Piccadilly Cinema is set to reopen, enjoy this

Piccadilly ready for recovery

The Piccadilly Cinema in North Adelaide is set to reopen on December 15 after extensive refurbishment work focused on restoring the building’s original art deco features, such as its terrazzo flooring.

The historic cinema first opened in the 1940s and is owned by the family-owned Wallis Cinema group, which says stage one renovations also include a replica of the original sign at the top of the building, the installation of elevators and a new, more open food and beverage area.

“We have worked hard to make The Piccadilly a unique venue, offering a variety of entertainment – ​​mainstream and art house films, retrospectives and event screenings – while making it accessible to all of our guests. “said chief executive Michelle Wallis in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming you back to this majestic building.”

The Piccadilly has been closed for around 18 months, with the reopening timed to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the new Avatar movie, Avatar: The Way of Water.

Somewhere over the rainbow…

Kween Kong will host the Feast Festival 25th Anniversary Gala. Photo: provided

SA’s annual celebration of all things queer kicks off this weekend as the Feast Festival celebrates its 25^e anniversary with an assortment of comedy, music, theatre, visual arts and community events.

Thousands of people will gather for the annual Pride march through the city on Saturday, which will be followed by a carnival opening party in Victoria Square headlined by Australian Eurovision contestant Sheldon Riley , while dancer and drag star Kween Kong – finalist in this year’s series of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down – will host a 25 Party Festival^e Anniversary Gala at the Space Theater at the Adelaide Festival Center on 12 November.

“I am beyond thrilled to be returning home to celebrate such an important event for SA,” Kween said of the gala, which will also feature cabaret artists Libby O’Donovan and Michael Griffiths, comedy duo Jack and Annie and actress-songwriter Leela Varghese. . “[I’m] so excited to be the captain of the fun bus and bring some fabulous and camping to the night.”

Bel Mac Ambassador’s Party.

Review asked one of Feast 2022’s ambassadors, Belinda McKeown (aka Bel Mac), to share some of the other shows she’s most looking forward to during the month-long festival:

The Freddie Mercury Songbook (November 4): Who doesn’t understand the statement “I want to free myself” at some point in their life? Semen, energy and a trip down memory lane – any Queen fan and music lover would be crazy to miss such an awesome show.

The Party Comedy Debate (November 12): Everything is funnier with comedian and debate host Lori Bell. Some of the most opinionated hilarious humans will come together to debate if we’re really all on the same team… hmmm.

Night Nungay (November 19): Always a favorite on the calendar! Dress up and be entertained by some of Australia’s most talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers, ranging from drag kings and queens to dancers, plus a DJ and great vibes.

Lived visibility (November 1-30): Even with a busy schedule, you should take the time to peek into the minds of diverse members of the LGBTIQA+ community as they share their experiences and emotions in an exhibition at U City Art Studio that invoke feelings of familiarity or the unfamiliar. Plus, it’s free !

Patchwork Community Canvas – Immerse yourself in history (November 19): Another great free event, inspired by the Australian AIDS quilt and presented by SAMESH, where you can add your name to a hand-sewn community canvas.

Ask anything from a queer sex worker (November 18): Mind boggling – are you going (to the Mercury Cinema) to hear what they say or are you going to see what people are going to ask? Either way, what a great space to get some insight into this stigmatized industry.

Picnic in the park (November 27): Whether the dog show is your thing, or you want to see the new tattoo parade or soak up the music, Picnic in the Park has something for everyone – like a big hug.

The full 2022 Holiday Party program is online.

Meanwhile, Feast also announced this week that Adam Gardnir has been named the new president of Feast Festival 2023, succeeding Adam Gibbons. Gardnir, a former artist and current head of special events at the University of Adelaide, previously served as a board member of Melbourne’s Midsummer Festival and was director of MELT Festival Brisbane.

It’s a wrap

The Adelaide Film Festival screening of rib spreader.

Adelaide Film Festival 2022 box office revenue is up 56% from the last pre-pandemic festival in 2018, with organizers saying the event’s expansion into multiple venues was ‘a resounding success’ .

Audience attendance was also up 13% from the last AFF in 2020.

Several winners were announced during the closing evening of the festival, with Luku Ngarra – an Aboriginal-funded documentary on the history and culture of Arnhem Land, set primarily on Elcho Island – winning the $5,000 Change Prize. The two winners of the audience award are rib spreader (fiction feature film) and the last girl (feature documentary).

At the Moonlight

The Moonlight Cinema will return to Adelaide Botanical Park from December 1, opening its season with Brothers – the film billed as the first Hollywood studio-backed romantic comedy featuring gay men.

December’s outdoor cinema schedule was announced today and includes new releases such as Whitney Houston’s bio-pic I want to dance with someoneto the blockbusters of the beginning of the year like Top Gun: Maverick and Baz Luhrmann Elvis. There are also a number of retro offerings, including Love in fact, die hard and Alone at home.

radical practice

The Guildhouse Symposium 2022 will see members of South Australia’s arts sector gather at Sauerbier House in Port Noarlunga on November 12 for a day of discussions exploring the theme ‘Radical Practice’.

“We each have our own self-determined rules that guide us, that define our artistic practice and, in turn, our artistic community,” he says, expanding on the theme. “In most artistic practices there is a search for radical change, social, political, environmental, personal.”

Local and interstate artists, including Rayleen Forester, Kate Larsen, Clem Newchurch, Lara Tilbrook and Elyas Alavi, will host panel discussions on topics such as how they built community, working collaboratively and the ethics of artistic creation. Emerging songwriter Tilly Tjala Thomas will also give a live performance.

For more details or to book tickets, visit the Guildhouse website.

Green Room is a regular column for InReview, providing fast-paced news for those interested or involved in South Australian arts and culture.

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