Grab a bucket of popcorn and head to the movies!
Grab a bucket of popcorn and head to the movies!
We all love ourselves a bit of Netflix, right? Whether it’s getting tucked into a binge-worthy cliff-hanging series or a film of epic proportions, we love immersing ourselves in something to escape our everyday reality for that short moment in time. It’s no secret that the film industry here on the Gold Coast is going gangbusters and without any real sign of slowing down. So isn’t it apt — and exciting — that we have our very own snazzy film festival to get ourselves along to? The Gold Coast Film Festival is perhaps one of the best types of festivals to hit our shores. Just be sure to set your phone to silent!
Not only are there plenty of epic new films being screened throughout the festival, but there are also old favourites and some much-loved annual events to keep us all entertained. Over the last few years, we have seen some famous faces from screen and cinema pop up at these events — who knows; you might spot yourself a Hemsworth (swoon!)!
Set over 12 days from the Monday 12th April — Sunday 25th April, the festival will boast over 100 screenings, parties, panels, pop-up cinemas and more! Here are just four events we recommend you acquire yourself a bucket of popcorn and prepare to walk the red carpet for.
Legally Blonde 20th Anniversary Pink Party
Grab your girl gang and welcome sorority queen Elle Woods back to the screen for the (gasp) 20th anniversary of Legally Blonde. Follow Elle’s journey from queen bee to courthouse bombshell as the spunky freshman defies all stereotypes to rock it at Harvard Law School. Attendees are encouraged to rock their very best freshman fashion – pink is encouraged, obviously. Join the viewing on The Green at QT Gold Coast to delve into pink cocktails and courthouse munchies with your crew.
When: 6pm Saturday 24th April
Where: QT Gold Coast, 7 Staghorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise
Tickets are $35 and include ‘Bend and Schnapps’ cocktail (what a name?!) and a ‘Warner’s Weiner’ hotdog on arrival. Get yourselves tickets now here.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
An absolute classic in its own right, this morning screening is set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic love story. Re-live the romance, elegance and classic scenes from this delightful romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, Manhattan’s elegant socialite. Put on your best dress and imagine you’re strutting the streets of downtown New York as you make your way down Griffith Street in Coolangatta to the cinemas. Often considered Hepburn’s most nuanced performance, this movie is a must if you haven’t seen it.
When: 10am Tuesday 20th April
Where: BCC Cinemas, Level 2, The Strand Shopping Centre, Coolangatta
Tickets are just $8, get yours here.
Sucker for Love — The Art of the Rom-Com
We all enjoy a romantic comedy, right? The perfect couple always somehow are pulled apart, and battle their way with comedic consequences back into each other’s arms — if only real life were that simple? SIGH. Ever wanted to know how writers and filmmakers come up with such scripts? Join the panel of successful filmmakers who will uncover how to make the screen sizzle. From the writing desk to the editing room, discover what it takes to make audiences fall in love with romance. Perfect for those with a budding interest in pursuing a career in the industry, or simply if watching the hunky guy go after his girl is your jam.
When: 5pm — 6pm Saturday 24th April or available to livestream
Where: Theatre 2, Home of the Arts (HOTA), Bundall
Tickets are free, register here.
Burleigh Brewery Cinema
Why not get yourself along to Burleigh Brewery to celebrate homegrown talent while sipping local craft beer? There are two nights of free films starring Aussie favourites on the Brewery’s outdoor screen (first night already sold out!), making it ideal for hanging out with your crew or snuggling up with a loved one. See the Gold Coast’s sweetheart and Oscar-nominee Margot Robbie on Thursday 22nd April in her performance as embattled figure skating champion Tonya Harding in ‘I, Tonya.’
When: Doors open at 6pm, screening starts at 7pm, Thursday 22nd April
Where: Burleigh Brewery, 2 Ern Harley Drive, Burleigh Heads
Tickets are free, but register here to reserve your spot.
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
It’s no secret that the Gold Coast has been a smouldering hotbed of artistic talent and appreciation for a little while now. You don’t have to look far to see impressive murals and art inspired spaces in pretty much every suburb we have.
The highlight is of course the Home of the Arts (HOTA). Formerly the Gold Coast Arts Centre this hub of creativity has seen some vast renovations and improvements over the last few years. Being on the cusp of opening an entirely new gallery building means an exciting period awaits the venue and all those who plan to visit it.
Now, to throw some facts and figures around, the new $60.5 million HOTA Gallery will be the largest public gallery outside a capital city in Australia. Designed by award-winning Melbourne-based architects ARM, the Gallery will include over 2,000m2 of AAA-rated, international standard exhibition space, a dedicated Children’s Gallery, and will be home to the $32 million City Collection, consisting of more than 4,400 artworks (including one of the largest collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in regional Australia).
An impressive building needs an impressive centrepiece and the folks at HOTA have not dropped the ball on this one.
Commissioned Melbourne Art Foundation (MAF) and HOTA, Sri-Lankan born, Sydney-based artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran has created a monumental six-metre-high sculpture which is on display on the lower ground entrance to the Gallery.
Predominantly composed of bronze, Nithiyendran has combined a range of materials including concrete, neon and fiberglass to create a multi-coloured avatar reflecting the vibrancy of the HOTA Gallery building.
Holding a smiling neon companion and standing on a geometric plinth, this is the artist’s largest sculpture to date and his first ambitious work in the public domain.
This significant artwork will welcome visitors inside the new HOTA Gallery with outstretched arms and expressive and commanding tones when the doors open to the public for the very first time on Saturday 8th of May.
“The work gestures to a range of global sources that link to my cultural background and contemporary culture,” said Nithiyendran.
“I hope local and international visitors engage with the work by considering the meanings and significance of idolatry and sculptural monuments in public spaces.”
To celebrate the opening weekend of the Gallery, HOTA will present an eclectic music program on its Outdoor Stage all day on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 May. To further amplify the local flavour, a pop-up market will sell the finest artisan wares by Gold Coast makers, accompanied by pockets of local food and drink. The full program for the opening weekend will be announced next month.
Gold Coasters can get their hands on tickets for the HOTA Gallery opening weekend, simply by signing up via their website to receive a special booking link, which also puts them in with the chance of winning a weekend away! – Sounds good to us!
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
For some time now the budding arts scene on the Gold Coast has been increasingly building and building. And it’s great to see, is it not!?
HOTA is without a doubt the centerpiece of all this artistic activity. And with the soon-to-be-opened HOTA Gallery, things are without a doubt, to be taken up a notch.
So, when we heard the news that the soon to be opened gallery was in fact going to have its very own dedicated rooftop bar, we naturally had to tell all of our informed readers the news.
The Exhibitionist Bar, located in the new HOTA Gallery, will provide an unparalleled venue experience. After all, what other world-class art galleries do you know with a rooftop bar — we’ll wait for an answer!
Doors will open the 8th of May 2021 and in our books, this is set to add a new dimension to the city’s already energetic food and social scene.
Located on Level Five of the Gallery across 233sqm of indoor and outdoor terrace spaces, The Exhibitionist Bar will have completely unhindered panoramic views of the vibrant arts precinct, the always impressive Surfers Paradise skyline, stunning Gold Coast waterways and a western outlook across our enigmatic hinterland. If this isn’t going to be a feast for the eyes, we don’t know what is!
The venue will offer guests a sophisticated tapas-style bar menu with specialty cocktails, an extensive wine list, house-made sodas and local craft beer. Of the morning time, it will be the Gallery’s go-to location for those in need of their caffeine fix.
HOTA‘s Head of Culinary Arts, David Ashford says “The Exhibitionist Bar will deliver a spectacular destination rooftop experience in a bold new venue with enticing views, share style food along with cocktail and champagne offering the showstoppers. Our intention was to create an iconic venue that provides a memorable experience for every visitor”.
Just imagine yourself finishing off an afternoon of swooning over incredible art, sipping a glass of champagne and sharing some tapas, all while watching the sunset over the Gold Coast hinterland.
Aren’t we the cultured and lucky bunch?
LOCATION: HOTA Gallery,135 Bundall Road, Bundall
HOURS: TBA
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
