinema program takes viewers back to the ’60s and ’70s for some of the most famously groovy flicks. From January 3 to 27, you can catch classics like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, international boundary-pushing flicks like ‘El Topo’ and old world thrillers among the likes of ‘3 Women’. Hot tip – check out a free screening of performance film ‘Dot Matrix’ by Melbourne’s own Richard Tuohy. Two projectors and two reels of film overlaid on the one screen make for mesmerising viewing. 

Beat the Sunday scaries with lengthy viewing that will make your worries about Monday’s work melt away. Each fortnight from January 31 to February 28, ACMI Cinemas presents a new installation in a series showcasing ‘the father of slow cinema’, Lav Diaz. The Filipino director is known for films that run for hours on end, some hitting the eight-to-ten hour mark, inviting viewers to slow down for a moment. Call it meditative cinema; it’s a far cry from Hollywood’s repetitive smorgasbord of colour, sound and action. Patience is a virtue, and viewers will reap the benefits of their commitment – from crime dramas and psychological mysteries to historical biopics.