MAHANA
Starbox Score - 4.6 stars out of 5
A well-received, nostalgic look at rural family lifein NZ in the 50s and the impact of an unforgiving patriarch.
Next up
DARKEST HOUR
Wednesday, 24th April, 2024
7:30pm
The Council Chamber
Williamstown Town Hall
See MEMBERSHIP page to join up for 2024
Pay your membership fee at the door or online!
New members welcome - first is free...
The Williamstown Film Society would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Hobsons Bay City Council through their Small Group Operating Grants.
WFS is still screening our films on the last Wednesday of each month, at 7:30pm, in The Council Chamber of the Williamstown Town Hall. It's official - all films are confirmed. Phew. Our interactive program of films below has some details but by the time our January screening comes around it will be chock full of reviews, trailers and other tantalising titbits. So, please wander through and wonder at what's in store, we think you're gonna love it...and check in each week as it gets bigger than Ben Hur (how's that for a movie cliché?)
THE DRESSMAKER (Australia, 2015, 119 mins, comedy/drama, colour) There are shades of an Aussie Western as Tilly steps down from the bus, Singer sewing machine in hand intent on revenge... and then there are the costumes, Cate Winslet and Judy Davis, and of course Sergeant Farrant (Hugo Weaving). A riotous beginning to our year of films. Happy New Year. What a start to the year... a Starbox score of 4.8 (out of 5 stars). Most had seen it before; many loved it even more this time around.
Learn MoreDELICIOUS (France, 2021, 112mins, historical drama, colour, M) If there was such a thing as an 'historical foodie film', this is it. France 1789, just prior to the Revolution, a chef is sacked by his noble master and with the help of a talented young woman frees himself from the position of servant and opens the first even restaurant...there was a first time for everything. A gorgeous, mouth watering film. Starbox score 4.5 (out of 5) from 38 votes. Quote of the film, "Potato sticks... they'll never catch on..." How wrong can you be!
Learn MoreMAHANA (New Zealand, 2016, 103mins, M, drama/western, colour). A melodrama involving feuding sheep shearing families on the east coast of New Zealand in the 1960s. Directed by Lee Tamahori, starring Temuera Morrison. A little too melodramatic for a few of our members but the rest simply loved it. To hear some members of our audience singing along with Prince Tui Teka as he sang 'For the Life of Me' over the end credits was music to my ears. Starbox 4.6 out of 5 stars from 37 votes.
Learn MoreDARKEST HOUR (United Kingdom, 2017, 125 mins, drama, colour, PG) A biopic starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill. The film focuses on the May 1940 war cabinet crisis. An Oscar winning performance.
Learn MoreQUARTET (United Kingdom, 2012, 98mins, comedy/drama, colour, M)
Learn MoreTHE WIND RISES (Japan, 2013, 126mins, historical drama, PG) An animated feature from Studio Ghibli for Nippon TV which follows Jiro, a you boy enchanted by flight, as he fulfils his dream to become an aeronautical engineer. The use of his planes during WWII changes enchantment to regret. This is a complimentary screening courtesy of Crunchyroll.com, a streaming service dedicated to the art & culture of anime.
Learn MoreSILENT RUNNING (USA, 1972, 90mins, sci-fi/thriller, PG, colour) Aren't 70s Sci-Fi movies something else? You can't beat them and this is a cracker. Spaceship greenhouses because Earth is uninhabitable. Bruce Dern as an environmental saviour? And aren't his robot companions 'cute as' and futuristically familiar? Bring your space ice-cream if you have some.
Learn MoreIT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (USA, 1934, 105 mins, B&W, Frank Capra) A romantic comedy (with a touch of screwball) produced and directed by the great Frank Capra. Made before the Hays Code - a set of 'morality' guidelines, self-imposed by the industry itself. It is a road movie and would have very different had it been made even a year later. It won Oscars for Film, Actress, Actor, Director & Writer - one of only 3 to do so... and the others are...
Learn MoreSHOPLIFTERS (Japan, 2018, 121mins, drama/crime, colour, M)
EGO: THE MICHAEL GUDINSKI STORY (Australia, 2023, 111mins, documentary, colour)
THE LADY KILLERS (United Kingdom, 1955, 91 mins, PG, comedy, colour)
By clicking on 'Read More' you will find a brief rundown of our approach to putting together a program of 11 films for a particular year. Why eleven not 12? December we have off...everyone needs a holiday break.
Read MoreClick on 'read more' to access the criteria we use to produce a balanced annual program of films with more than something for everyone.
Read MoreFilm Societies pay a one-off fee to Film Distribution Companies for the right to screen each film on their program to their members. Click 'Read More' for details.
Read MoreThe Federation of Victorian Film Societies (FVFS) provides a wide range of resources for film societies. Many are simple 'how to' guides like this one. Of particular interest are the short outlines from different societies describing how they go about it.
Read MoreThank you to those members of the current committee who were keen to continue in their roles for another year. We thank Marilyn McIntyre for her work with the committee over the last few years and welcome Allan Park. Click the green 'learn more' button to see the 2022/23 committee.
Learn MoreThe 2023 AGM of the WFS will took place on Wednesday 29th November at 7:30pm. The minutes will appear here 'in the fullness of time'. A big thank you to Ms Marilyn McIntyre for her contribution to the WFS during her time on the committee. Marilyn stepped down at the AGM. A big welcome to Mr Allan Park who joined our committee and will be assisting Dimi with Treasurer's duties. Congratulations and thank you to the other members of the committee for being keen to 'go round again'. We have had a great year. Agenda, 2022 Minutes, Presidents' & Treasurer's Reports and the committee nomination form are all available to read or download by clicking on the Green 'Learn More' button to access. Oh yes, our screening of THE COURT JESTER did happen immediately after the AGM and brought the house down. A wonderful end to a terrific year. Thank you.
Learn MoreClick the Green Learn More button to access documentation for FVFS AGM.
Learn More