New films
The Babadook (M): When a disturbing storybook turns up at her house, a single mother (Essie Davis) battles her son’s (Noah Wiseman) deep-seated fear of a monster and feels a sinister presence around her.
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Ida (M): In 1960s Poland a novice (Agata Trzebuchowska) in a convent discovers a harrowing family secret. Subtitled.
Son of God (M): The life of Jesus Christ (Diogo Morgado) taken from the History Channel miniseries The Bible.
Sunshine on Leith (PG): Adaptation of the stage musical about the power of home, hearth, family and love featuring the music of The Proclaimers.
X Men: Days of Future Past (M): The story moves between 1980 and 2014 as the X-Men venture back in time to stop the Sentinels from conquering North America and placing mutants into internment camps.
Saturday
Arthurian antics
2pm and 8pm: ANU Interhall Productions presents the musical Spamalot, "lovingly ripped off from'' the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail. ANU Arts Centre, Final performances at 2pm and 8pm. Tickets $30/$20. Bookings: interhallproductions.anu.edu.au
Funny and serious
4.30pm: The Oscar-winning comedy-drama The Apartment (1960, PG) - directed and co-written by Billy Wilder - tells the story of a lowly but ambiitous office worker, C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon), who gets ahead by lending higher-ups the key to his apartment for their extra-marital affairs but has a crisis when he falls in love with Fran (Shirley MacLaine), the mistress of the big boss (Fred MacMurray). Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive. Tickets $10/$8. Bookings (02) 6248 2000.
Dark musical
7.30pm: Canberra playwright Jim McGrath's darkly comic musical, Heart of a Dog, adapted from the novel of the same name by Mikhail Bulgakov, tells the story of a Moscow doctor whose experiment on a stray dog leads to complications. The final performance is at The Street Theatre at 7.30pm. Tickets $39/$29. Bookings: thestreet.org.au
Have a laugh
7.30pm:The lineup of comic talent at this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow features Greg Behrendt, Hannah Gadsby, Tom Ballard, Elbow Skin and Jeff Green as MC. Warning: This show may contain coarse language, sexual references and material that can offend. Not suitable for children, recommended for people aged 15 or older.Canberra Theatre, 7.30pm. Tickets $46.90/$42.90. Bookings: canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Strings attached
8pm: On his first Australian tour in five years, guitarist Martin Taylor will perform works from The Great American Songbook as well as tunes from his latest album with Tommy Emmanuel. The Street Theatre, 8pm. Tickets $39. Bookings: thestreet.org.au
Old friends
8pm: A.R. Gurney's play, Love Letters, about the lifelong friendship between Melissa and Andy as they experience life's ups and downs over five decades, stars real-life couple Hannah Waterman (Eastenders) and Huw Higginson (The Bill). It is on at the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre at 2pm and 8pm. Tickets $55/$50 (all matinee tickets $47). Bookings: theq.net.au
Sunday
More games
2pm: Funny Games USA (2007, MA15+) is Michael Haneke's American remake of his Austrian psychological horror film, reset to New York's Long Island, with a family being terrorised by two young men. Stars Tim Roth, Naomi Watts, Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet. Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive. Tickets $10/$8. Bookings: 6248 2000.
Telling stories
2pm:Jack Manning Bancroft, chief executive officer and founder of Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, presents his talk ''Stories make the difference'' as part of Reconciliation Week at the National Portrait Gallery. He will discuss the power of storytelling while reflecting on his journey and personal experiences. Admission is free.
Witch hunt
2pm: Final performance of Kaleidoscope Productions' The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a drama set during the Salem witch hunts. The Queanbeyan Uniting Church, Rutledge Street, Queanbeyan, 2pm (also on Saturday at 2pm). Tickets $20/$10 at the door. The play is presented in support of Home in Queanbeyan.
Regarding Henry
3pm: Before Bell Shakespeare brings Henry V to Canberra Theatre Centre audiences next month, visit Parliament House for a special panel discussion on this new production. Director Damien Ryan, actor Michael Sheasby (King Henry V) and ANU lecturer Dr Kim Huynh will delve into the inspiration behind this production, the role children play in warfare and how art can be used to explore this topic. Dr Huynh, an expert on child soldiers and forced migration, will bring a real-world perspective to the conversation about the play's themes. Light refreshments will be served following the discussion. Admission is free. Bookings: canberraticketing.com.au
First look
3pm: In First Seen, a public season of works-in-progress at the Street Theatre, are Untold by Raoul Craemer, about a character who discovers he is in a play, and Anthems and Angels by Zsuzsi Soboslay, in which a woman crosses a threshold into a new world. Admission $15 with complimentary drink. Bookings: 62471223 or thestreet.org.au