We all love a good movie, and often cinema and television reflect a certain time in our lives or capture forever pop culture, preserving a moment in time for future generations to look back. The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is a purpose built, state of the art facility for the exhibition and promotion of Victorian, Australian & International Screen content in its many and various forms.

ACMI started life in 1946 as the State film centre and was Australia’s first centre dedicated to the moving image. In 2002 ACMI was born and established itself at Federation Square in Melbourne. I’ve always found ACMI to be an amazing way to engage with the moving image and is now a major part of Melbourne culture and a significant tourist attraction.

Its been a number of years since I last visited ACMI and recently I wandered in for a look. The current exhibition “screen worlds” is an interactive display incorporating gaming, television, the internet and the emergence of the digital age. This exhibition attempts to show how each form of the moving image is actually a creative medium. A particular favourite piece in the exhibition was the Atari 2600 from 1977 – I wasted many hours of my youth with this machine playing Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Frogger etc. Also on exhibition was a replica of the Interceptor from Mad Max fame – unfortunately the original vehicle is not part of the collection as it resides in the “Cars of the Stars” motor museum in England.

 

Next stop was to check out Daniel Crooks “Phantom Ride”. Phantom rides were a genre of film that was popular in Britain and the United States in the early 1900’s. These short films showed the progress of a moving vehicle by mounting a camera to the front. Trains were often a popular vehicle for this piece of cinema. Daniel Crooks is a Melbourne based artist who was commissioned to create a piece for ACMI. The result is an incredible short piece of film which takes the viewer on a phantom ride featuring disused country railways, abandoned urban train tracks, tram tracks and maintenance depots throughout Victoria and New South Wales.

ACMI has so much for everyone regardless of age. Running from 26 May – 18 September 2016 ACMI presents “Scorsese” allowing visitors to explore influences, key collaborators and muses that have defined his career. Scorsese has been one of the most influential filmmakers in recent history. ACMI is the only place in Australia that you will see this exhibition, if you are a fan this will be one exhibition well worth getting along to.

ACMI is not pretentious and is you will find something that interests you and is a good place to while away a few hours.

More Info: www.acmi.net.au

Where: ACMI is located at Federation Square, Melbourne ( Flinders St entrance)

Entry is free and the galleries are open 10am – 5pm (Closed Christmas Day)