Upcoming film screenings and events in Melbourne

Get ready to paint the city blue, red and white as the Alliance Française French Festival (AFFF) 2023 returns to Melbourne with a program of contemporary French films that are magnifique. Running from March 7-April 23, you can expect a suite of 39 French feature films, from box-office hits and timeless classics to infectious tales of hope and resilience, and to see legends such as Gérard Depardieu, Juliette Binoche and Laure Calamy up close and personal.  The anticipated 34th edition of the festival will be opened with Nicolas Bedos’ glamorous Masquerade, a French drama starring Pierre Niney, Isabella Adjani and Marine Vacth, which will transport cinemagoers to the Côte d’Azur in this sexy double-dealing thriller. Didier Barcelo’s road trip comedy Freestyle will close the festival, starring the rising star Benjamin Voisin and Marina Foïs.  Other must-see highlights from the 2023 festival include the Australian premiere of Two Tickets to Greece, starring Call my Agent’s Laure Calamy, Kirstin Scott Thomas and Oliva Côte as the three estranged friends who tentatively reunite for a trip to the Greek islands.  Also premiering for the first time is The Innocent, which holds the highest number of nominations for a single film at the upcoming 2023 César awards. The new comedy hit from Louis Garrel follows widowed marine biologist Abel (Louis Garrel) who learns that his impulsive mother Sylvie (Anouk Grinberg) is re-marrying an inmate she met while teaching theatre in prison.   Cédric

What could possibly improve on the grandeur of the Harry Potter film series? Seeing it on a huge screen with the magnificent Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performing the score live.  The Harry Potter Film Concert Series is a global concert tour celebrating the boy wizard films all over the world, and it kicked off in Melbourne in 2017. Over the last few years, Melburnians have gotten to hear the awe-inspiring scores from films one through seven, and now it's finally time for the series to draw to a close with the final film of the Harry Potter series.  In part two of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Nicholas Buc will conduct the MSO in performing Alexandre Desplat's epic and emotional score as the films are projected onto a 12-metre high HD screen. Let the live music transport you into the wizarding world and follow along as Harry and the gang track down and destroy the final horcruxes and prepare for the Battle of Hogwarts against Voldemort and his army.  If previous iterations of this popular series are anything to go by, tickets will sell out – so get ready to put your galleons down. Tickets for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 are on sale now, and will be running in 2023 from March 30 to April 1.  Looking for more things to do? Check out our round-up of the best events happening in Melbourne this week.

She thought it would be just another summer vacation… but it turned out to be the time of her life! If you still carry a watermelon for Patrick Swayze; if you would never think of putting Baby in a corner, then you’re going to be very happy at the news about an upcoming event in the Wetlands at Flemington Racecourse. Immersive Cinema is a new venture that will turn the space into a recreation of Kellerman’s Mountain Resort in 1963, the setting for the enduring 1987 cult movie Dirty Dancing. Actors and dancers on the site and the illicit and ever-so-kitschy love affair between Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman and Johnny Castle will unfold around the audience. ‘Resort guests’ can take on an activity, a craft class, or a sport. There’ll be food, cocktails and dance lessons too, from the Foxtrot to Merengue. Rumour has it there will be a talent show as well... Dressing up in cardigans, summer shirts and slacks is strongly encouraged. After sunset at 8.30pm, the movie will unspool. Immersive Cinema: Dirty Dancing takes place over two nights in April 2023. General public tickets are on sale from 10am on November 30 via this link. 

In the era of streaming services, binge watching and subscription fatigue, supporting local cinema IRL is more important than ever. Thankfully, Flickerfest is returning to Kino Palace Cinemas in the CBD for the 17th year, making it easy for Melburnians to support some of the best up-and-coming filmmaking in our city.  Flickerfest is a longstanding Aussie institution and the country’s leading short film festival. Each year Flickerfest tours the country and the latest Melbourne stop comes after the successful Bondi Beach leg back in January. At 6.30pm on Wednesday, April 12, Flickerfest will host a one-night-only program in the heart of the city. The one night Best of Melbourne Shorts Program will showcase eight short films that promise to amuse and inspire. The handpicked program includes urban comedy ‘The Best Dumplings in Melbourne’ tracking three friends on a quest to find the perfect bite, as well as ‘Follow for Follow’, a quirky influencer tale.  This year’s Flickerfest Best Cinematography winner ‘BLVCK GOLD’ will also be showing, made by and in Melbourne’s South Sudanese community. ‘Tarneit’, the moving Iris Prize Award-winning drama, will also be showing. This short follows two deaf boys united by their determination to overcome the obstacles surrounding them. For $27.50 (or $24.50 for concession holders), you’ll get a free drink on arrival, introductions from the filmmakers, and a killer program of award-winning Melbourne shorts.  Limited tickets will be available at t