Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

ACMI occupies a purpose-built venue inside Federation Square in the Melbourne CBD and describes itself as the world's first national museum dedicated to film, television, video games, and digital culture. Its free permanent exhibition, Screen Worlds, traces the story of the moving image from early cinema through Australian television and film history to contemporary video games, combining historic artefacts, costumes, and props with immersive, interactive digital displays that let visitors try green-screen effects, sound design, and animation techniques firsthand. Beyond the permanent galleries, ACMI runs a program of ticketed touring exhibitions covering major film, animation, and gaming franchises, alongside a public cinema screening arthouse, classic, and festival films in its two on-site cinemas. A visit to the free Screen Worlds exhibition alone takes about 60 to 90 minutes given its hands-on activities; adding a ticketed touring exhibition or cinema session extends a visit to two and a half hours or more. The venue is quietest on weekday afternoons outside school holidays and busiest on weekends, when the interactive stations in Screen Worlds can have short waits, and during major touring exhibitions, which draw larger crowds and are best booked for a specific time slot in advance.