CINEMA REBORN LAUNCHES ITS 2026 SYDNEY & MELBOURNE PROGRAMS

 

First up here are some links to our opening and closing films and to our Saturday Centrepiece.

OPENING FILM

DAYS AND NIGHTS OF THE FOREST (Satyajit Ray, India, 1970)

‘To explain why Days and Nights in the Forest is a masterpiece is a bit like explaining why flowers are beautiful: the film’s glories are so natural and self-evident that describing them feels redundant.’– Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

To read the notes by Dr Helen Goritsas Click Here

SATURDAY CENTREPIECE

THIEF (Michael Mann, USA, 1981)

‘Michael Mann … is one of the most inspired stylists in American cinema today, but it was all there from the start. In Thief, his first feature, you have echoes of [Jean-Pierre] Melville … a sharp eye for realism, but also profound human characters with precisely drawn relationships, and great acting.’ – Olivier Assayas

To read the notes by Adrian Martin Click Here

In Sydney at the session on Saturday 2 May at 6.45pm Thief will be introduced by Blake Howard. In Melbourne at the session on Saturday 9 May a 6.45pm Thief will be introduced by Anna Dzenis

CLOSING FILM

ÉL (Luis Buñuel, Mexico, 1953)

‘After years of neglect, Buñuel’s corpus before Viridiana is finally getting recognised as the subversive achievement it is, and this raving melodrama is a key work – an ostensibly orthodox “woman’s film” trapped in the full nelson of Uncle Luis’s ardour for psychosexual irrationality.’– Michael Atkinson, Sight and Sound

To read the notes by Janice Tong Click Here

In Sydney at the session on Sunday 10 May at 6.00pm Él will be introduced by Stefan Solomon. In Melbourne at the session on Sunday 17 May at 6.30pm Él will be introduced by Nadine Whitney

CHARITABLE DONATIONS

Since our inception supporters have continued to ensure that the annual season is able to present the very latest and very best international and Australian film restorations.

Tax deductible charitable donations have enabled us to keep our admission charges to regular Ritz and Lido prices (with the lowest student concessions of any similar film-related event). We have once again set up a page via the Australian Cultural Fund to receive donations of any size, large or small. You can find it IF YOU CLICK ON THIS LINK

More news soon…

CINEMA REBORN LAUNCHES ITS 2026 SYDNEY & MELBOURNE PROGRAMS

Here's some links to the selection for Cinema Reborn's eighth season of restored classic cinema. There will be 22 programs screened over 31 sessions from 1-10 May in Sydney at the Ritz Cinemas Randwick and from 8-17 May in Melbourne at the Lido Cinemas Hawthorn. Click on the cinemas names and it will take you straight through to the Cinema Reborn pages.

You may also click on this link to go through to Cinema Reborn’s own website. There you will find a page for each film with links through to bookings in Sydney and Melbourne. You will find all the long program notes for each film. They have been written by a community of Australian and international critics and scholars and provide some superb insights into the program. The long notes have been edited by Anne Rutherford and will also appear, along with additional material, in our printed catalogue on sale at Cinema Reborn’s Information Desk during the seasons. 

First up here are some links to our opening and closing films and to our Saturday Centrepiece. 

OPENING FILM

DAYS AND NIGHTS OF THE FOREST (Satyajit Ray, India, 1970)

‘To explain why Days and Nights in the Forest is a masterpiece is a bit like explaining why flowers are beautiful: the film’s glories are so natural and self-evident that describing them feels redundant.’– Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

Days and Nights in the Forest

Days and Nights in the Forest

To read the notes by Dr Helen Goritsas Click Here

SATURDAY CENTREPIECE

THIEF (Michael Mann, USA, 1981)

‘Michael Mann … is one of the most inspired stylists in American cinema today, but it was all there from the start. In Thief, his first feature, you have echoes of [Jean-Pierre] Melville … a sharp eye for realism, but also profound human characters with precisely drawn relationships, and great acting.’ – Olivier Assayas

 

To read the notes by Adrian Martin Click Here

In Sydney at the session on Saturday 2 May  at 6.45pm Thief  will be introduced by  Blake Howard. In Melbourne at the session on Saturday 9 May a 6.45pm Thief will be introduced by Anna Dzenis

CLOSING FILM

ÉL (Luis Buñuel, Mexico, 1953)

‘After years of neglect, Buñuel’s corpus before Viridiana is finally getting recognised as the subversive achievement it is, and this raving melodrama is a key work – an ostensibly orthodox “woman’s film” trapped in the full nelson of Uncle Luis’s ardour for psychosexual irrationality.’– Michael Atkinson, Sight and Sound

Él

To read the notes by Janice Tong Click Here

In Sydney at the session on Sunday 10 May at 6.00pm Él will be introduced by  Stefan Solomon. In Melbourne at the session on Sunday 17 May  at 6.30pm  Él  will be introduced by Nadine Whitney

CHARITABLE DONATIONS

Since our inception supporters have continued to ensure that the annual season is able to present the very latest and very best international and Australian film restorations.

Tax deductible charitable donations have enabled us to keep our admission charges to regular Ritz and Lido prices (with the lowest student concessions of any similar film-related event). We have once again set up a page via the Australian Cultural Fund to receive donations of any size, large or small. You can find it IF YOU CLICK ON THIS LINK

More news soon…

CINEMA REBORN NEWS - Multi-ticket passes for 2026, Dates, Volunteers Wanted, Tax Deductible Charitable Donations

 Multi-ticket discount passes for 2026

For the first time we will be able to offer multi-ticket concession passes that will admit to any five or any ten titles in our program. The five film pass will cost $80 and the ten film pass will cost $140. These are substantial savings on general admission prices at the Randwick Ritz and Hawthorn Lido. When added to the concessions available to Movie Club Members at the theatres and the cheapest student discount tickets on offer anywhere we would like to think we are making it possible for our audience to sample a seriously large part of the total program. Details of the multi-ticket purchases will be available early in the new year when we announce the first four titles for 2026.

2026 Program

We are quite long way down the road to confirming our Cinema Reborn 2026 titles. A number of previously unrepresented countries and directors will be featuring in our program. Some of the great film-makers will also be represented for the first time including the esteemed film-makers pictured below and at the bottom of the text.

Dates for 2026

Cinema Reborn is changing its programming arrangements for 2026 to enable our program to be presented over two weekends. In Sydney at the Randwick Ritz we will be opening on Friday 1 May and closing on Sunday 10 May. In Melbourne the season at the Hawthorn Lido will commence on Friday 8 May and close on Sunday 17 May.

Volunteers

Cinema Reborn always has a need for volunteers to help on our information desk and to monitor the door at the screenings. If you would like to know more send your name to cinemareborn2025@gmail.com and mention which city you are in and your availability (Nights, Weekends, Daytime)

Charitable Donations

The major cost of presenting Cinema Reborn comes from the screening fees paid to archives and producers. Since our inception supporters have understood the need for continuing support to ensure that the annual season is able to present the very latest and very best international and Australian film restorations.

Tax deductible charitable donations have enabled us pay these fees and keep our admission charges to regular Ritz and Lido prices (with the lowest student concessions of any similar film-related event). We have once again set up a page via the Australian Cultural Fund to receive donations of any size, large or small. You can find it IF YOU CLICK ON THIS LINK