GOMA lights the way with its latest Australian Cinematheque program
GOMA has revealed Perceptions of Light as its latest Australian Cinematheque program – and it’s shaping up as a standout for the season. Screening alongside the gallery’s groundbreaking exhibition Olafur Eliasson: Presence from January 9 to April 26, the curated series of free films explores the many ways filmmakers use light to shape meaning, emotion and narrative.
The Olafur Eliasson: Presence exhibition, which is currently taking over GOMA’s ground floor, sees the Icelandic-Danish artist captivate audiences through an expansive, multi-sensory exploration of perception. The new Perceptions of Light cinema program explores similar themes in film form, showcasing how light can shape emotions in movie scenes, make symbolic statements and direct the eye across the frame – from a match lighting up a darkened room to dappled light streaming through the forest canopy.
Curated to capture the very best of light-focussed storytelling, the cinema program is presented across four themes. Into the Realm of Shadows draws on German Expressionism and Film Noir, while Chasing the Sun focuses on stories shot in stark daylight – from the sun-bleached salt mines in Venezuelan film Araya (1959) to iconic surfing films.
The Liminal Space of Twilight and Dappled Light sits between day and night, showcasing films that use atmospheric scenes like golden sunsets to drive storytelling, while Painting with Light turns its focus to films that engage directly with light as a subject – from Gaslight (1944) where a woman is driven to madness by her husband’s manipulation of their house lighting, to Australian film Swords of Silence (2025), which was shot using only the light of the full moon.
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“Light is essential to cinema, it’s one of the key items in the filmmaker’s toolkit,” said GOMA’s Australian Cinémathèque associate curator, Rosie Hays.
“This is an opportunity to explore some of the visually arresting films that harness this cinematic quality.”
The Perceptions of Light program runs until Sunday April 26, and admission is free.
Visit the GOMA website to view the full Australian Cinematheque program.