Capital Set for a Summer of Outdoor Cinema

Sunset Cinema

Canberra's art deco National Film and Sound Archive and the tranquil Australian National Botanic Gardens are among the venues hosting outdoor cinema events in the national capital this summer.

The Sunset Cinema Canberra screens at the Australian National Botanic Gardens and offers movies to suit all tastes. The season of cinema will kick off with a screening of Diana, and movie goers will also be able to enjoy About Time, Rush, The Great Gatsby and Dirty Dancing.

Assistant director communications and visitor services, Stephen Speer, said he expects the second season of Sunset Cinema Canberra, from 15 November to 21 December, to be even more popular.

'Last year was a wonderful inaugural year with good attendances at each showing,' he said. 'Many people arrived early to enjoy the early evening serenity of the Gardens and relax on Eucalypt Lawn with friends before enjoying the movies.'

Mr Speer said watching movies under the stars on the Garden's lawn is a truly unique experience.

'As day turns into night and you sit back to enjoy the movie, be careful not to be distracted by the stars shining above the tree tops,' he said. 'It is so easy to be mesmerised by the tranquillity of the Eucalypt Lawn and forget you are here to watch a movie.' sunsetcinema.com.au/cinemaThe art deco National Film and Sound Archive courtyard will also host its popular outdoor screenings again this January and February. The cinema program will kick off on 4 January by going back 50 years to look at the year 1964 and some of the great films that came out of it. Saturday nights at sunset, films like My Fair Lady, A Fistful of Dollars, Dr Strangelove, and How I Stopped Worrying and Learnt to Love the Bomb will screen on 35mm prints in the courtyard.

The Archive's outdoor season will also include special screenings as part of its Cult of Arc series and a launch for the re-release of the milestone Australian movie Wrong Side of the Road. www.nfsa.gov.au

Movie Extra Tropfest screens at its new Canberra venue, Exhibition Park in Canberra, on 8 December. It is the largest Tropfest event outside Sydney, complete with live music and entertainment, plenty of great food and licensed areas as well as the screening of the 16 finalist short film entries. www.tropfest.com/au/canberra

Ben & Jerry's Openair Cinemas

Ben & Jerry's Openair Cinemas will also return to Canberra with great food, sunset drinks and live music in addition to films under the stars. In Canberra's Commonwealth Park from 14 February to 8 March, the cinema will offer a stellar line-up of cult classics, new releases, award-winning features, sneak previews and premieres.


There will be a fully licensed bar for film buffs to enjoy, and local gourmet vendors will be serving up an array of tasty cuisine and snacks. Ben & Jerry's Sundae Sessions will return by popular demand each Sunday with live bands and free ice cream for ticketholders. www.openaircinemas.com.au