A Festival of Film under the Stars

FREEBlack Barn OpenAir Cinema – A Festival of Film under the Stars

Hawke’s Bay is gearing up for its 12th OpenAir Cinema season starting on December 27th at Black Barn Vineyards in Havelock North. Doris and Urs Blum, the festival organisers, have again chosen plenty of variety to satisfy a broad range of film appetites.

The festival kicks off with a bang. Helen Mirren stars in Woman In Gold, the moving and powerful real-life story of one woman’s journey to reclaim what was taken from her and to seek justice for what happened to her family.

Music is a popular topic this season: Asif Kapadia provides an insightful portrait of Amy Winehouse. The story of one of modern Britain's defining singer/songwriters is told through interviews with family members, close friends and Amy herself. The filmmakers have also been given access to never-before-seen archival footage.
Then Pink Floyd front-man Roger Waters performs the band's critically acclaimed album The Wall. It details one of the most elaborately staged theatrical productions in music history and is an amazing concert film experience combined with an intensely personal road trip. The final night will host the intense,
Academy Award-winning student-teacher music drama Whiplash tells the story of a young jazz drummer aspiring to make it to the top, but having to go through the brutal tutelage of his ruthless instructor (J.K. Simmons in his Oscar-winning performance).

A regular season highlight, the NZ Mountain Film Festival, returns to the amphitheatre with another Black Barn selection of 'the best of the best' sport and adventure short movies.
After the huge success of The Budapest Hotel last season, Wes Anderson is also back with his earlier gem: The Royal Tenenbaums. The tagline for the movie says it all: "Family isn't a word ... it's a sentence." In Third Person Oscar-winning writer-director Paul Haggis (Crash) examines three interlocking love stories involving three couples in three cities. This is a contemporary romance serving as a “Crash” course in complex modern relationships featuring the stellar cast of Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Olivia Wilde, Adrien Brody, and Kim Basinger.

Not to be missed are two of the best road movies of recent times. The crazy and fast paced German action-comedy Not My Day is genuinely funny and includes great music; as well as Mad Max: Fury Road. George Miller, originator of the post-apocalyptic genre and mastermind behind the legendary “Mad Max” franchise is back - and this time with CGI at his disposal that enabled him to shoot the movie he always wanted to!

The season will run over nine nights from December 27th to 30th and from January 2nd to 6th.

“We have selected the programme carefully to offer a wide variety”, says Doris Blum. “Each film is a gem of its genre. Hawke’s Bay is climatically perfectly suited for movies under the stars. The past seasons have been extremely successful. Everybody loves the experience of watching movies on a big screen nestled in the picturesque vineyard setting of the amphitheatre”, Urs Blum states. "It has great acoustics, good sight lines, the best of technology installed and it offers views to die for, especially at dusk."

Moviegoers can relax on grassed terraces, sip a glass of wine with friends, enjoy a nibble from the onsite caterers or bring their own picnic, and watch the sun set over Hawke’s Bay. It is the ultimate outdoor experience: great films, great technology, great sound, great food, and great company under the stars.

Admission:
Gift tickets: valid for any movie (ideal Christmas presents, only available until December 24)
General tickets: Adult $19 (pre-sales) $20 (gate) / Child (5-12 yrs): $10

The full programme, trailers, the print-your-own-ticket facility (ticket fee) as well as movie and venue details are available on the Black Barn website (www.blackbarn.com). Other selected ticketing outlets are:

• Havelock North: Black Barn Vineyards, Black Barn Road, 877 79 85
• Havelock North: Dobsons Photo & Camera, Cnr Te Mata Rd / Columba Way, 877 89 89
• Hastings: Dobsons Photo & Camera, 318 Heretaunga St West, 878 54 24
• Napier: Dobsons Photo & Camera, 19 Dickens St, Napier, 835 94 30

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