Sneak peek at what's screening through the Illawarra Film Society in 2023

The not-so-secret society has been running for a decade with a new curator stepping up to the plate this year, ready to shake up the program.

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Former film/television worker and now university academic Jeannine Baker has increased the number of female directors, added more first nations voices as well as short films at the beginning of some screenings.

"I've been a member since it started in 2012 and I have a huge interest in film," she said.

"And in promoting the work of Australian filmmakers, women filmmakers and just also giving locals the opportunity to see all kinds of independent or Art House films and documentaries that we don't often get the opportunity to see."

Notable films the academic is excited for are: Flee, the animated story of a gay Afghan refugee; When the Camera Stopped Rolling, Jane Castle's poignant documentary about her filmmaker mum Lilias Fraser; and a short film Snowy Labour, documenting director Lachlan Sylvestro's grandfather's experience working on the Snowy Hydro scheme.

So far 15 of the 32 films on the program have been released on the society's website, with more to come by the end of the month.

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Only members can attend the Sunday night film screenings, due to exclusivity rights given by film companies.

Antoinette in the Cevennes will kick off the program on Sunday February 12m, 7pm. Memberships are still $90 (for 32 films) and can be purchased via www.ifs.org.au. Movie tickets will not be sold at the door.

We Are Still Here

An anthology of eight First Nations stories from 10 First Nations directors from Australia, New Zealand and Pacific nations.

The tales are told through a series of interwoven short films- made by indigenous filmmakers- that reflect upon both the real and cultural violence inflicted upon the indigenous peoples.

Antoinette in Cevennes

A French romantic comedy following 40-something primary school teacher Antoinette.

She looks forward to a long-planned weekend escape with her married lover Vladimir, the father of one of her pupils. However their plans are upended by his wife's booking of a surprise hiking trip in the picturesque Cévennes mountains in the South of France. Completely unversed in the ways of the wilderness, the spurned Antoinette impulsively decides to follow them, and once paired with an unlikely companion - an obstinate but evidently wise grey donkey named Patrick - discovers much, much more than she bargained for.

Fire of Love

The spectacular true story of a pair of unconventional French scientists with two obsessions - each other, and volcanoes. The Sundance award-winner documents this singular love triangle.

The unconventional duo - geochemist Katia and geologist Maurice Krafft - shot thousands of hours of spectacular and literally red-hot, 16mm footage of spewing lava flows and staggering eruptions before their deaths in a volcanic explosion on Japan's Mount Unzen in 1991.

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