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National Film and Sound Archive of AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive

Grey Gardens

A mother and daughter perform their lives inside a decaying mansion.
Arc Cinema
7:00PM
$18 Full / $15 Concession (+ $1.50 booking fee)
09 April, 2026
Grey Gardens 09 April, 2026

1975 | DCP | USA | D: Albert & David Maysles, Muffie Mayer, Ellen Hovde  


Filmed inside a crumbling East Hampton estate in New York, Grey Gardens observes the lives of a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale. The two reclusive, upper-class women are the aunty and first cousin of former US First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.  

The camera captures a fragile balance between intimacy and performance as “Big Edie” and “Little Edie” sing, argue and reminisce their way around their dilapidated home. The film redefines documentary portraiture, proving both mesmerising and unsettling and revealing how identity can be shaped through storytelling.  

‘An extraordinary study of how people invent themselves in front of a camera.’  
- Pauline Kael, The New Yorker

Arc Cinema
We are situated in the heart of Canberra on McCoy Circuit, Acton, between the shores of Lake Burley Griffin and the grounds of the Australian National University. Just a 10-minute walk from the city and state bus interchanges.
1 McCoy Circuit, Acton, ACT 2601

Film Details

Year
1975
Details
DCP 95 mins PG
Director
Albert & David Maysles, Muffie Mayer, Ellen Hovde
Countries
USA

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