This one is incredibly special to me for many reasons.

My friend Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd has officially relaunched the Art Gallery of NSW Cinema as the Sydney Cinémathèque, and I’ve been lucky to have a little insight into it over a couple coffees together. What I learnt and know is how much care and labour she’s poured into this. You can feel Ruby’s rigour, generosity, and belief in cinema as a living, communal practice in every part of this launch. The work she’s done not only to bring the Cinémathèque into being, but to nurture film culture in Sydney more broadly, is genuinely extraordinary. It’s such a privilege to be part of this inaugural moment and its programming.

As part of the launch, Ruby has curated a major retrospective of hometown cinema, putting Sydney back on the map. From Kings Cross to Campbelltown and everywhere in between.

Billal (1996) directed by Tom Zubrycki is one of the most vital works in Australian documentary cinema. Filmed over 15 months, it’s an intimate portrait of Lebanese-Australian family life in south-west Sydney. After 16-year-old Billal Eter is critically injured in a racist attack outside his Macquarie Fields home, Tom and producer Alissar Gazal form a close bond with the Eter family as they navigate recovery, love, grief, and the long road to justice.

For over 45 years, Zubrycki has documented anti-colonial struggles, resistance to gentrification, and histories overlooked by mainstream media. Billal stands among his finest films and was one of the first Australian works to foreground Arab-Australian voices on their own terms. As David Stratton wrote, it transforms tragedy into a “profoundly moving exploration of a family’s struggle to survive.”

The screening is on Sunday April 26th at 2pm, and after the film, I’ll be part of a Q&A with Tom, Alissar, and members of the Eter family. Tickets are available via the Art Gallery of NSW website.

I hope to see you there and at as many Sydney Cinémathèque screenings as possible. Help support the incredible work Ruby has accomplished and the future she’s building for cinema in this city.