2025 Events

Film Club Members Gathering

Join us for our first event of 2025 — not a film screening, but a chance to connect, collaborate, and help shape the future of our club!

Meet & Mingle: Connect with fellow film enthusiasts and make new friends.

Shape Our Screenings: Share your favorite films, genres, and directors, and suggest movies you'd love to see in upcoming events.

Inspire New Ideas: Provide feedback on our current events and suggest ideas for new types of activities or gatherings you'd like us to explore.

Get Involved: Interested in helping out? Discover how you can join our organizing team and contribute to the club’s future.

📅 Date: Thursday, January 9, 2025 🕖 Time: 7:00 PM 📍 Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD 💲 Cost: Free entry

Rating: R18 - Restricted to persons 18 and over; contains violence and offensive language.
Year: 2000
Country: Japan
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Synopsis: Abandoned by the brotherhood of his yakuza clan, tough guy Yamamoto is forced to leave Tokyo. He goes to Los Angeles in search of Ken, his younger half-brother. Alone and with a new identity, Yamamoto finds himself frustrated by foreign surroundings, especially since he doesn’t speak the language.

Screening Details:
Date: Saturday, January 11, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Brother (2000)

Rating: M - Suitable for mature audiences; contains sexual themes.
Year: 1999
Country: Japan
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Synopsis: A young, naive boy embarks on a journey to find his estranged mother. Along the way, he encounters an unlikely protector in a grumpy and unconventional man, leading to a series of unexpected and heartwarming adventures.

Screening Details:
Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Kikujiro (1999)

Rating: G - All films are suitable for general audiences including children.

1. Piper: A Joy Story (4:03)

2. Andy: A Dog’s Tale (7:31)

3. Pip (4:05)

4. Rangi Builds a Boat (5:31)

5. Let’s Eat (8:30)

6. Ripple (5:47)

7. Milk (5:00)

Screening Details:
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Time: 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Short Films for Kids Aged 4 to 9

Rating: PG – Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers; contains sexual references.
Year: 1994
Country: Taiwan
Director: Ang Lee
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Synopsis: A senior chef lives with his three grown daughters; the middle one finds her future plans affected by unexpected events and the life changes of the other household members.

Screening Details:
Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

Rating: R16 - Restricted to persons 16 years and over.

1. Closer (14:09)

2. Turangiwaewae: A Place to Stand (12:57)

3. Cow (12:05)

4. We Don’t Know How Lucky We Are (2:48)

5. New Zealand: The Other Side of the World (6:09)

6. How Mr and Mrs Gock Saved the Kumara (4:00)

7. Two Cars, One Night (11:00)

Screening Details:
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Kiwi Short Films

Rating: M – Suitable for mature audiences; contains adult themes.
Year: 2011
Country: Canada
Director: Philippe Falardeau
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: At a Montréal public grade school, an Algerian immigrant is hired to replace a popular teacher who committed suicide in her classroom. While helping his students deal with their grief, his own recent loss is revealed.

Screening Details:
Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

Rating: PG – Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers; some scenes may disturb.
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Director: Ang Lee
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Synopsis: A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.

Screening Details:
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Life of Pi (2012)

Mudbound (2017)

Rating: 16 – Unsuitable for audiences under 16 years of age; contains offensive language and content that may disturb.
Year: 2017
Country: USA
Director: Dee Rees
Genre: Drama, War
Synopsis: Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.

Screening Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Chungking Express (1994)

Rating: M – Suitable for mature audiences; contains violence.
Year: 1994
Country: Hong Kong
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Genre: Drama, Romance
Synopsis: Two melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.

Screening Details:
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Where Is the Friend's House? (1987)

Rating: G – Suitable for general audiences
Year: 1987
Country: Iran
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Genre: Drama, Family
Synopsis: Eight-year-old Ahmed has mistakenly taken his friend's notebook. Determined to return it and prevent his friend from being expelled, the conscientious boy sets out on a journey to find Mohammad's home in a neighboring village.

Screening Details:
Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Rating: M – Suitable for mature audiences.
Year: 2000
Country: Hong Kong
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Genre: Drama, Romance
Synopsis: Two neighbors form a strong bond after both suspect extramarital activities of their spouses. However, they agree to keep their bond platonic so as not to commit similar wrongs.

Screening Details:
Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Running on Empty (1988)

Rating: PG - Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers; contains coarse language.
Year: 1988
Country: USA
Director: Sidney Lumet
Genre: Drama, Crime, Romance
Synopsis: A teenage boy, raised in a fugitive family on the run due to his parents' past antiwar activities, struggles between staying with them or pursuing his own future.

Screening Details:
Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Whiplash (2014)

Rating: R13 - Restricted to persons 13 years and over; contains offensive language and content that may disturb.
Year: 2014
Country: USA
Director: Damien Chazelle
Genre: Drama, Music
Synopsis: A promising young drummer enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory, where his dreams of greatness are mentored by a ruthless instructor who will stop at nothing to push him to his full potential.

Screening Details:
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

Ea.Ma.Yau (2018)

Rating: M – Suitable for mature audiences; contains offensive language.
Year: 2018
Country: India
Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Synopsis: Set in a coastal village in Chellanam, Kochi, the story follows the sudden death of Vavachan Mesthiri and the events that unfold over two evenings, exploring death from different perspectives.

Screening Details:
Date: Thursday, April 17, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD

The Verdict (1982)

Rating: PG - Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers; contains coarse language.
Year: 1982
Country: USA
Director: Sidney Lumet
Genre: Drama, Crime
Synopsis: An outcast, alcoholic Boston lawyer gets a chance to redeem his career and self-respect when he takes on a medical malpractice case, choosing to fight for justice instead of settling.

Screening Details:
Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD