BIG SCREEN, BIG TRUTH
Much to the delight of everyone, Top End favourite, the Deckchair Cinema, throws open the gates for another year of films under the stars this month.
WORDS TIERNEY WHITE
HEADER IMAGE NICHOLAS GOULDHURST
THUMB & INSET JOHN PLATT
KICKING OFF THE 2025 program is a very special Opening Night event, with the NT premiere of The Correspondent – a film based on the book and true story of Peter Greste, the award-winning Australian journalist that was jailed in a Cairo prison for covering the Arab Spring uprising in 2013.
Greste is portrayed by Australian actor Richard Roxburgh, and both Greste and Roxburgh are special guests on the night. Greste says having a film made about his experience was something he and his incarcerated Al Jazeera colleagues once made light of.
“I guess it’s something we used to joke about in prison amongst ourselves, as you do, and we knew we were going through a fairly extraordinary experience, but I don’t think we took it seriously,” he says.
“Once I left Egypt, I really didn’t give it a second thought until I wrote the book … the whole point of writing the book was to place our experience in Egypt in context, you know, not just to tell the story of what happened to us in Egypt, but to place it in a bigger historical context, and what I came to regard as the war on journalism itself.”
Greste was a last-minute fill-in for a colleague over the Christmas break, heading to Cairo to cover the story. When arrested, he was faced with bizarre charges, including having filming equipment without a license, and is, to this day, still considered a convicted terrorist in Egypt.
Whilst imprisoned, he wrote a letter to the media which was smuggled out of his cell. This led to a worldwide movement from his peers – many will remember them taping their mouths closed in protest. Only after he was released back to Australia did he come to understand the impact that short letter had beyond his cell walls.
“I don’t think I ever really understood how critical it was until after I got out of prison … there’s a poem called The Arrow and The Song, and briefly goes, ‘I shot an arrow into the air, it fell to Earth, I know not where’ … I wrote [the letter] after speaking to Alaa Abd el-Fattah, who really inspired me, who helped me understand the power of the words from prison but also helped me understand the politics of what we were going through,” he says.
“And once I’d written it, and smuggled it out, I was sort of waiting for some kind of some kind of response and I didn’t see it for a long time until I started seeing so many of my colleagues with the zip-the-lips campaign, and the protests around the world. And it took a long time for me to connect those dots, and speak to some of my journalist colleagues who said that it was that letter that really inspired them to run with the campaign … it basically gave them permission to campaign along similar lines.
“And so, while at the time that I wrote it, I always hoped it would have an impact, I never really appreciated just how big a deal it would become until after I got out and spoke to my friends and colleagues.”
Deckchair Cinema General Manager James Parker says screening the film has been in the works for some time.
“We’re thrilled to open the season with The Correspondent. This powerhouse Australian feature has been on our radar for years, and the timing couldn’t be better, as our opening night aligns perfectly with its pre-release tour,” he says.
“Being a seasonal cinema means we sometimes miss key releases over the holidays, but luck was on our side with this one. Having Richard Roxburgh and Peter Greste at the screening makes it even more special.”
Greste says the film is worthy of viewing for the entertainment value and craft alone.
“One thing I do want to say is I also hope people go to watch just as a really good piece of entertainment, as an engaging, compelling yarn … I really do hope, ultimately, that people do see it as a great work of art, that’s of collaborative art, which is really what filmmaking is all about, with some really, really brilliant artists,” he says.
“Whether it’s the actors, the cast, Kriv [Stenders] the director, Peter Duncan the scriptwriter – fantastic people, all of the creatives that were involved in it, because they’re the ones that have made this story really sing.”
The Correspondent kicks off a very exciting annual program for the iconic cinema, and Parker says they’re set for another stellar year after a record-breaking 2024.
“Aside from this opening night coup, we’re welcoming legends David Wenham and Chris Nyst for Spit, the much-anticipated follow-up to Gettin’ Square. You can also indulge in top-tier European cinema with the Alliance Française French Film Festival, and a mini Italian Film Festival in Program 1.”
If you’re a lover of cinema, now’s the perfect time to lock in your Deckie membership, with discounted tickets, free screenings, and exclusive pre-sales. Parker and the gang are keen to see you settling back into the deckchairs.
“If you've been on the fence in the past, 2025 would be a great year to take out a Darwin Film Society membership … We can’t wait to welcome you back for a sundowner and a movie under the stars.”
The Correspondent – Deckchair Cinema Opening Night
WHEN WED 9 APR | 7PM
AT DECKCHAIR CINEMA
COST $20 | $15 CONC $11 MEMB/CHILD $45 FAM
INFO deckchaircinema.com
