ACMI celebrates 20 years with half-price exhibition & films plus free choc tops & cookies

ACMI celebrates 20 years with half-price exhibition & films plus free choc tops & cookies

ACMI, Australia’s national museum of screen culture, is celebrating 20 years since opening its doors in Melbourne’s iconic Fed Square, with exclusive birthday offers on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October. Across this weekend, visitors can access special offers including half-price entry to the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition Light: Works from Tate’s Collection and all cinema sessions, plus free choc tops and cookies until stocks last.

The journey of Australia’s national museum of screen culture has been an extraordinary one. ACMI had its beginnings as the State Film Centre of Victoria and was reincarnated in 2002 as the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. The building was further re-shaped and reinvigorated with the opening of its flagship ongoing exhibition Screen Worlds in 2009 and its re-emergence in 2021 as a multiplatform museum, following a $40 million renewal funded by the Victorian Government and philanthropic partners.

ACMI Director & CEO Seb Chan said: “Since opening our doors on 26 October 2002, ACMI has become a cultural touchstone for screen culture in all its forms.“

“We are constantly innovating and adapting to the ever-changing landscape across film, TV, games, interactive and digital art via our extensive programming, while we also work to preserve a growing collection of over 250,000 items.”

“Our evolution into an award-winning multiplatform museum has put us at the forefront of the international museum sector, where we remain a welcoming space for all communities to gather, explore, and make sense of what we are watching and playing."

Minister for Creative Industries Steve Dimopoulos said: “In a city renowned for our world-class museums and galleries, ACMI offers a unique experience while showcasing Victoria’s strengths as a global hub for the screen and creative industries.”

“Delivering unique, immersive and captivating exhibitions, ACMI continues to draw visitors from near and far – supporting city businesses and jobs.”

From 29 to 30 October, free choc tops and cookies will be available at ACMI until stocks last, alongside offers including half-price entry for Light: Works from Tate’s Collection, an Australian-exclusive exhibition curated by Tate, UK, featuring 70+ works exploring how artists have harnessed the phenomenon of light as both material and subject. Spanning 200 years of art history, the exhibition features work by artists including Joseph Mallord William Turner, Claude Monet, Joseph Albers, James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama, Olafur Eliasson, Tacita Dean and Lis Rhodes.

Half-price entry will also apply to the Matinees & Soirees film program which continues with Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir Part II (2021), a stunning sequel to the director’s semi-autobiographical masterpiece The Souvenir (2019). Half-price tickets will also be available for the remainder of ACMI’s weekend film programming, which takes on a decidedly Halloween-esque tinge with films selected by Oscar-nominated Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner. Catch Mario Bava’s cult thriller Blood and Black Lace (1964) and Peter Strickland’s stylish tribute to Italian B-grade cinema, In Fabric (2018), shot by Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog).

To commemorate ACMI’s 20th birthday, a range of exclusive merchandise will be available in the ACMI Shop from 24 October 2022. This will include the new publication The Story of the Moving Image, reflecting on ACMI’s centrepiece exhibition and the history of screen culture, plus a commemorative tote bag and scented anniversary candle that’s been crafted to evoke positive memories of an old-school picture theatre.

Half-price entry applies to these ACMI events across the weekend of Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October 2022:

Light: Works from Tate’s Collection
Until 13 Nov 2022
Gallery 4, ACMI
An Australian-exclusive exhibition curated by Tate, UK, featuring 70+ works exploring how artists have harnessed the phenomenon of light as both material and subject. The exhibition spans 200 years of art history and features works from artist such as Joseph Mallord William Turner, Claude Monet, Joseph Albers, James Turrell and Yayoi Kusama.

The Souvenir Part II (2021)
Fri 21 Oct to Tue 1 Nov
ACMI Cinemas, Fed Square
Mother-daughter acting powerhouses Tilda Swinton and Honor Swinton Byrne reunite for the sequel to Joanna Hogg’s semi-autobiographical film The Souvenir (2019).

Blood and Black Lace (1964)
4pm, Sat 29 Oct
ACMI Cinemas
Mario Bava’s trend-setting film, Blood and Black Lace (1964), selected by Oscar- nominated cinematographer Ari Wegner screens to coincide with Halloween. Shot in stunningly vivid colour, the film provides a precursor and a framework for the Giallo subgenre and slasher films in general.

In Fabric (2018)
3pm, Sun 30 Oct
ACMI Cinemas
Peter Strickland’s In Fabric (2018), selected by Oscar-nominated cinematographer Ari Wegner to coincide with Halloween, is a film that pays homage to the Italian B- grade cinema of Mario Bava and Dario Argento. The film features lush cinematography by Ari Wegner and an unsettling score by Stereolab’s Tim Gane.

Celebrate ACMI’s 20th birthday with half-price entry to Light: Works from Tate’s Collection and all cinema sessions on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October. For full details of the birthday program, visit the ACMI website.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Download a selection of media assets here.

Chart the growth of Australia’s national museum of film, TV, videogames, digital culture and art across 20 years here.

ACMI reopened in February 2021 after a two-year, $40 million redevelopment – an architectural, programmatic and technological transformation. Navigate the universe of film, TV, videogames and art with ACMI. The museum celebrates the wonder and power of the world’s most accessible artform – fostering the next generation of makers, players and watchers. ACMI’s vibrant calendar of exhibitions, screenings, commissions, festivals, and industry and education programs explore the stories, technologies and artists that create our shared screen culture. ACMI’s collection holds 7,000 videogames in a larger collection of 250,000 items. More at acmi.net.au