The St Kilda Open Air Cinema

A warm night and a cold glass of Savvy B, a picnic with a paramour, and a movie under the stars: the outdoor cinema is one of Melbourne’s quintessential summer experiences. This year ol’ Jack Frost may be refusing to release the city from his arctic grip, but St Kilda Open Air Cinema, which launched on December 9, is already offering us a glimpse of those balmy eves to come and helping to defrost our wintery hearts.

On opening night, Melbourne’s cinephiles braved the unpredictable elements for a screening of Exit Through The Gift Shop, Banksy’s snapshot of the global street art scene. “We had a tiny bit of rain, but everyone was so happy to sit in their ponchos and keep watching,” says Shannon Connellan, St Kilda Open Air’s Marketing Assistant. “Everyone seemed to leave with smiles on their faces.”

“It’s been such a long winter that people just can’t wait to do things outside. I think that there are so many cinemas across Melbourne, and an outdoor cinema creates this extraordinary experience, this element of the spectacular in the everyday”.

With a variety of pop-up cinemas, well, popping up around the city, this search for the spectacular seems to have affected many Melbournians. Situated on the deck of the iconic sea baths, St Kilda Open Air Cinema boasts a backdrop to rival the city’s most breathtaking. Punters can watch the sunset over the bay before taking in the film of their choice.

The outdoor cinema may be a relatively recent phenomenon, but part of its allure seems to reside in a nostalgia for its technological predecessor, the humble drive-in – that paradigm of ‘50s Americana, which allowed patrons to watch Hollywood’s latest and greatest from the comfort of their Cadillac.

While the drive-in may evoke technicolour movie-memories of back-seat teenage lust – furtive hands sneaking beneath chenille blouses – the drive-in’s inventor, Richard Hollingshead, originally envisaged it as an event for the nuclear family. The first drive-in’s slogan was, "the whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are".

These days lil’ Johnny and Jane are more likely left at home with the babysitter, but St Kilda Open Air still captures a little of the drive-in’s original sentiment, with film’s projected on a giant, retro-style television screen. And in the outdoor cinema’s latest incarnation, we get the best of both worlds – the freedom to sprawl out with a bevvy in hand, while still enjoying the communal experience which is so integral to the cinema.

St Kilda Open Air also offers a nightly music program to give audiences that little something extra. “Having the music at the film creates more of an event around the film screening, rather than just showing a movie on a big screen. It makes the whole thing into something a little bit special,” says Connellan.

Featuring some of Melbourne’s best up and coming performers, this year’s program will present a diverse line-up of singer-songwriters and bands, including The Polites, Justin Ossher, Andrew McUtchen, Richard Lipp, Michael Fein, Tom Tuena and Juan Alban. Sets run from 40 minutes to an hour, depending on when the sun sets.

According to Connellan, audiences should keep an ear out for James Sidebottom, who will be one of St Kilda Open Air Cinema’s resident performers. “He played on Friday night and he was spectacular,” she enthuses. “Such a great storyteller!”

Originally hailing from Ballarat, the now Melbourne-based Sidebottom made waves when he ticked off Ian “Dicko” Dickson after his stint on Australian Idol, remarking that winning the show “wasn’t the be all and end all”. This summer he will be bringing his acoustic folk-pop talents to the Sunset Stage for three performances.

The Open Air Cinema was born eight years ago in Bondi, before expanding to Brisbane in 2007 and Melbourne in 2008. Like all good Australian ideas, it started with a few mates sitting around drinking beer. “The whole event started… with our Executive Producer and Managing Director Alex, who started the event quite small, and with a few friends watching outdoor films. It’s escalated into quite a big event,” says Connellan.

This is the third year Open Air Cinema will run in Melbourne, and as opening night proved, Melbourne’s ever-unpredictable weather is always a trial. “I guess our biggest challenge is that we’re always at the mercy of the elements. Whenever it rains, we have to make a big decision of whether or not to keep on… I think that’s our biggest problem, but it’s also our biggest strength, because obviously when it’s good weather, it’s an exceptionally good event in the open air, summer atmosphere.”

In keeping with previous years, St Kilda Open Air’s upcoming film program offers an eclectic mix of old favourites and new flicks. “We’ve got things that are out in the cinema now, things that are already in the video shop, and some classics”.

After kicking off opening night with Exit Through The Gift Shop, St Kilda Open Air will be screening such duly hyped recent releases as Boy – the New Zealand comedy from creators of Eagle Vs Shark and The Flight Of The Conchords, which took out the Grand Jury prize at this year’s Sundance – The Social Network – David Fincher’s razor-sharp take on the history of Facebook – and Winter’s Bone, a riveting Southern-Gothic thriller set in the Ozark mountains.

On New Year’s Day, The Breakfast Club offers a wealth of ‘80s teen heartthrobs to help battle even the most heinous of hangovers. With enough teen angst to fill an auditorium, Molly Ringwald and co promise a healthy dose of nostalgia to usher in the new-year.

January 16’s screening of Jaws should also be particularly memorable – perhaps the perfect film to view by the water’s edge. With one of the most terrifying scores in cinematic history, Steven Spielberg’s oceanic thriller will ensure that a midnight swim is only for the brave.

Other highlights? Connellan recommends Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, the darkest installment yet in J. K. Rowling’s much-loved series. “We’re playing that on Boxing Day, which is really cool because everyone seems to have that tradition when Lord Of The Rings came out for those three years of watching a really epic film on Boxing Day. So I’m really, really excited to see Harry Potter take on that role”.

The second half of the program will be released in first week of January, but for now, Connellan isn’t giving much away. "I can reveal we’ve got an eclectic mix of old and new, some cult classics, and something special for Valentine’s Day".

So grab some mates, pack an emergency poncho and head on down to St Kilda for a little bit of cinema by the sea. Just make sure to leave the booze and glass at home. This event is fully licensed, and strictly no BYO.

Tickets for The St Kilda Open Air Cinema are $20 for adults and $14.90 for concession/students/children aged 6-15 years. Children under six enter for free. Star Class tickets are $35, and include a beanbag, reserved seating & complimentary drink on arrival. For more info, visit the website at stkildaopenair.com.au.