About

Presented in conjunction with the ‘Wonderstruck’ exhibition (28 Jun – 6 Oct 2025), ‘Spectacles of Wonder’ celebrates cinema's tradition of creating visually spectacular and narratively immersive worlds that elevate everyday scenarios into sophisticated, surreal, and sublime viewing experiences.

With a focus on colour, illusion, and pattern, the selected films delve into the infinite expanses of the imagination, whilst also drawing attention to the everyday wonders of the natural and the human made. From the early theatrical illusions of magician-filmmaker Georges Méliès (A Trip to the Moon 1902) or the lavish dance sequences of Busby Berkeley (Footlight Parade 1933), to the pastel storybook sets of Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums 2001; The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014), and the cardboard-infused fantasies of Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep 2006), this program draws from over a century of filmmaking to showcase cinema's ability to create compelling spectacles of wonder.

Amongst these spectacles are tales of architectural marvels (Columbus 2017), imaginary beasts (Beasts of the Southern Wild 2012), flights of fancy (The White Diamond 2004), enigmatic hotels (Last Year at Marienbad 1961), and miraculous creatures (Every Little Thing 2024). The program also explores varying perspectives on wonder from locations around the world — including Brazil (It Is Night in America 2022), Japan (My Neighbour Totoro 1988), Kenya (Supa Modo 2018), and Australia (Us and the Night 2024) — as told by well-established and emerging directorial voices.

Flowing between the magnificent and the absurd, these films unabashedly embrace the aesthetic potency of the artform, enticing audiences into captivating worlds filled with reverie and splendour.

Program details to be announced soon.

QAGOMA acknowledges the generous assistance of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Canberra; the Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles; and the National Film Archive, Prague in providing materials for this program. Program curated by Victoria Wareham, Australian Cinémathèque.