We all have muya, the essence or aura of who we are. It's what makes you you.

Hunter Page-Lochard tells us about the person who is the conduit between the Dreaming and this world: The Cleverman.Written by Ryan Griffen.Republished with permission from Triple J & ABC.

Join artists Gabrielle De Vietri, Hanna Brontë and Eugenia Lim to talk video art and challenging provocations in the spheres of identity, immigration, race, nationalism and politics.From exploring issues of gender and racial identity through the lens of hip-hop aesthetics to deconstructing the nature of globalisation and economics through video ...…

Alice was first brought to life by Lewis Carroll, but she's sparked imaginations and been immortalised on screen many times since.Join film critic and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas in conversation with Dr Michelle Smith (Monash University) and Dr Dan Golding (Swinburne University of Technology) as they discuss these 'electric' Alices and the ...…

With each technological advancement, from early documentaries to social issue games and immersive VR, we've heard the promise of being able to step into alternate perspectives, to feel and share and experience a more complex type of understanding. But are these supposed "empathy machines" distancing us from true empathy and closer to voyeurism? ...…

How does a museum collect WeChat? Or show a laptop that was destroyed by security agencies because it held government secrets leaked by whistleblowers?How could a museum collect computer viruses, or use source code to reveal decisions made by designers when a product was being made?Digital design, game design and media design are all important ...…

Video games can transport players into ethereal experiences, create unique communities and become a medium for interactive and experimental art.Join game designer and curator Chad Toprak (Freeplay), experimental games designers Michael Samyn and Auriea Harvey (Tale of Tales) and cultural curator Zuraida Buter (Zo-ii) for a deep dive into beauti ...…

There are innumerable theories of Alice, Wonderland and the characters she meets along the way.Was Lewis Carroll inspired by hallucinogens? Reacting to new maths standards? Or having a personal identity crisis?Perhaps the way we see the text tells us as much as our ourselves as it does about the enigmatic author.Join us for a lively dissection ...…

Decolonising the Australian film industry and how First Nations people want to be portrayed are the current debates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait actors, directors and producers. Join our host Leila Gurruwiwi (from Marngrook Football Show) along with guest panelists; award winning author Uncle Bruce Pascoe, playwright and filmmaker Tracey R ...…

Did you know that twenty percent of Australians live with disability? You probably wouldn't guess that from our media.But things are gradually improving. In 2018, more people with disability and appearance diversity are writing and starring in TV and film, influencing on social media and getting opportunities as brand ambassadors. Young people ...…

In an ever-changing media landscape, and with audiences savvy and cynical about advertising, brands are looking for more subtle ways to draw their customers in. Enter the documentary filmmaker. Does this offer an exciting new source of finance for documentary or is it a sell out? Is it still possible to make authentic stories within this form? ...…

How do we build stronger alliances and create impact campaigns that engage audiences on issues, to create lasting change?The phenomenal rise of documentary impact campaigns in recent years, following the success of Good Pitch Australia and the growing field of expertise, means we now have a global community of impact producers and a rich librar ...…

Robert Fernandez has been producing award-winning documentaries and commercials for over 25 years - yet he still loves getting his hands dirty on budget spreadsheets 'I love the numbers'. Working with Errol Morris since The Fog of War, Fernandez recently delivered their biggest project to-date: the Netflix series Wormwood. With no precedent for ...…

Interactive digital narratives, fully-immersive VR, open source gaming, robots writing novels – what does the future of storytelling look like? What do emerging technological advances mean for writers and artists creating work in the digital era?Four artists at the forefront of innovation in digital storytelling kicked off Digital Writers' Fest ...…

This talk celebrated International Women’s Day with local filmmakers telling powerful and revealing stories. Filmmakers Sari Braithwaite, Chloe Brugale and Santilla Chingaipe were in conversation with Eloise Ross about their craft and processes, key collaborations and career pathways.About the speakersSantilla Chingaipe is an award-winning jour ...…

From the surface of the sun to the depths of the prehistoric seas and the earth's orbit, VR continues to open portals onto worlds we could never physically inhabit. What potential does this technology hold for expanding the realms of human experience?Erth's Scott Wright (Prehistoric VR), artist Jessie Hughes (Soul Of Sol – La Palma) and astroph ...…

From the Marvel and DC cinematic universes to small screen caped-crusaders and vigilantes, superheroes are more popular than ever. But how do superheroes reflect our place and power within society?Whether it’s symbolic representations of asylum seekers and First Nations people on Cleverman, Jessica Jones battling PTSD or The Watchmen exploring ...…

Is the recent trend in 80s retro films and TV symbolic of a nostalgia for a simpler era?The 80s was a decade renowned for its excess - think money, drugs, eyeshadow and lycra. From Stranger Things and Glow to Spielberg’s upcoming Ready Player One, we look at contemporary TV and films that transport us back to the decade defined by ET, The Gooni ...…

In our uncertain era full of real life horror, what's driving our appetite for true crime and fascination with the macabre? From recent documentaries The Jinx, Making a Murderer and The Family to serial killer anti-heroes in film and TV, and the stark brutality of Scandi-noir, we examined our obsession with the dark side of human nature, the ps ...…

ACMI presents Changing the Game, where speakers Steph Convery, Clem Ford, Leena van Deventer and Rae Johnston talk survival strategies for being a woman with an opinion on the internet. Online games and social media have dramatically changed the way we interact, creating communities with common passions and interests that transcend geographical ...…

The representation of gender diversity on screen has a complex history, from invisibility to stereotypical representations of otherness, including the sexually mischievous to the homicidal maniac.In this conversation our panel of filmmakers, critics, festival directors and artists to talked about the history and politics of gender diverse repre ...…

Are the heroines of modern anime confronting the stereotyped female characters that preceded them? Or are they still designed merely to service the fantastical and unrealistic desires of male fans?In this traditionally male-dominated genre, the growing trend of empowered female protagonists is a welcome development. Still, there’s no shortage o ...…

In this talk we explore the creative, technical, cultural and collaborative practice of creating VR from personal histories for this moving new work.A Thin Black Line is an immersive VR experience that follows one family in the aftermath of the bombing of Darwin in 1942, when half the population fled believing a Japanese invasion was imminent. ...…

Masterclass with the creative team behind podcast TraceDespite the global success of podcasts like Serial, the team behind Trace didn’t set out to emulate other popular true crime podcasts. Trace had a different ambition, chiefly to find justice and truth for the sons of Maria James, who was murdered nearly 38 years ago.In this masterclass, the ...…

Editing Masterclass with Erin CasperIn this exclusive masterclass, Erin will share her personal approach to editing by thinking about the construction of each film as a language of its own, spoken cinematically through an editor’s hands.Drawing on excerpts from her award-winning films such as Our School, American Promise, The Last Season and Th ...…

Fashion illustration is experiencing a renaissance. Fueled by the shareability on social media, talented illustrators can now catch the eye of both consumers and fashion houses on the look out for fresh ideas.Fashion on Film curator James Nolen will host a panel of local expert fashion illustrators about the sketches that happen before a stitch ...…

In the lead up to the opening of Wonderland ACMI Curator Jess Bram spoke to Colleen Atwood about her work designing the costumes for the 2010 Tim Burton film: Alice in Wonderland.About Wonderland:Fall down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, a world premiere exhibition celebrating the timeless stories of Lewis Carroll and Alice’s adventures on scr ...…

Yohji Yamamoto has been reinterpreting the rules of fashion for over four decades.In light of the Australian premiere season of Yohji Yamamoto: Dressmaker screening exclusively as part of Melbourne Fashion Week at ACMI, film programmer James Nolen will be joined by fashion experts, fashion historians and Yamamoto super fans, as they delve into ...…

This Q&A with Ian Collie, Wally Elnour, Ez Eldin Deng, Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw, Matt Cameron and Elise McCredie follwed the screening of the first episode of Sunshine which was selected as Series Mania Melbourne's opening night screening, Sunshine is a vibrant, kinetic and compelling high stakes fictional crime drama that explores a world of c ...…

In Cambodia's first Oscar-nominated film, director Rithy Panh uses clay animated figures, archival footage and voice-over narration to tell a deeply personal story.Starting with a photograph taken between 1975 and 1979 by the Khmer Rouge when they ruled over Cambodia, Panh uses the image as a source of contemplation, meditation and as a verbal ...…

“We need to raise it up, we need to fight and to shout, but we also need to bring it down, to talk and to listen in order to make change”Donald Betts JuniorFollowing the screening of I Am Not Your Negro, former Kansas State Senator Donald Betts Jr and American history professor Michael Ondaatje entered into a lively conversation about race poli ...…

Having conquered the cutthroat world of satirical online cooking shows with The Katering Show (Australian TV's all-time most viewed digital series), the two Kates are ready to take their trademark sassy swipe at morning lifestyle television in Get Krack!n, a new series for Seeso and ABC.Each morning the Kates will shuffle through a roster of un ...…

To celebrate the opening of the groundbreaking exhibition Code Breakers, join us for a discussion with some of the top female critics, developers, designers and artists. Hosted by actor, director and author, Stephanie ‘Hex’ Bendixsen, Breaking the Code featured makers Nicole Stark and Brooke Maggs and leading games expert Dr Helen Stuckey as th ...…

Join us for this animation industry masterclass with the founders of Aardman Studios Peter Lord and David Sproxton, and Academy Award-winning animator Adam Elliot (Mary & Max, Harvie Krumpet).Aardman Studios is renowned for their signature animation style and unique character creations, like the eccentric inventor and his loyal canine in Wallac ...…

Spend a grand night out with the award-winning founders of Aardman Animations, Peter Lord and David Sproxton!In this exclusive talk the creators of beloved animations like Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep discussed their extraordinary careers, including the animations that have inspired and influenced their work.Australian director Darcy Pr ...…

One aspect of Wallace and Gromit's world that audiences find so endearing are the fabulous inventions' and contraptions. Their eccentricities are so funny and clever. All these contraptions are so idiosyncratic of the Aardman world. Hear about the wacky inventiveness behind the cracking contraptions.…

Some puppets have complex wire structures like the wererabbit and some are simple like Morph who is pure plasticine and uses it to his advantage. He can literally morph into anything. The props and sets on Aardman films are based on real life objects. The perfection in the smallest of details such as a carrot in a grocery stall make the sets be ...…

From little ideas big things grow. Drawing and sketching is where ideas are hatched. Hear the stories behind the drawings of Shaun the Sheep and Were Rabbit and get an insight into how the drawings come to life.

Peter Lord and David Sproxton started making films together when they were 12 years old and have been making films ever since. This year Aardman Studios turns 40. Hear how the studio grew and the diversity of work they have created.

Much to the joy of Twin Peaks fans, master of surrealist nightmares David Lynch has re-visited Twin Peaks after 25 years. Season three sees the return of many of the characters that touched our hearts and haunted our dreams. Join Andy Hazel, host of 'Twin Peaks: The Return, A Podcast' and a panel of writers and critics for some damn fine coffee ...…

“Emotional connection is almost always my goal - whether it is using humour, nostalgia, euphoria, heartbreak or fear.” Warren FuThis was a rare opportunity to discuss music videos, art design and illustration with internationally acclaimed director Warren Fu.Warren lives to conjure the impossible and bring audiences into the extraordinary world ...…

Simon Alty has been in the video game industry for over 25 years and is currently the Managing Director at Zenimax Australia (Bethesda). Starting with Ocean Software back in 1991, Simon has developed his career within several global gaming and software companies including Rising Star Games, Atari/Infogrames and The 3DO Company before running in ...…

Japanese denim is now considered the Rolls Royce of denim in the world today.In light of our screenings of Devin Leisher's revelatory documentary Weaving Shibusa, some of Melbourne's great retailers in, and wearers of Japanese denim came together to discuss their love and admiration for these highly prized wardrobe pieces. Joining Film Programm ...…

Fire At Sea is a masterly work of documentary filmmaking about the Mediterranean island at the epicentre of the refugee crisis in Europe.Panel discussion by filmmaker and cinematographer Bentley Dean (Tanna) will moderate a discussion with lawyer, filmmaker and President of Liberty Victoria, Jessie Taylor; journalist and editor Michael Green (T ...…

No network – commercial or otherwise – has fully escaped being the centre of some kind of public outrage and disgust over the last few years. But is audience provocation in the factual space really such a bad thing? In the competitive world of television, a parade of “ground-breaking social experiments” are just some of the ways that networks c ...…

At a time when fake news is said to have helped swing an election result, finding varied and reliable sources of information has never been more important. But with traditional broadcast platforms under siege from a slew of digital competitors expanding at a rate of knots, how do we ensure the integrity of storytelling in our post truth world?W ...…

Storytelling is at the core of all human art. Storytelling provides a way of sharing and interpreting experiences, bringing an understanding and meaning of human existence. Throughout history, storytelling has evolved through different media from verbal into written, from theatre into film, and now into Virtual Reality. VR is empowering storyte ...…

Jason Scott is a Free Range Archivist and Software Curator at the Internet Archive, a non-profit tasked with saving the content of the world. His work includes everything from overseeing the mass ingestion of data, to running metadata/description programs against collections, or reaching out to third parties to discuss partnerships with the Int ...…

After the stunning success of Netflix’s Making a Murderer and HBO’s The Jinx, it seems that true crime is on the mind of every TV commissioning editor the world over. These two shows are just the tip of the iceberg of an amazing array of documentary, factual and unscripted programming that are drawing in big business and big bucks for producers ...…

Kids are living the content dream. As viewers, they demand content streamed direct to their personal devices wherever they are, whenever they want it. As creators they are prolific - shooting, editing and sharing films with friends and family from wherever they are, as often as they are allowed! So how is the kids domestic and international mar ...…