NATIONAL STORIES DAY PASS
The Day Pass includes all four events.
Part of our Unreliable Histories series: question history and cultural mythology through films that creatively interpret and reimagine iconic people and times.
PANEL: TELLING NATIONAL STORIES
SAT 2 MAR | 1PM | Arc Cinema
How do we understand our collective history? Where are the lines drawn between truth and mythology? How do contemporary interpretations shape perceptions of the past? And what role does the artist play in presenting historical events for modern audiences?
Join us for a special panel conversation as part of our month-long Unreliable Histories series, in which we invite audiences to question the framing of history and cultural mythology. Curator Margo Neale (National Museum of Australia), Professor Frank Bongiorno AM (Australian National University), and filmmaker Lawrence Johnston will unpack the power of ‘national narratives’ and explore what it means to share stories about national history.
BOTANY BAY (35mm)
SAT 2 MAR | 2.30PM | Arc Cinema
1952 | PG| 90 mins | 35mm |US | D: John Farrow
John Farrow’s technicolour feature Botany Bay explores a pivotal moment in the history of the Australian continent, dramatizing the transportation of convicts and the arrival of the First Fleet. Over 60 years on from its 1952 release, Botany Bay offers contemporary audiences a chance to reflect on one of Australia’s founding narratives as seen through the lens of Golden Age Hollywood.
Presented on 35mm film prints from the NFSA collection.
WILLS AND BURKE (35mm)
SAT 2 MAR | 4.15PM | Arc Cinema
1985 | PG | 97 mins | 35mm | AUS | D: Bob Weis
Bob Weis gives two of Australia’s most famous and unfortunate explorers a satirical treatment in Wills and Burke. Curiously released in the same year as Graeme Clifford’s historical drama Burke & Wills, Weis’ film makes use of parody and performance to unpack epic historical storytelling.
Presented on 35mm film prints from the NFSA collection.
THE PROPOSITION
SAT 2 MAR | 6.30PM | Arc Cinema
2005 | MA15+| 104 mins | DCP | AUS, UK | D: John Hillcoat
The Western genre meets the colonial Australian frontier in this tense drama from the pen of Nick Cave. Guy Pearce stars as Charlie, an outlaw faced with a chilling proposition that forces a choice between brothers.
This fictionalised exploration of Australian history – told through the lens of a distinctly American genre – invites audiences to consider how cinema shapes and subverts national identity and mythology.
Part of our Unreliable Histories series: question history and cultural mythology through films that creatively interpret and reimagine iconic people and times.
PANEL: TELLING NATIONAL STORIES
SAT 2 MAR | 1PM | Arc Cinema
How do we understand our collective history? Where are the lines drawn between truth and mythology? How do contemporary interpretations shape perceptions of the past? And what role does the artist play in presenting historical events for modern audiences?
Join us for a special panel conversation as part of our month-long Unreliable Histories series, in which we invite audiences to question the framing of history and cultural mythology. Curator Margo Neale (National Museum of Australia), Professor Frank Bongiorno AM (Australian National University), and filmmaker Lawrence Johnston will unpack the power of ‘national narratives’ and explore what it means to share stories about national history.
BOTANY BAY (35mm)
SAT 2 MAR | 2.30PM | Arc Cinema
1952 | PG| 90 mins | 35mm |US | D: John Farrow
John Farrow’s technicolour feature Botany Bay explores a pivotal moment in the history of the Australian continent, dramatizing the transportation of convicts and the arrival of the First Fleet. Over 60 years on from its 1952 release, Botany Bay offers contemporary audiences a chance to reflect on one of Australia’s founding narratives as seen through the lens of Golden Age Hollywood.
Presented on 35mm film prints from the NFSA collection.
WILLS AND BURKE (35mm)
SAT 2 MAR | 4.15PM | Arc Cinema
1985 | PG | 97 mins | 35mm | AUS | D: Bob Weis
Bob Weis gives two of Australia’s most famous and unfortunate explorers a satirical treatment in Wills and Burke. Curiously released in the same year as Graeme Clifford’s historical drama Burke & Wills, Weis’ film makes use of parody and performance to unpack epic historical storytelling.
Presented on 35mm film prints from the NFSA collection.
THE PROPOSITION
SAT 2 MAR | 6.30PM | Arc Cinema
2005 | MA15+| 104 mins | DCP | AUS, UK | D: John Hillcoat
The Western genre meets the colonial Australian frontier in this tense drama from the pen of Nick Cave. Guy Pearce stars as Charlie, an outlaw faced with a chilling proposition that forces a choice between brothers.
This fictionalised exploration of Australian history – told through the lens of a distinctly American genre – invites audiences to consider how cinema shapes and subverts national identity and mythology.
Terms and Conditions
Pass is not transferable and is valid for one entry per session. All sessions must be pre-booked. Passes are not valid for special events. Passes can be scanned at the door for entry.