movies

Australian 1950s Outback Drama To conclude this year marking our 70-year existence, let’s watch a 1956 Australian film classic about an imaginative young boy who lives in the fictional small town of Murrumbilla in the Australian outback. Listen to an older generation of Australian accents; watch two-up games and immerse yourself in a 1950s country […]

Cinematic  Donkey Odyssey Described by critics as a ‘sensuous reimagining of Robert Bresson’s Au hazard Balthazar’ (1966), EO is the name of a donkey sprung free from a circus and separated from Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska), a young woman who dotes on him, only to wander around Poland witnessing degrees of difficulty as well as moments

Lavish Italian Artist Drama The famous 17th century Italian artist Caravaggio is well known for his intense realism and use of strong contrasts of light and dark. Living in Milan, Naples, Malta and Sicily he was a rebellious man with an eye for beauty, the streets and high drama, and was hugely influential on succeeding

Classic Talking Heads Concert Viewing a filmed music concert has been a tradition of the BFS, so this year we are fortunate to have a new remastering of the very famous 1983 concert that Talking Heads did over four live shows at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. Director Jonathan Demme is known for his

Existential Thriller Classic Jean-Pierre Melville is the ultimate cult auteur in the French cinema, acknowledged as a key influence on directors such as Godard, Scorsese, and Tarantino. With Army of Shadows, the master of the philosophical, gangster film, drops the metaphor of the criminal underworld and deals directly with his experiences as an underground soldier

Aboriginal Historical Fantasy The New Boy is set on a remote mission for Aboriginal children in the 1940s run by a renegade nun, Sister Eileen. A new charge is delivered in the dead of night – a boy who appears to have special powers – and so begins the interactions between the mission staff, the

Under the Spanish sun… The Soles are peach farmers who have occupied their land for generations on the basis of a handshake deal with the original owners. The sighting of a looming mechanical crane ushers into their lives an uncertain peach season and future. An ensemble drama with 6 prominent characters is set in a

Iranian-Australian Family Story Opening the 2022 Melbourne International Film Festival, Niasari ‘s debut film Shayda was selected by Australia to enter the Best International Feature Film Oscar race in 2023. Iranian-Australian born writer and director Noora Niasari tells the personally inspired story of a young Iranian mother and her 6-year-old daughter who find refuge in

Luscious Moroccan Drama In 2021, BFS screened the well-received film, Adam. This is Touzani ‘s second feature film, described by Sight and Sound as a ‘tender, dignified drama’. A master tailor who owns a caftan shop in Morocco’s oldest medina, falls for his young male apprentice in this nuanced portrait of unconditional love at its most

Chinese Neo-noir Crime Thriller When small-time mob leader Zhou Zenong (Hu Ge) accidentally kills a cop, a bounty is placed on his head, forcing him on the run from both the police as well as dangerous gangsters out for the reward. Hiding out in China’s densely populated (and deeply divided) Wuhan province, Zhou becomes entangled