Sixty Questions on Starting and Running a Film Society

Because bringing people together to see a film provides a benefit their community wouldn’t otherwise have:

• Affordability — watching films as a group without paying commercial cinema prices.
• Choice — independent, foreign or non-mainstream films that a local commercial cinema won’t screen.
• Connections and community — bringing people together socially, especially where they might otherwise be isolated.
• Promoting film culture — bringing world cinema, film history and debate to a local audience.
• Availability — many societies operate in small or remote towns hours from the nearest cinema.
• Atmosphere — a warm, friendly environment where every member feels welcome.
• A family activity — something the whole family can enjoy together.
• Simply loving film, and wanting the chance to share it.

No. If forming a society isn’t the right fit for your circumstances, there are other options: the Roadshow Blanket & Co-Curricular Licence (around $360/year, aimed at caravan parks, buses, retail and waiting rooms); the Big Studio Movie Licence (for religious institutions and aged care/retirement facilities, covering Disney, Sony, Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox and Roadshow titles); or a one-off commercial screening licence from a distributor if you want to charge the public — typically a minimum guarantee of $250–$275 against 30–35% of ticket sales, whichever is greater. See our Where to Get Films page for distributor contacts.

No — many groups call themselves a film club or film group, and name themselves after their town, their umbrella organisation, or a favourite film.

Not unless you want one, though we recommend it — a constitution is a statement of aims and rules the members agree to follow, and it’s a prerequisite if you ever want to become an incorporated association. Most state fair trading departments (e.g. NSW Department of Fair Trading) supply a model constitution to adapt.

No, you can function as a film society without incorporating. Incorporation gives your group its own legal identity separate from individual committee members — worth investigating via your state’s business registration body (e.g. ASIC) once you’ve grown past the very early stage.

Yes. A not-for-profit doesn’t operate for the personal gain of particular people, though it can still make a surplus — as long as that surplus goes back into the organisation’s purpose (new equipment, another member service, or a reserve for future problems).

Not unless your income exceeds $150,000 a year. If you do want one, apply via the Australian Business Register — describe your entity as a “Company” / “Other Unincorporated Entity”, your main activity as “Film” / “Film Distribution”, and the reason as being a new business in Australia.

No, but it’s worth checking the benefits of registering with a body like the ACNC to see if any apply to you.

No. Screening a film anywhere outside your own home requires screening permission from the Australian distributor responsible for that title, regardless of whether you charge admission. Registered film societies are eligible for a significant discount off the commercial rate because they run not-for-profit, non-theatrical screenings that don’t compete with cinemas — see our Screening Rights & Copyright page.

Not realistically — a committee shares the workload, sustains morale and brings more than one point of view to decisions. It’s also an AFSF membership requirement that every society has at least five committee members.

Start with a working group to get the society off the ground and agree on initial aims — formal roles can come later. A typical committee (roles can be combined, or filled by non-committee volunteers) includes:

• President — plans, leads and directs; allocates and follows up tasks.
• Secretary — correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes.
• Treasurer — financial management and the annual report.
• Membership Secretary — maintains the member register.
• Booking Officer — manages bookings with film distributors.
• Publicity Officer — lets people know what’s screening and when.
• Front of House Officer — checks membership and sells new memberships.
• Projectionist — runs the equipment; train more than one person.

Whatever you, your committee and your audience want — ideally with six to twelve months of screenings planned and booked ahead of launch. Think about what audiences can’t already see locally, what your society’s aim is, offer variety across genres/decades/countries, and balance audience comfort with a bit of adventurous programming. Keep a reserve title or two in case a first choice falls through, and open the year with an attention-grabber.

There’s no single right answer — give members a voice (a suggestion box helps), but don’t feel bound to follow every suggestion if a title turns out to be impractical to source or license. Many societies land on a two-tier system: members suggest, the programming team decides.

Yes — societies must comply with Australia’s film classification system: General, Parental Guidance, Mature (15+), Mature Accompanied, and Restricted (18+). See classification.gov.au for full detail.

Agree ground rules in advance for how films get chosen — some societies alternate an unknown title with a crowd-pleaser, or guarantee an Australian film every year. Before the meeting: gather member suggestions, research titles (IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes), check running time and classification, confirm you can actually get a copy, identify which distributor holds the rights and what it will cost, and make sure the film hasn’t screened locally too recently.

A program listing the next 3, 6 or 12 months lets members plan ahead. Two programming meetings a year — each covering six months — is a common, reasonable cadence.

Three main sources in Australia: the National Film and Sound Archive’s Non-Theatrical Lending Collection, Australian film distributors (see our Where to Get Films page for contacts and current rates), or overseas distributors — though these rarely offer a film-society discount and can be expensive.

Once you’re an AFSF member, tell the distributor you’re a registered film society — they can check our database directly, and can contact us if there’s any doubt. They’ll typically have you open an account and will invoice you as the screening date approaches. Start the booking process early: not every film is available, or with the distributor you expect.

Contact the Federation first — we resolve the large majority of issues through mediation. As a last resort, the Film Exhibition and Distribution Code Administration Committee (FEDAC) administers a formal industry code for resolving disputes.

Local halls, community centres, schools, libraries, local cinemas, clubs, museums, galleries, churches and theatres are all common choices. Cultural institutions often have under-used, well-equipped cinema spaces worth investigating. Weigh existing equipment, seating, and hire cost — some venues offer free use in exchange for a culturally valuable program; others charge, which can be one of a society’s biggest costs.

A workable venue needs:

• Projection, sound and screen equipment (or room to bring your own).
• Reliable blackout.
• The right size and shape for both projection distance and audience capacity.
• Reasonable soundproofing from outside noise.
• Comfortable seating — audiences sit for around two hours.
• Accessible aisles, exits and toilets for people with disabilities.
• Adjustable heating or air conditioning.
• Space for catering (tea, coffee, popcorn, or more).
• Fire exits, toilets and convenient parking.
• Compliance with local regulations for gatherings.

Only if your screening is fully isolated from that business’s regular customers, since film societies must screen to members only — not to the public, and not as a promotional drawcard for the venue’s other trade. The Australian Copyright Council takes a firm line on this; see our Screening Rights & Copyright page.

No — venues must be enclosed. Australian distributors treat an outdoor screening as a public screening rather than a film society screening, which is why an enclosed, members-only space is one of the Federation’s five affiliation criteria.

You don’t need it to function as a society, and many venues already carry cover that extends to you — but some venues will insist on your own. The Federation currently recommends Dansurance, around $280/year for $10 million cover (rates vary slightly by state due to stamp duty), with a $10 introductory discount for AFSF member societies.

At minimum: a DVD/Blu-ray player, a sound system, a projector and a screen — many venues already have some or all of this. A professional projectionist can be hired instead for roughly $300–$400 a screening, though that adds up over a season.

A region-free Blu-ray player ($40–$600, reliable brands include Sony, Panasonic and LG) covers both DVDs and higher-definition Blu-rays. Digital projectors now range from around $100 to $6,000 (professional installation adds ~$3,500); Epson, Panasonic and BenQ are reliable brands — look for at least 1920×1080 resolution, correct aspect-ratio support, and enough brightness (lumens) for your room size. Screens commonly run 3–4.3 metres (measured diagonally), typically 16:9, and cost $1,000–$2,300 installed. Cheaper alternatives: a flat-latex-painted wall (specialist screen paint runs $200–$300 per 0.94L) or, on a very tight budget, a plain white sheet.

The throw ratio determines how far your projector needs to sit from the screen for the image to fill it correctly — too far and the image overshoots the screen, too close and it undersizes it. The formula is Image Width × Throw Ratio = Distance from Screen (e.g. a 2.6m-wide screen with a 1.3 throw ratio needs the projector 3.38m away). Several free online calculators can do this for you.

For most societies, two speakers and a simple stereo amplifier ($450–$700) is the easiest option to set up and pack down each screening. A 5.1 surround amplifier runs $480–$1,020, and a full AV receiver (5–13 channels plus HDMI video) $470–$900. Stereo or 3-speaker (LCR) setups cost $200–$800; a full 5.1 speaker set $200–$1,000.

Fold-out chairs cost $10–$60 each — comfort matters over a two-hour sitting, and cushions help. As a rough guide, minimum viewing distance is 1.5 × screen size. Blackout blinds or curtain fabric run from about $12/metre if you need to cover windows from scratch, and it’s worth checking whether your venue allows a permanent install or requires set-up/pack-down every session.

Most commercial cinemas use DCP, but it’s expensive both in equipment and because the film-society discount from Australian distributors generally doesn’t apply to DCP titles — most societies are better served by DVD/Blu-ray or digital file formats instead.

Estimate expenditure and income, work out the cost per screening across your planned year, remember society funds can only be used to further the society’s own aims, and aim for a modest annual surplus to cover new equipment or emergencies.

Membership fees are the main income source for most societies, topped up by refreshment sales, local advertising, council grants, donations or sponsorship. Typical expenditure includes:

• DVD/Blu-ray purchases and screening rights fees.
• Venue hire.
• Printing, advertising and any online presence.
• Federation membership — currently $50 per year.
• Public liability insurance.
• Equipment depreciation, and a projectionist if you hire one.

You don’t have to charge if you’re fully funded another way, but you must still keep an up-to-date member register. You cannot, however, charge for entry to individual screenings at the door — that includes a “gold coin donation”, which counts as the same thing.

No, not-for-profit groups don’t need to register for GST unless annual turnover exceeds $150,000 — see the ATO’s guidance on GST concessions for not-for-profits.

Several low-cost options now exist for taking tap/NFC payments from a phone: Square (a $65 reader plus 1.6% processing, or Tap to Pay on a compatible phone with no hardware needed), Trybooking Box Office (sells memberships as “tickets”, 2.5% processing plus a small ticket fee), and Live Tap (Android only currently, 1.4–1.65% per transaction, requires an ABN). Direct bank deposit remains a no-fee fallback if none of these suit your society.

Advertise widely for a “come and try” free first screening that’s typical of what you’ll show, ideally with a guest speaker. Give yourself plenty of time to secure screening permission and test your copy before announcing the title. On the night:

• Welcome people warmly, formally and informally.
• Hold a brief AGM before the film.
• Explain the society’s aims, film types and planned activities.
• Announce membership fees and present the first 6–12 month program.
• Ask for committee volunteers and vote on positions.
• Sign up members on the spot, and build your membership list and contact details.
• Issue membership cards showing start and end dates.

Offer membership periods covering at least three screenings — 3, 6 and 12 months are the most common lengths (membership is for a time period, not a set number of screenings). Letting existing members bring a guest (commonly capped at three guests a year, three visits each) is a good, low-friction way to convert new members. Keep a mailing list of everyone who’s ever been a member, and always make it easy to unsubscribe.

Base scheduling on venue and committee availability, when your target audience is actually free, and what else is competing for their evening. Refreshments — tea, coffee and biscuits through to a full supper — help create the relaxed, social atmosphere that’s central to the film society experience, and selling them can help fund the society too.

Yes, but the Federation’s discount is conditional on screenings being non-theatrical and for members only — so publicity should read along the lines of “exclusively to members and guests”, “memberships available at screenings” and “new members always welcome”, stating membership fees rather than implying door-sale tickets.

Word of mouth remains the most effective, cheapest form of promotion. A regular program listing upcoming films helps members plan ahead — give yourself enough lead time between booking films and publicising them. Beyond that: brochures at libraries, theatres and arts centres; posters in local venues; local radio and papers; an annual calendar; and social media to build and inform your membership base.

Yes to both — a basic website is more achievable than it sounds (Wix, Squarespace and WordPress are all reasonable starting points), and a Facebook Page or Group is a quick, free way to share screening details and engage members. Short-form video and Stories tend to get more reach than static photo posts on most platforms today.

The AFSF website has strong domain trust and gets solid search traffic, so we give every member society an entry with your details and a link to your own website, Facebook page, or whatever online presence you have — helping your own SEO as well as visibility. We also encourage members to link back to us with text such as “We are members of the Australian Film Societies Federation.”

Get in touch directly — that’s exactly what we’re here for.