Queenstown Film Society screens every Tuesday night at 8:30pm from 3rd May at Dorothy Browns cinema, Arrowtown.
Like most film societies we have non-commercial screening rights for the majority of our program, which means we're unable to sell tickets. Instead we operate on a membership basis, but it's easy to join and great value at just $105 for the entire season of 25 films - that's less than $5 per film! Membership runs for one year from the date you join, so if you sign-up later in the season, you won't miss out! New members can join before any screening or take advantage our three-film sampler for $30 - an ideal taster which can be upgraded to full membership or a great option for anyone visiting Queenstown.
This year's season features a wide range of films including black-and-white classics, must-see pictures for the cinephile, recent world cinema and documentaries, and the best of New Zealand cinema.
There's no bookings, so get there early to be sure of a seat. The programme is subject to change without notice. Films presented by the Goethe-Institut and NZFC are open to non-members by donation.
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, an encore screening of the first movie QFS ever showed. In one of Fellini's best-loved films, a Rome prostitute meets with adventure and misadventure as she searches for happiness. Giulietta Masina gives a powerful performance as the tempestuous Cabiria.
Alexander Sokurov, 2002, Russia/Germany, 95 min, 35mm, rated PG
Filmed in an astonishing single shot, Russian Ark floats dreamlike through the majestic Hermitage in St Petersburg, engaging real and imagined characters from the Enlightenment period and reaching an unforgettable climax that is a pageant of colour, motion and music.
In this award-winning animated psychodrama, a reclusive actress relives her past for a documentary film. Flashbacks integrate with scenes from her movies until it becomes difficult to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
Jacques Becker, 1954, France, 94 min, 35mm, rated M
A world-weary gangster is forced out of retirement when his best friend is kidnapped and their stash of stolen gold demanded as ransom. A classic European film noir featuring a young Jeanne Moreau as the femme fatale. Presented by the Embassy of France.
A woman (Michelle Williams), stranded in Oregon on her way to find work in Alaska, runs into a series of problems that eventually lead to her losing her beloved dog, Lucy. Described by critics as 'gorgeous and heartbreaking' (New York magazine) and 'an unqualified triumph' (Cinema Scope).
The master of anime delivers a surreal tale of a 10-year-old girl in a bizarre world of gods, monsters, spirits and sorcerers. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
In this clever Tinseltown satire with a top-notch cast, a movie crew descends on a small Vermont town. 'More razor-sharp, spit-out-your-popcorn one liners thrown away in any given scene than can be found in two dozen ordinary comedies put together.' - Time Out New York.
We're proud to screen eight short films with a local connection covering subjects as diverse as adventure sports and environmental issues to travel and what it means to live in the district. Our talented film-makers come from all walks of life and our youngest is just 12 years old.
More information
28th June 2011: Look Both Ways
Sarah Watt, 2005, Australia, 100 min, 35mm, rated M
Over one scorching weekend four people face life-changing news. This daring comedy drama, from an emerging filmmaker, finds wry humour in the shadow of death, and manages to be life-affirming and uplifting.
Yann-Arthus Bertrand, France, 95 min, DV, no rating
Through breathtaking aerial footage from 54 countries and a mesmerising narration by Glenn Close, Home gives a view of our planet we have never seen before. There will be a pre-screening talk by QFS member Peter Thompson, who was a cameraman for this epic environmental documentary.
A newspaper editor (Cary Grant) will do anything to keep his ace reporter ex-wife (Rosalind Russell) from remarrying. There's so much snappy rapid-fire wit in this screwball comedy that you might just struggle to keep up.
The turbulent days in 1973 when Augusto Pinochet seized power in Chile are seen through the eyes of two boys from opposite ends of Santiago society. This evocative rites-of-passage drama uses their relationship to expose the social tensions that helped destroy a nation.
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary, The Cove feels more like an action adventure movie. Using state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, a group of animal rights activists infiltrate a cove in Japan to expose both the slaughter of dolphins and a serious threat to human health.
Tomas Alfredson, 2008, Sweden, 114 min, DV, rated R16
A bullied boy finds love and revenge through a beautiful but strange girl…who turns out to be a vampire. This is not a traditional horror film. It is a nuanced and thought-provoking exploration of the nature of life and death, which asks the question, how much can love forgive?
Barry Barclay, 1987, New Zealand, 93 min, 35mm, rated PG
This landmark film, the first both written and directed by Maori, is a classic of New Zealand cinema. It follows an Aussie doctor as he discovers his Kiwi roots in a tiny Maori settlement on the East Coast. Presented by the NZFC.
Chester Kent (James Cagney) struggles against time, romance and a ruthless rival to produce live spectaculars. Fast-paced, funny and full of mischief, this exceptional musical showcases some of choreographer Busby Berkeley's finest censorship-busting sexual subtext.
A gripping portrait of Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov, told through the prism of his controversial match-ups with the IBM super-computer Deep Blue in the 1990s. Presented by the National Film Board of Canada.
Eric Bednarski, 2008, Canada, 89 min, DV, no rating
Joseph Rotblat was branded a traitor and a spy after he resigned from the Manhattan Project on moral grounds. This inspiring profile traces Rotblat's career from designing atom bombs to winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Presented by the National Film Board of Canada.
Gillo Pontecorvo, 1965, Italy, 120 min, 16mm, rated M
This chronicle of the Algerian struggle to overthrow the French colonial government in the 1950s focuses on the insurgency leaders and the French general obsessed with catching them. An acknowledged masterpiece, it is 'as shocking today as it was on the day of its release' (Film4).
Stanislaw Mucha, 2003, Germany, 85 min, DV, no rating
Where exactly is the middle of Europe? A documentary film crew travels the continent examining the conflicting - and often hilarious - claims of over a dozen towns in half a dozen countries. Presented by the Goethe-Institut.
Gene Wilder both wrote the script and supplied a surprisingly subtle but hilarious lead performance for one of Mel Brooks's funniest efforts, an anarchic but affectionate send-up of Frankenstein movies. 'My movies rise below vulgarity.' - Mel Brooks
A brutal examination of China's intrusion in Tibet, this award-winning documentary - 10 years in the making - features rich imagery, riveting stories and underground and archival footage never before assembled in one film.
Stewart Main/Peter Wells, 1993, New Zealand, 96 min, 35mm, rated M
A lavish and entertaining foray into high camp, this historical fantasy is populated by desperate people finding remedies where they may. The production design is dramatic, the soundtrack operatic. Presented by the NZFC.
Jean-Pierre Melville, 1949, France, 100 min, 16mm, rated PG
Lyrical and macabre, playful and powerful, this compelling drama of a pair of inseparable siblings is a collaboration between two of the great auteurs of French cinema, Jean-Pierre Melville and Jean Cocteau.
Gene Kelly/Stanley Donen, 1952, USA, 103 min, 35mm, rated G
What a glorious feeling! The greatest of all movie musicals is on the big screen once more. The plot, if you need one, covers the tricky transition from silent movies to the sound era. Bring a raincoat and get ready to dance in puddles...
