ALMOST FAMOUS, AMELIE and More Set for QV Melbourne's New Outdoor Cinema, Jan-Feb 2016

Melbourne's beloved laneway style precinct, QV Melbourne, is thrilled to announce the January-February summer program for their new outdoor cinema in the QV Square.

The deckchair cinema is perched on the astroturf outside the Queen Victoria Women's Centre on Thursday to Sunday nights until 28 February. Tickets are on sale now via www.qvcinema.com.au.

The January to February program kicks off after New Years Day with rock 'n' roll flick Almost Famous on Saturday 2 January and cult favourite French film Amélie on Sunday 3 January.

Melbourne filmmaker and film programmer Gus Berger has curated the season of themed screenings, including Aussie Flicks around Australia Day, a Music Movie Week and a Melbourne Independent Film Focus in February. The rest of the season includes cult classics, 80s favourites and special event screenings.

"We're pretty thrilled to report QV Cinema has already been a huge hit with audiences, with most sessions selling out. We were overwhelmed by interest in our bring-your-dog Best in Show screening and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet with the pre film performance from the Australian Shakespeare Company. We're predicting our January and February program to be even bigger," says Gus, who revived and programmed the George Revival Cinema, and runs the roving Blow Up Cinema.

Aussie Flicks to celebrate Australia Day (21-24 January) offers a line up of Aussie icons with Muriel's Wedding, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and The Castle. The screening of Red Dog on Thursday 21 February is the icing on the pavlova, with audiences once again invited to bring their dogs to the movies! All proceeds from ticket sales to go to The Lost Dogs' Home.

The Music Movie Week runs from 4-7 February with the story of Amy Winehouse in her own words, Amy, Searching for Sugar Man, the Beach Boys biopic Love & Mercy and the multi award winning hit Whiplash.

A not to be missed event screening is on 19 February with cult Irish film The Commitments programmed, with complimentary pre film cocktails from Dublin's Teeling Whiskey.

The Melbourne Independent Film Focus on 25 and 26 February features the best of Melbourne made short films by Made in Melbourne Film Festival and the best of RMIT student and alumni films.

A surprise screening is programmed for closing night on Sunday 28 February. Audiences can expect something special!

Film lovers can wander down Artemis or Red Cape Lane to the open-air courtyard for intimate screenings of QV Outdoor Cinema's eclectic variety of films. Grab a wrap from Schnitz, a Movenpick ice cream or a dark hot chocolate from Max Brenner and lounge back in an intimate 80-seat deckchair cinema nestled in the heart of the 'city within the city'.

Worlds apart from other retail precincts in Melbourne, QV represents the quintessential Melbourne lifestyle. Intimate laneways in the urban precinct give visitors the freedom to wander and discover the eclectic mix of shops, cafes and restaurants at their own pace. Located on the corner of Lonsdale and Swanston Streets, QV has something for everyone with boutiques, enlightening entertainment and cosmopolitan bars and restaurants.

Gus Berger - QV Outdoor Cinema Curator - Gus Berger is a local filmmaker and festival director who runs some of Melbourne's most loved film events. Red Hot Shorts has been showcasing some of the world's best short films and music videos and has been based at ACMI since 2009. Gus started out running a record shop in the Degraves St subway called Rising Sounds following a stint in the UK.

He returned to the UK, worked in music licensing and for the documentary organisation, DocHouse. During his time in London, Gus directed and produced a feature length documentary, Duke Vin and the Birth of Ska. The film told the inspirational story of sound system pioneer, Duke Vin and others who were instrumental in creating a Jamaican sound in the UK in the late 1950s. The film has screened at numerous festivals around the world.

Gus recently revived an iconic St Kilda theatre - the George Revival Cinema and runs the mobile cinema venture, Blow Up Cinema - an enterprise that pops up and presents great films in great spaces. Gus recently produced and directed a short film, The Eagle, which went on to win best Documentary at the St Kilda Film Festival 2015 - a win that qualifies the film for Oscar nomination.

About QV - Worlds apart from other retail precincts in Melbourne; QV is a city within a city that represents the quintessential Melbourne lifestyle. Intimate laneways in the urban precinct give shoppers the freedom to wander and discover the eclectic mix of shops, cafes and restaurants at their own pace. Located on the corner of Lonsdale and Swanston Streets, QV has something for everyone with boutiques, enlightening entertainment and cosmopolitan bars and restaurants.

QV is the redevelopment of Melbourne's historic Queen Victoria Women's Hospital site. In March 1846 Melbourne's forefathers laid the foundation stone for the Princes Bridge and, as part of the same ceremony, a foundation stone was also laid at the Queen Victoria Women's Hospital (at the time named Melbourne Hospital), making this area of great historical significance. The Queen Victoria Women's Centre, at 210 Lonsdale Street, has remained untouched during the construction of QV, with the precinct working around the historic building to provide a wonderful contrast between old and new. QV's principally open-air, pedestrian-only, laneway network provides a rich cultural link to the site's history, with names carefully chosen to embrace the area's heritage.The QV precinct is a block footprint of Robert Hoddle's original plan of Melbourne.

Images clockwise from top: QV Outdoor Cinema dog friendly screening (21 January); Aussie Flicks around Australia Day with Red Dog on 21 February; The Castle on 24 February; Music Movie Week with Love & Mercy 6 February; Amy on 4 February.

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