St George Openair Cinema Announces Full Program

Its first online trailer having been released earlier this month, Tracks, starring Mia Wasikowska, has been announced as the opener for St George Openair Cinema 2014. It's based on the epic true story of adventurer and memoirist Robyn Davidson, who walked solo from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean in the late '70s, becoming an accidental celebrity in the process. Given that the film's official release is set for March 6, the Friday, January 10, screening at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair is reason for serious excitement.

The dynamic program features another 14 premieres and previews. One of the major drawcards is bound to be Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, scheduled to screen on Thursday, January 30, which tells the late, great leader's story, based on his autobiography, with Idris Elba starring as Mandela and Naomie Harris as his wife, Winnie.

On the other hand, Thursday, January 16, will see the telling of a true story of quite a different kind, when a preview of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street screens. The film recounts the tale of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), who spent his twenties bathing in luxury after founding successful firm Stratton Oakmont, before spiralling into corruption, power lust and drugs. Then there’s Jean-Marc Vallee’s Dallas Buyers Club, another real-to-life work, portraying the promiscuous, homophobic Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), whose attitudes change dramatically when he’s diagnosed with AIDS and told he has only 30 days to live. It’s screening on Friday, January 24.

If Tracks leaves you craving another dose of Wasikowska, then catch her on Sunday, January 19, in Only Lovers Left Alive. In a vampire story directed by Jim Jarmusch (Mystery Train, Coffee and Cigarettes), she plays a wild younger sister who brings chaos into the world of her older sibling, Eve (Tilda Swinton), a super-cool vampire who’s been living a debauched yet blissful existence with her devoted rock guitarist boyfriend (Tom Hiddleston) for hundreds of years.

While we’re discussing unconventional romances, Spike Jonze’s (Being John Malkovich, Where the Wild Things Are) funny, futuristic Her promises a few surprises. It depicts the story of a sensitive writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with a female voice (Scarlett Johansson) via an advanced operating system. And if you've ever wanted to see Woody Allen act as a pimp, then John Turturro's Fading Gigolo has you covered.

European cinema gets a look in, with the spectacular Italian film The Great Beauty, one of the most acclaimed works on this year’s Cannes program. Disillusioned journalist, Jep (Toni Servillo), whose dreams of becoming a novelist remain unfulfilled, spends his nights partying aimlessly with Rome’s elites, until an unexpected event alters his perspective. Plus, there’s a couple of French romantic comedies: Regis Roinsard’s ‘50s-style directorial debut, Populaire about a champion typist (Deborah Francois) who inspires her charismatic boss’s (Romain Duris) competitive streak, and Cedric Kaplisch’s Chinese Puzzle, which visits both France and New York while exploring the complications of sperm donation.

If action and drama are more your bag, there’s Jason Reitman’s Labor Day, Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime (based on Elmore Leonard’s novel of the same name) and J.C. Chandor’s All Is Lost, starring Robert Redford.

St George Open Air Cinema runs from Friday, January 10, to Saturday, February 15. Tickets go on sale from 9am on December 17, 2013. They're known to sell out fast, so don't dally with your selections.