The Townsville Cinema Group Inc is one of the oldest continuously-running film societies in Australia. We’ve been screening quality programs of curated films since 1962.
We’re a membership based organisation of volunteers who love the big screen experience.
We aim to show films that won’t be shown elsewhere in Townsville. Our films are mostly recent arthouse releases, some foreign language films with subtitles and occasionally a classic – but always the best films on offer.
It’s a lot of fun putting on a show each fortnight. So, if you:
… then we’d love to have you join the TCG Management Committee. It’s nice to belong to an organisation that is beloved.
Our current management committee members are:
President - Kate
Treasurer - Jenny
Deputy Treasurer - Alan
Secretary - Angela
Membership Coordinator - Elizabeth
Front of House - Marie
Social Media Coordinator - Tony
Raffle Coordinator - Margaret
Deputy Secretary - Helen
Member - Jemma
In recognition of their more than ten years of wonderful volunteer service to the Townsville Cinema Group, life memberships have been awarded to:
Bruce Gibson-Wilde
Zoltan Szirom
Bill Anderson
Twice a year, our dedicated Film-Selection Subcommittee—made up of both Management Committee representatives and interested Townsville Cinema Group members—meets to map out the next six months of programming.
In preparation, the Programming Coordinator and committee colleagues track emerging titles year-round. They read industry journals, monitor the work of established and up-and-coming directors, attend film festivals interstate and overseas, and subscribe to distributors’ bulletins, ensuring we have an up-to-date view of new releases.
At each selection meeting, members present their recommendations, supported by background on the film’s creative team, festival buzz, critical reception, and audience appeal. After lively discussion, the group votes and prioritises a balanced line-up. We then secure screening rights—often bringing films to Townsville before they are available elsewhere in Australia.
The best way is to become an active member of the management committee. As they say, ‘you’ve gotta be in it to win it’. It’s a very interesting process and we learn a lot about movies and the movie business without even trying.
If you would like to nominate a film for consideration in a less definite way, it’s also possible to suggest a film by filling out the form on this page.
Membership is mandatory under film-society rules. As part of the Australian Council of Film Societies, we cannot sell single-session tickets; the minimum commitment is a three-screening membership.
It grants us special screening privileges. Australian classification regulations let registered film societies show unclassified titles, X18+ films, and overseas releases not yet available here—but only to members. This “members-only” status is how we bring rare and festival-fresh cinema to Townsville.
Your fees keep the lights on. Hiring a high-quality venue and licensing films is expensive, and membership dues are our sole dependable income stream. Every role at TCG is filled by volunteers, so your contribution goes directly to programming and presentation.
Put simply: no membership, no movies—joining TCG protects our unique rights and funds the screenings you love.
If there’s a movie you’d like us to show, let us know!
© 2025 Townsville Cinema Group Inc
ABN 73 638 905 392
The Townsville Cinema Group acknowledge the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, Bindal, Gugu Badhun and Nywaigi peoples as the traditional owners and original story tellers of the land in and around Townsville.
