To keep our thirst for film satisfied Melbourne Cinémathèque and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) have been working together to bring cinema into our loungerooms with the presentation of a weekly movie night, during Covid-19 lockdown.
There is nothing like the real cinema experience of course but with the pop of some corn, a couple of drinks and a box of Maltezers at the ready, thanks to these two Melbourne-based institutions we can sit back and enjoy the wonderful line up of films, curated by Melbourne Cinémathèque and ACMI’s Film Department, made available to viewers across a range of freely accessible streaming platforms and through the technological innovations of Metastream, which lets our friends watch the same movie, at the same, from their own living rooms. It’s movie magic!
Every Tuesday Melbourne Cinémathèque and ACMI will be announcing the details of their movie selections on social media. “Our Virtual Cinémathèque won’t replicate seasons slated for the 2020 Melbourne Cinémathèque but wherever possible we’ll try to stick to the weekly calendar format of double bills that showcase classic and contemporary films on specific directors, performers or a thematic,” the organisers share.
Screening Wednesday May 6
This week’s double bill shines a light on two magnificent performances by Scottish actress Tilda Swinton in Orlando (1992), the film written and directed by Sally Potter, and in I Am Love (2009), directed by Luca Guadagnino. Swinton portrays a beautiful young English nobleman transcending time, mortality and gender in Orlando, and for her part in I Am Love, an Italian romantic melodrama, Swinton’s character Emma Recchi, a married woman, becomes overwhelmed by her experiences of desire.
“Out of all the Tilda Swinton films, we’ve selected two from key moments in her career, but also two films which perhaps best represent the theme of our times: breaking free. Free from the confines of patriarchy, masculinity, mortality … confinement itself,” shares Reece Goodwin, Curator TV & Special Events.
Orlando and I am Love are both available to watch on SBS On Demand. All you need to do is create a free account and you are all set to go.
Watch the trailers here Orlando and I am Love. And be sure to follow ACMI’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or Melbourne Cinémathèque’s Facebook and Twitter, to keep up to date with the program as it unfolds.
ACMI Online
ACMI is Australia’s national museum of film, TV, videogames, digital culture and art. It has a dynamic online program to explore including skills workshops led by industry professionals, talks, retrospectives and resources for parents and teachers about art, animation, digital technologies, filmmaking and more. Click here to go to ACMI’s what’s on page.