Location: Federation Square, Melbourne VIC 3000
Venue style: Museum and cinema complex · rotating exhibitions on screen culture · free and ticketed
History
ACMI opened in 2002 at Federation Square with a mission to explore the art, culture and technology of the moving image. After a major $40 million redevelopment completed in 2021, it now offers reimagined galleries, a cinematheque, archive and education programmes.
Visitor notes
ACMI combines gallery exhibitions with a cinema — book screenings in advance and check exhibition opening hours.
Making the most of a visit to ACMI
The heart of ACMI for many visitors is its permanent exhibition, The Story of the Moving Image, which traces screen culture from early optical toys and silent film through television, animation, video games and online video. It is free to enter, which makes it an easy addition to a day in the city centre, and it rewards a slow wander rather than a quick dash. Interactive stations let you experiment with things like stop-motion and sound, so allow more time than you might expect if you are visiting with children or anyone who likes to tinker.
A useful detail: ACMI hands out a small device called the Lens at the entrance. Tapping it against objects as you move through the galleries saves them to a personal collection you can look at later online. It is a handy way to note films, games or artists you want to follow up without taking photos of every label.
Exhibitions, screenings and the cinemas
Alongside the free galleries, ACMI runs ticketed major exhibitions that change through the year, often built around a filmmaker, a franchise or a broader theme in screen culture. Its cinemas screen retrospectives, festival programmes, restorations and new releases that rarely appear in multiplexes. Popular sessions and exhibition time slots can sell out, so check the official ACMI website for current programmes and book ahead where you can.
Fitting it into a day out
ACMI sits on Flinders Street, directly opposite Flinders Street Station, so it is simple to reach by train or tram. Federation Square also has the Ian Potter Centre (NGV Australia) next door, and the city's laneway network begins just across the road, with Degraves Street and Centre Place a short walk north. A rainy-day loop of ACMI, a laneway coffee and a gallery or two works well; our laneways guide has ideas for the walk, and the wider Places section covers other venues nearby.
ACMI also has a shop stocked with film books and design objects, plus a café and bar on site, making it a comfortable spot to pause between sessions.