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St George OpenAir cinema 2009 kicks off

[Press Release by Nix Co]

St George OpenAir Cinema is delighted to announce its 2009 Season, kicking off on 12th January with the Australian premiere of Milk. Directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn in a role tipped as an Oscar favourite, Milk is based on the true story of Harvey Milk, a man who set out to change the world and succeeded before paying the ultimate price.

A premier summer event in Sydney every year, St George OpenAir Cinema is a unique outdoor cinema experience situated in a stunning harbour setting at Mrs Macquaries Point. The 2009 season runs from 12th January to 21st February, with the full program available to the general public from December 13th at www.stgeorge.com.au/openair.

The 2009 program has been extended to run for 38 nights featuring 16 premiere or preview screenings as well as a dozen new year releases, and the cream of 2008’s arthouse crop. For the first time audiences will also have a second chance to see their favourite 3 films from the program with nights reserved for Audience Selection on the 11th, 12th and 13th February.

Combining the allure of film with postcard views, St George OpenAir Cinema has established a position as one of Sydney’s most sought after summer tickets. Each night the gates open at 6.15pm allowing plenty of time before the film to enjoy the wide variety of food and wine available at the al fresco dining area. Then, as dusk falls over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, audiences relax back in their chairs to enjoy a fabulous film on the giant 350 square metre screen, dramatically rising from the harbour and standing 3 stories high to ensure everyone has the best view in the house.

Sydney’s hottest summer movie ticket goes on sale on 18th December – last year 20,000 tickets were sold in the first hour and 34 films were sold out within a week, so it is advised to book tickets early to avoid disappointment.

Season highlights

Following on from Milk are two political dramas about former US presidents; a preview screening of Oliver Stone’s W, a chronicle on the life and presidency of George W Bush, and Frost / Nixon, directed by Ron Howard, a dramatic retelling of the post Watergate scandal interview between the disgraced former president Richard Nixon and British talk show host David Frost.

Intrigue abounds in two hot previews; The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, an edge of the seat action thriller that follows two agents on a chase around the globe, and The Brother’s Bloom which has Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo teaming up as the best con men in the world, who meet their biggest challenge yet in a beautiful and eccentric
heiress, played by Rachel Weisz.

OpenAir will be stepping back to the 1920’s with previews from very different slices of life; Clint Eastwood’s, Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie as the distraught mother trying to find the truth about the identity of her child, and Stephen Elliott’s remake of the Noel Coward comedy Easy Virtue starring Jessica Biel, Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth.

In February, Open Air will be providing the perfect spot for the perfect date, with the preview of the star packed comedy He’s Just Not That Into You and romantic comedy Marley & Me. On Valentine’s Day men can impress the girlfriend by taking her to see what she really wants, Bride Wars, starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson.

Other highlights for the season include the critically acclaimed Bottle Shock, starring Alan Rickman, the Anne Hathaway black comedy / drama Rachel Getting Married, and Flash of Genius, starring Greg Kinnear. There’s the adaptation of the best-selling book The Secret Life of Bees starring Dakota Fanning, historical thriller Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise and based on the true life plot to assassinate Hitler, and Tenderness, directed by John Polson and starring Russell Crowe and Laura
Dern.

Closing night is the preview of Last Chance Harvey, starring Academy Award winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in a romantic comedy about first loves, last chances and everything in between.

Tickets go on sale from 9am on 18th December via the event website www.stgeorge.com.au/openair or Ticketmaster on 131 600 and are priced general Admission $24 / Concession $22 plus booking fee.

Full program and event information is available online at www.stgeorge.com.au/openair from 13th December.