A beach-side cinema. Only in Australia (and only in the dry season).
An opening programme of the sunset. A cast of supporting stars sparkling overhead. A score of gently breaking surf to your left. You have to admit that Darwin's take on the immersive cinematic experience is pure Oz genius. Darwin's Deckchair Cinema, nestled on the harbour between its Parliament, Court and Government House, opened in 1994 – and has been sold out ever since. It's run by the Darwin Film Club. They provide the projectors, the films and the deckchairs, while local food vendors provide refreshments and cool Aussie lager.It's all a very Australian solution to the problem of hot humid nights, and the need for cultural enlightenment in far-flung Darwin. The first cinema-under-the-stars opened here way back in the 1920s. Its open-air approach was as much a down to the rudimentary facilities, back in those days, as it was a need to feel close to the stars. But being open air made it a favourite of the local Aborigines.They came here in their hundreds, and preferred to be at the front, to be close as possible to the action (especially for the Westerns) – though some wonder whether there wasn't a subtle segregation going on. That early open-air cinema, The Star, later gained balconies, and became partly roofed – and then Cyclone Tracy came to visit in 1974, and blew the whole lot away. But Darwin couldn't long resist the pleasures of deckchair cinema. So today's revamped Deckchair Cinema is no fad – it has a long heritage to look back to.Now you can pick up a wide range of films during its open season (it doesn't work so well in the rainy season, from November to March). That film season includes many mainstream blockbusters and family films. But the Deckchair Cinema makes a special effort to show independent and Australian films, too, especially at its annual Film Festival in September. So you're likely to get a real Aussie film education, if you come here during your Darwin stay. And if the film isn't to your liking, at least the night-sky above provides an illuminating distraction.
