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 […]

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 […]

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

Unsettling: An insight into landscape change from Barry Golding

BMI - Humffray Room 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC, Australia

Professor Barry Golding is speaking on his insights into the changing conservation and care of 6 peaks in Southern Dja Dja Wurrung Country. Bunanyung Landscape Alliance is proud to present a FREE talk by Prof Barry Golding. A respect for landscape is built into our name. We recognise that landscapes change, and that our perceptions […]

Free

Past Truths/Bright Futures

BMI - Humffray Room 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC, Australia

An evening of history and hope with local historian Dr Marguerita Stephens and local documentary film-maker James Freemantle.The Years of Terror meticulously documents the struggle of the Kulin clans to hold Country as La Trobe unleashed ‘the terror of British law’ on them.Based on the journal of Assistant Protector William Thomas, this work provides a […]

Free

with Nicole Alexander

28 May at 6pm

Ballarat Heritage Festival BMI Day Tours

Two tours  on 20 &  21 May 

 

portrait of author with book cover

Australian Heritage Festival

Natasha Lester in conversation

1 May at 6pm

guides dressed in period costum

Australian Heritage Festival

Minerva's Secrets

25 April – Tour 1 at 7.30pm – fully booked
Tour 2 at 9.30pm – still tickets. 

portrait of author with book cover

Australian Heritage Festival

Natasha Lester in conversation

1 May at 6pm

Dame Nellie Melba Birthday Celebration

  Performance – 18 May.

Ballarat Heritage Festival Events at the BMI

16 to 25 May 

Connections to War from a Ballarat Perspective

Wed 2-30 April, 5.30pm

Australian Heritage Festival Events at the BMI

18 April to 18 May

Dame Nellie Melba Birthday Celebration

Fundraising Dinner
17 May. 

  Performance – 18 May.

Christmas Holiday Closures | Library

Monday 23 December – Sunday 5 January

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 | Now $20

Tax Deductible 

Your gift will be tax-deductible this financial year if you make it before June 30.

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2024 End of Financial Year Appeal 

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Our Challenge

Like many organisations the BMI faces significant funding challenges. 

We thank you for your support.

BMI Fundraiser

Featuring:
The Hideaways,
The Harmonies &
Surf Shadows. 

2 course dinner & lots
of dancing