Ballarat Film Society – High Ground

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

Stars: Guruwuk Mununggurr, Wakarra Gondarra, Jack Thompson, Simon Baker, Callan Mulvey and Aaron Pedersen. We present this film to celebrate NAIDOC Week, 2022. This is the first film that director Stephen Maxwell Johnson has made since Yolngu Boy, 20 years ago. Set in the 1930s Northern Territory, where two cultures collide in the violence perpetuated […]

Ballarat Film Society – Little Woods

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

Set in the border-crossing town of Little Woods, between North Dakota and Canada, two reunited sisters struggle to survive in circumstances of economic injustice largely not of their own making. Confronted with urgent personal decisions, warring personalities, opioid-driven traumas and small-town economic downturn, the two have a week to settle a mortgage on their mother’s […]

‘Mine-Field’ Documentary Screening + QnA

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

This engaging, highly informative film is a must-see for communities like Ballarat and Moorabool who are keen to understand the environmental and lifestyle implications of Victoria’s 21st-century mining boom. Filmed over three years, 'Mine-Field' (2022) shows how a farming community in East Gippsland fought a ruthless mining company and won. It reveals the devastating impact […]

$12

Ballarat Film Society – Quo Vadis, Aida?

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

​Quo Vadis, Aida? is inspired by true events.  In Bosnia, 1995, middle-aged Aida is a United Nations translator located in the small mountain town of Srebrenica when the Serbian army ignores a UN peace ultimatum and begins a series of round-ups. Aida’s translation skills come into action when Aida and her family find themselves among 30,000 […]

Ballarat Film Society – First Cow

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

With a similar ‘feel’ to McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), First Cow reveals, surprisingly, an America built on racial and social diversity during the birth of American enterprise. Two travellers on the run in the 1820s dream of striking it rich, relying on a wealthy landowner’s cow which is the first cow to ever reach Oregon. Cookie […]

Ballarat Film Society – Beyond the Wasteland

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

Filmed in Australia, USA, France, Germany and Japan, this documentary examines the contemporary culture rooted in Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) both of which became instant international cult films during the 1980s with their dystopian and post-apocalyptic themes and imagery. The film explores the eccentric world of the fans from around the globe, their costumes, and their machines. From the […]

Ballarat Film Society – La Strada

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

Italy, 1954, b/w, 94 min.  Directed by Federico Fellini Fellini Classic Neo-Realism ​Starring Giulietta Masina, Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart, and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti, La Strada was Fellini’s 4th film and ensured his international reputation. Told in a fabulist style with a focus on love and jealousies, it is set […]

Ballarat Film Society – Brooklyn

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

Ireland/UK/Canada, 2015, 112 min. Directed by John Crowley Nostalgic Irish Émigré Romance ​ Receiving a standing ovation at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and faithfully adapted from the novel by Colm Toibin, Brooklyn tells the story of Eilis (Saoirse Ronan), a young woman from Enniscorthy, County Wexford who finds herself in the new world of […]

Ballarat Film Society – Both Sides of the Blade

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

France, 2021, 116 min.  Directed by Claire Denis Scorching Love Triangle Drama Celebrated veteran film director, Claire Denis developed and shot this film during different stages of Covid-19 lockdowns in France (as is reflected in some of the outdoor scenes). Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon play an apparently happy couple whose relationship is unsettled when […]

Ballarat Film Society – A Hero (Ghahreman)

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

Iran, 2021, 127 min. Directed by Asghar Farhadi Modern Iranian Morality Tale Note - this is the 3rd, not the 2nd, Thursday in May. The AGM will commence at 7.00 pm, followed by the film at 7.30 ​ A-lister auteur Farhadi sets his latest film in the Iranian city of Shiraz. Ramin (Amir Jadidi) is in […]

Silent Film with Live Band | Buster Keaton in ‘The General’

The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC, Australia

Buster Keaton in The General. Silent film with Live Band. Join us for an unforgettable night of entertainment as we take you back to the golden era of cinema with a silent film screening of The General, starring the legendary Buster Keaton. The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute will provide the perfect backdrop for this special event. You'll be […]

$15

Ballarat Film Society – Pig

BMI - Minerva Space 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC

USA, 2021, 92 min.  Directed by Michael Sarnoski Indi Revenge Drama The centre of this film is a subtle and nuanced performance from Nicolas Cage, playing a truffle hunter living alone in the Oregonian wilderness with his foraging pig, who must confront his past when he goes to the city in search of his pig […]

Devonshire Tea & Fashion Parade

Bubbly on arrival & Featuring quality items from our Vintage Shop | $60

The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute 2025 Calendar

Featuring the BMI Image Collection | $40

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