Get out of the house on the third Wednesday evening of each month and enjoy films on the big screen with us!

The Drill Hall Film Society screens classic films at an affordable price in comfortable tiered seating in our air-conditioned theatre. Grab a delicious snack and beverage from the bar, and be part of our lively film discussions after each show.

Become a Film Society subscriber for just $75 and gain entry to 11 films/year (or $60 if you’re a Drill Hall Theatre Company associate member). Casual guest rates cost $10/film.

Renewals due in July.

Contact Peter on [email protected] for more information or to become a member.

Wednesday 19th November @ 7pm

“Don’t give in to nostalgia,” says Alfredo the projectionist.

A coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. In a small Sicilian town, a young boy, Savatore, and an aging projectionist become friends. When he learns that Alfredo has died Salvatore dreams of his childhood and his girlfriend Elena. He returns for Alfredo’s funeral and discovers footage Alfredo has shot of Elena. And all the kissing scenes, the town priest ordered to be cut from films, spliced together in a reel.

The Italian-French co-production stars Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Pupella Maggio and Salvatore Cascio. The film score was composed by Ennio Morricone and his son, Andrea, the beginning of a collaboration between Tornatore and Morricone that lasted until Morricone’s death in 2020.

The film was not popular when first released. A second release, of an edited version, was also a flop. It was only when Cinema Paradiso won the Cannes Fim Festival’s Grand Prix that the film became an international hit.

It is now credited with revitalising Italy’s film industry and Cinema Paradiso has been cited as one of the greatest films of all time, and a world cinema classic. The ending is considered among the greatest endings in film history. It was a commercial success, and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prix. It was nominated for 11 BAFTA Awards and won five; including Best Actor for Philippe Noiret, Best Supporting Actor for Salvatore Cascio, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Foreign Language Film, a record for a foreign language feature until it was broken by All Quiet on the Western Front in 2023.

Then film itself is a nostalgic reminder of the explosion of French and Italian cinema in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. They don’t make movies like they used to. The famous ‘kissing scene‘ at the end of the film was parodied in a Simpsons episode.