Mackay’s Alternative Cinema Brings Illuminating Stories

From Around The World To The Big Screen

Film & Arts Mackay is proud to have assisted one of our local filmmakers in their quest to get their story to a wider audience.

Former Mackay local Fergus Gregg’s ROAD TO THE NORTH was screened as part of our Mackay International Film Festival program in 2025 and is now available for free on SBS On Demand. This fascinating documentary journeys through northern Japan, retracing the historic paths of poet Matsuo Basho, master of Haiku, as Gregg marches alongside locals in a vibrant celebration of heritage, culture and community. Catch it free on SBS on Demand: Watch Road to the North | Stream free on SBS On Demand.

Film & Arts Mackay kicks off 2026 with a diverse and thought-provoking program designed to entertain, challenge and connect audiences.

Opening with the hilarious Irish comedy FOUR MOTHERS on 6th February, Film & Arts Mackay is inviting members and film lovers back to Friday nights at the Cook Theatre at CQU in Ooralea for another year of world-class cinema and community connection.

The first three films of the year are:

• Friday, 6th February – FOUR MOTHERS - A novelist on the cusp of success must juggle an imminent book tour and caring for his own mother when he’s unexpectedly saddled with four eccentric, elderly women over one chaotic weekend. Hilarious, relatable and poignant.
• Friday, 6th March – THE STORY OF SOULEYMANE - An undocumented Guinean newcomer navigates life as a Paris food courier while preparing for his asylum interview in a Cannes-winning drama that humanely captures resilience, hope, and survival. Gripping, profound and compassionate. (SCREENING FOLLOWS THE AGM)
• Friday, 10th April – THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE - Set in 1990s Iraq, this Caméra d’Or–winning debut follows a nine-year-old girl and her grandmother on an adventurous, gently comic quest to bake a compulsory birthday cake, capturing everyday life under Saddam Hussein through a child’s hopeful eyes. Compelling, charming and entertaining.

For more information about membership and prices, please visit our website: Film & Arts Mackay or contact us at filmartsmackay@outlook.com.

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