Month: March 2016

Spanish Film Festival

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The Spanish Film Festival is fast approaching and this year’s program will bring a wealth of emotions with dramas, romances, thrillers and major box-office hit comedies from across Spain. (We also have 10 double passes to give away – see below!) The festival will open with the sequel to last year’s opener and box office smash Spanish Affair 2, adding more laughs and new twists to the relationship saga. Audiences enjoying the opening night film and party will find out what made the sequel – which again teams director Emilio Martínez Lázaro and with stars Clara Lago and Dani Rovira – the highest-grossing film of 2015 at Spanish theatres. Other highlights include: Closing Night Event: Embrace of the Serpent Surrender to a breathtaking cinematic odyssey through the Amazon on Closing Night with drink in hand and Ciro Guerra’s multi awardwinning, Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent. The film follows the quests of two European explorers in search of a rare flower alleged to have healing properties – not to be missed on the big screen. Nothing …

Art Party for Teens

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The NGV International are throwing a special under 18’s Art Party these school holidays! After last year’s success, this year’s event will once again  be filled with  music, a silent disco, food, fashion, art-making  workshops plus exclusive access to the popular  Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei  exhibition. Entertainment will come from Melbourne chanteuse Ella Thompson, who will take to the stage in the Great Hall, performing songs from her highly-praised debut solo album Janus, released in 2015. Thompson fronts the band Dorsal Fins and is half of the electronic duo GL, in addition to her solo work. Music blog Purple Sneakers has called her, “one of the most exciting acts in Australia at the moment”. Acclaimed local artist Esther Olsson, known for her vibrant abstract paintings incorporating hip-hop iconography and everyday objects,  will be leading the art workshops, where teens will be able to add and interact with a series of colourful artworks created especially for Art Party.   Guests can also enjoy a contemporary dance performance by Left Leg Studio, a boutique training studio specialising in …

Eleanor’s Story: An American Girl in Hitler’s Germany (Review)

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Going into this show, we wondered how heavy the content would be as the storyline centered entirely around a young German / American girl and her traumatic experience in Hitler’s Germany, during World War II. We needn’t have worried.  Before the performance began, a gentleman came out and addressed the audience… “despite the serious nature of this piece, it’s important to know that some parts will, in fact be lighthearted in nature – and we encourage you to laugh, it’s actually ok.” This announcement set the tone perfectly for what we found to be an entertaining, fast-paced and emotional account of the true story of Eleanor Ramrath Garner between the age of 9 to 16, when her family, filled with promises of a more secure future, packed up and left America for Berlin in 1939. No sooner than they had boarded their ship – than war was declared and they were trapped in Germany – thus setting the tone for this incredible tale of strength, survival, and optimism during one of the most harrowing times …

Jurassic World Exhibition

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Go back in time to when dinosaurs still ruled the land at the Jurassic World Exhibition. The exhibition will immerse audiences of all ages in scenes inspired by the giant blockbuster, Jurassic World.  The world premiere event will open on 19 March 2016 and runs for a limited time only, before travelling on to the rest of the world. “Created in close collaboration with renowned paleontologist Jack Horner, the Exhibition is infused with interactive educational elements—drawn from the real-world science of dinosaur DNA that allowed Jurassic World to come to life. Visitors of all ages can now learn all about these incredible prehistoric creatures.” Whether you’re a T-rex lover, or more  of a Jurassic World geek, there’s something for everyone! Purchase a VIP pass and travel to Isla Nublar as a VIP guest and explore Jurassic World. Come face-to-face with a Pachyrhinosaurus; visit The Hammond Creation Lab; stare in wonder at a towering Brachiosaurus; get a rare up-close look at the most vicious dinosaur of them all, Tyrannosaurus rex; and learn all about top-secret projects …

The F-Word

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Celebrating International Women’s Day in true form, The F-word kicked off with a panel of inspiring high-profile feminist: Jane Gilmore – editor of Women’s Agenda, Melba Marginson – Executive Director of the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition, Clementine Ford – a freelance writer, broadcaster and public speaker, well-known for her public opinion pieces on feminism, pop culture and social issues, and actor / writer Tammy Anderson. Each woman represented a distinctly different take on what their view of feminism was, which resonated with much of audience on an individual level and the Q&A that followed allowed us to gain a little deeper insight into the mind of these proud, passionate women. The show was a sell-out, Howler – a great location for this panel / performance was packed to the rafters with about 95% ladies – with a few supportive men dotted throughout. At the conclusion of the panel session, Melbourne Playback Theatre took centre stage for their improvisational piece – performed by an entirely female ensemble of actors and musicians for a powerful out of the box piece …

Doggy Drive-In

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Don’t want to leave your dog home alone again?  This weekend Village Cinemas Australia and the RSPCA Victoria are partnering together at the Drive-in so you’ll never have to leave your best friend at home again! This weekend eekend, Coburg Cinemas are launching their Doggy Drive-In. Bring along your pooches and watch  an advance screening of Disney’s Zootopia! The Coburg Doggy Drive-In will give guests more than just a regular day with plenty of activities to keep every family member occupied. There will be competitions for the pups, as well as raffles and door prizes, while the RSPCA will provide educational services including vets, a dog groomer and information on pet adoption.  Cuddle up to your pooch at the Drive-Ins!  When: Sunday, March 13 Where: Coburg Drive-In Visit the website here.

A Bigger Splash

A Bigger Splash – Giveaway

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A Bigger Splash is about to make waves in Melbourne cinemas this March and we have five double passes to give away! (Enter below) From the same director of the Academy Award® nominated I Am Love, A Bigger Splash is a stylish provocative thriller filmed on location in the gorgeous Mediterranean island of Pantelleria. The story follows rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) who is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) arrives with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson) and interrupts their holiday, bringing with him an A-bomb blast of nostalgia from which there can be no rescue. A Bigger Splash is a sensuous portrait of desire, jealousy and rock and roll, under the Mediterranean sun. As an exclusive for We Know Melbourne readers we have 10 double passes (valued at $40) to give away to this sensuous thriller. To enter, tell us where is A Bigger Splash set? This competition is now closed.  Terms & Conditions here  

505 Wine Room

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505 Wine Room officially opened on Tuesday and it’s the perfect destination for an early bite or a late supper. Housed in the historic ‘Bush Inn’ building, the designer space is inviting and modern, with exposed industrial beams and bespoke steel work and juxtaposing colour scheme included indigo and aqua. Patrons can choose to either sit in the main bar downstairs with casual high tops or cafe style tables, or if you want something more intimate or private there’s also the plush and decadent cocktail lounge upstairs. The menu is sure to make you drool with  a range of delicious options including Tuna Ceviche, local Snapper with zucchini, fragile, leads and pine nuts, Slow Cooked Lam Shoulder and Violet Crumble Honeycomb with Chocolate Aeros and ice cream. Making it easy to choose which wine to choose with each dish, each menu item is mapped out by what wine suits. Where: 505 Malvern Road, Toorak  When: Open  7 days a week from 12pm until late; Happy hour is of course at 5:05pm, for 55 minutes and offers $5 wines …

Melbourne Comedy Festival

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The Melbourne Comedy Festival is celebrating it’s 30 birthday this year and they’re throwing one giant big bash to celebrate. From its humble beginnings with 56 shows across 33 venues, the Melbourne Comedy Festival has become one of the biggest in the world. This year the festival will put another cracking program along with some special events to recognize this very special milestone. 30th Birthday Bash – Gala Raise your glasses to 30 years of rip-snorting laughter and belly aches at the 30th Birthday Bash. The line up so far: Tommy Little and Cal Wilson will host Eddie Perfect, Rich Hall, Greg Fleet, The Umbilical Brothers, Wendy Harmer, Luke McGregor, Gerry Connolly, Nina Conti, Rod Quantock, Rachel Berger and Simon Munnery , wth more names to come. The Big Fat (30th Birthday) Comedy Quiz Think you’re the queen bee or king of comedy trivia? Take part in the big fat comedy quiz and battle it out for the crown. Play as an individual or play as a team but there can be only one super-fan to outwit them …

Table of Eight

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Featuring some of Melbourne’s most impressive performers, Lion Heart Dance Company will be making its debut with a contemporary dance work “Table of Eight”. Under the direction of Benjamin Curé (So You Think You Can Dance Australia, The Scarlet Trace) this is an exciting addition to the Melbourne dance scene. Curé is passionate about creating “Art that moves the heart”. Table of Eight weaves the tale of a tight-knit circle of friends that begins to unravel after the untimely death of a member. It is a narrative designed to start conversations, about grief, connection and modern communication. Curé deeply believes “Art has a profound capacity to make people engage with things on an emotional level.” When: 10 March – 12 March Where: Chapel Off Chapel Visit the website here.