Step right up! The Anglesea Movie Club’s 2026 season begins

THE Anglesea Memorial Hall was transformed into a big top on Friday last week as the Anglesea Movie Club started its 2026 season.

The year’s first screening featured The Greatest Showman.

President of the club, Evelyn Wuchatsch, said the monthly movie nights, which run between February and November, are about more than the film.

 

“We’re providing an experience. It’s not just come to the movies, it’s an evening out. It’s a whole experience,” she said.

“It’s just an absolute buzz because I think people are just a bit gobsmacked that the hall has been transformed into this wonderful space.”

After each movie night, the audience is asked to rate the film out of five stars. The results are sent to the Federation of Victorian Film Societies (FVFS) for other clubs to reference.

Wuchatsch said these ratings assists the club’s program selection process.

Comedies often rate higher among their viewers, she added, with 1996 American comedy film, The Birdcage, holding a record 4.8 stars.

 

On Friday, The Greatest Showman was given an average of four stars by the audience.

It was selected as the first film of the year because it provided a great opportunity to dress up the hall.

Wuchatsch said the event served as a tribute to the hall, which many years ago was a place people would come and watch films.

The night also included screenings of the two winning films from the Anglesea Shorts Film Festival.

The Anglesea Movie Club was established in 2021 because people were keen for a reason to get out of the house after COVID.

 

“Our whole purpose at the start was to… get that community back together,” Wuchatsch said.

After the club’s first year, an internal survey found people most enjoyed the social interaction it provided.

Now one of the largest movie clubs in Victoria, the club was recently asked to present at a FVFS information day.

With membership proving popular, bookings are essential for the movie nights, a full list of which can be found on the Anglesea Community House website at anglesea.org.au