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A one-day school holiday workshop with Briony Kidd 
1 May 2026 at SoHo Arts in nipaluna/Hobart

Presented by filmmaker, film scholar and festival director Briony Kidd, Stranger Cinema Club celebrates the power and fascination of an enduring but endangered artform. The first Cinema Club event is a one-day school holiday experience exploring foundational texts of American horror cinema. Designed for film fans aged 12 to 18, the day will involve screenings, mini-lectures and group discussions involving creative responses and critical analysis. No prior knowledge is required... but having a lot of knowledge is fine too! Activities will be tailored to the interests and needs of the group. So whether you have never seen a film in black and white or you’re already an aficionado, join your peers to delve deeper. Let's ponder the remarkable and influential qualities of stunning and powerful cinematic stories. Titles to be discussed include: Frankenstein (1931), Cat People (1942), The Seventh Victim (1943), Psycho (1960), Carnival of Souls (1962), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), The Haunting (1963) and Night of the Living Dead (1968). We will be watching excerpts and participants will also be asked to vote for one foundational American horror film to be screened in full the evening of the workshop at 7.30 pm. Attending the evening event is optional but those who do  will help present the film to the public audience.

Event details & tickets

DATE: Friday 1 May 2026

 

TUTOR AND COORDINATOR: Briony Kidd

 

LOCATION: SoHo Arts Back Studio, 6 Washington Street, South Hobart

WORKSHOP: 9 am to 5 pm. Parents who would like to drop off earlier or pick-up a bit later please email to request this. From 8 am and leaving until at least 6 pm possible.  

 

PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS: To book for this event you must:

  • Be aged between 12 and 18 

  • Be interested in cinema  

  • Be okay with watching slightly scary films (the clips shown in class will not exceed a PG rating but get in touch if you want to discuss this point)

  • Be willing to critique or respond to what is discussed and film clips watched in some ways. Note this could be verbally, in written form or even visually. Reflection is essential  but for those not so keen at speaking up in a group context, there will be other options available. 

  • Bring something to write with, eg. a notebook and pen or a laptop if preferred.

  • Bring a packed lunch and anything else you need for the day.

  • Advise of any accessibility needs that you may have prior to the workshop.

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EVENING MYSTERY SCREENING: 7.30 pm on 1 May 2026 (doors open at 7.00 pm).

 

A foundational American horror film will be screened in full for the workshop participants who wish to attend, on Friday 1 May at 7.30 pm. Each workshop ticket includes two tickets for this event so that you can bring along a family member or friend. Mystery screening tickets will go on sale to the public once workshop participant numbers are finalised.

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CINEMA CLUB COST: $100 per person

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  • Please note that there may be scholarship places offered for this opportunity. Register your interest by clicking the button on the right and you will be notified if a free place becomes available. 

  • Please register your interest if you are the parent of a child under 12 who is interested or if you yourself (an adult over 18) would like to attend a similar workshop. It may not be possible to split this workshop into smaller groups to faciliate other ages but if not there is likely to be another offering soon to suit you!

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WORKSHOP BOOKINGS: Click the left button to book with Visa or Mastercard. Or email to request an altepayment option.

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Terms & conditions

  • You will receive confirmation from the payment platform as soon as you book, followed by a ticket/tax receipt in a separate email. Please note this second email is not automated, so be patient. It will arrive within the same day. 

  • Tickets for this workshop are not refundable unless the event is cancelled - or otherwise at the organiser's discretion. 

  • If you are not able to attend you are welcome to transfer your ticket to a friend but please advise of the change ASAP to ensure smooth running of the event.

  • Briony has experience working with young people and teens, including some with complex needs. However, if you are unsure of the suitability of this workshop for your child, please ask questions or seek further clarification. If you prefer to speak over the phone you can request a call back.

Presenter & coordinator bio
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Briony Kidd grew up in Lutruwita/Tasmania and is a graduate of VCA School of Film & Television. Her short gothic melodrama The Room at the Top of the Stairs screened internationally and was licensed by Shudder. Her short thriller Watch Me (written by Claire d'Este) was included in the successful feature film horror anthology Dark Whispers - Volume 1. Briony also works in theatre, including writing and directing Death By Television for the Tasmanian Theatre Company's Associate Artists Program in 2011 and writing the one-act play The Keepsake for Melbourne Fringe in 2018. In 2016 and 2017 she directed three experimental horror radio plays, presented at Dark Mofo by the Radio Gothic Collective. With feature film projects that have been previously funded for development by Screen Australia, Screen Tasmania and VicScreen, Briony is working on a diverse slate of projects with a focus on what she refers to as the ‘intense’ genres (horror, thriller, black comedy and melodrama). 

 

In addition, Briony was the co-founder and director of Stranger With My Face International Film Festival (2012-2017), a celebration of underrepresented perspectives in horror and adjacent genres. The influential event was named one of the world’s 15 best genre fests by Movie Maker Magazine and has been written about in several academic works. She has also set up many workshops and other opportunities for emerging writers and filmmakers over the years, including the Writers’s Cave and The Tasploitation 48-Hour Filmmaking Challenge. She taught screenwriting for Adult Education and co-designed and taught the Writing for Screen unit at the Media School at UTAS for several years. More recently, she has been a tutor for film students at Deakin University and has delivered guest lectures and workshops at the tertiary and secondary school level, as well as taking on a formal mentoring role for student and emerging filmmakers, including for Claremont College, Wide Angle Tasmania and Big Picture. ​Currently, Briony also works as a creativity coach for artists and as an ADHD coach. 

 

Briony is in the process of completing a PhD through Deakin University in which she is investigating the unique cycle of horror films that began with the 1962 cult classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?: the psychobiddy horror film. In 2025 she was invited to present her research at Northumbria University in Newcastle in the UK and in 2026 she will take up other opportunities to share her knowledge in this area —including being commissioned to write chapters for upcoming academic books and preparing commentary tracks for Blu-Ray releases.

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