Maybe not as prestigious as Tropfest but with just as much cool, it is worth hitting the annual…read moreBondi Film Festival. Screen at Bondi Pavillion the festival is a showcase of great short films - as long as they are under 15minutes, made in the last 18 months and of course Aussie. The festival is starting to grain real momentum, now in its tenth year. The 2011 festival is held in November and currently is mostly sold out, so hurry up and get your tickets!

Once a year, thousands of people gather from all walks of life, to sit in a park together to watch…read morefilms made by 16 talented filmmakers.... this event is free, its fun and it's called Tropfest. This unique cultural event is the brainchild of John Polson. He created the festival which is now the largest film festival in the world! Basically filmmakers are given a key word which they have to incorporate into a 7 minute film - the top 16 get screened on the night and the filmmakers win awesome prizes and accolades... The films start in the evening and the program runs for about 3 hours... it's super fun and a wonderful way to spend the night.... Now there can be a fifty thousand people in the park - so may I offer a few suggestions to get the most out of the expereince. 1. Get public transport 2, Get there early if you want a good seat 3, Go with friends 4. Bring a picnic blanket 5. Bring clothes for changing weather incl for rain 6. Bring your own food because it's expensive 7. Bring a sense of adventure... Tropfest is one of my favourite times of the year and its a wonderful way to bring people together..... FUN FUN FUN...

As a film maker, I'm not much of a fan of Tropfest, but as a spectator and lover of entertainment,…read morethis is one of those must-go-to events of the year. Heading into its 20th year, the event has now spread to the US, Asia and the Middle East, having started as a one short-film showing in the Tropicana Café in Darlinghurst. It now attracts around 150,000 to The Domain in the middle of February (next years festival will take place over 3 days, but the main showing takes place on the Sunday), so be sure to get there early to make sure you can get yourself a decent patch of grass. It's free to enter and if you get there early enough you'll also get to see the Mobile Screenfest and Junior Tropfest entries. The films have to be under 7 minutes long, so if you've got a poor concentration span, you should be ok with these. The 16 films are shown over around 3 hours, so it's a full evenings entertainment.

Chauvel Cinema offers a different perspective on traditional mainstream cinemas such as Event or…read moreHoyts. Chauvel Cinema attempts to brings it patrons back in time to an era where cinema was something we did only on special occasions. The cinema offers patrons wine and beers as opposed to large cokes. Their combo deal is popcorn and a beer or coffee with a slice of panettone cake. The lounge area is decorated beautifully complete with vintage movie posters and memories from the cinematic ghosts of the past. The cinema foyer is indeed beautiful, complete with gorgeous ceiling lighting. The cinema is in the historic Paddington Town Hall building and locals petitioned to keep this building open when it temporarily shut its door a few years back. The cinema has two rooms. They aren't as big as the other cinemas but if your after something different this is the place to go. They offer more arty films so think films that would be show at film festivals such as Cannes or Sundance.

The beloved Chauvel Cinema has lived in the former Paddington Town Hall ballroom since 1977. When…read moreit closed its doors in 2005, passionate cinema and independent cinema supporters bombarded council with pleas to rescue this bastion of Australian cinema. Just 7 months later the Chauvel reopened to a passion equivalent to if it had been closed for years. The Chauvel remains an important part of our cultural landscape, with the foyer refurbished innovatively using recycled toilet pipes as chandeliers (I like to think they are not literally recycled but remnants or off-cuts!) and a fabulous programme of new arthouse releases, film festivals, and cult cinema nights. They sometimes throw a band on in the foyer if its in keeping with the film that's screening. Grab a drink at the bar and sit on the balcony if you can get a spot, and thank the Palace cinema chain for restoring the Chauvel to its' former glory.

10/10 they really have this locked in! I got tickets weeks before coming to Australia and it was…read moreamazing. If you come early they give away free coupons for ice cream and miscellaneous things from the sponsors. Food and drinks came out quick and from where you are they'll bring you your food. The weather was gorgeous when I went and I even caught the sunset. When I come back to Sidney I'll for sure try and catch this again. Definitely worth the go if you're here at the right part of the year to catch it!

I've been coming here now for the last 10 years and it has yet to disappoint. St George Open Air…read morecinema is THE summer event everyone wants in on !! With the Sydney Harbour as the backdrop, the screen rising up out of the water, THIS is what you want in an outdoor cinema. It's electric, its majestic, its Sydney in all is glory. The film schedule is released early December and presales (for St George banking customers) commence then. You'll want at least 1 person in your crew to be a customer to get a hold of these tickets on day 1 of presales otherwise, you may miss out .. and you just don't want that disappointment in your life. When you arrive on the night, make sure you get there before 6pm to line up cause you'll want to be one of the first few hundred through the gates to reserve some good seats - do not fret though, there are 2000 seats available for everyones viewing pleasure. Reserve your seats, find a table and start the pre-show drinks and feed. The food and drink here is of exceptional quality - it seems every year it just gets a little more fancy than previous years. I still get chills when the screen starts to lift and that soundtrack comes on signalling the start of the movie !! Just get here.

I LOVE Collaroy Cinema, a venue that represents a time where going to the movies wasn't the same in…read moreevery suburb of every city of every county of the Western World. For me, it also represents an idyllic childhood on Sydney's Northern Beaches - school excursions, teenage outings and babysitting ventures have all taken place here. The beautiful blue building opposite Collaroy Beach is a bit faded and could do with a good lick of paint; but that's its charm. It's not another generified cinema complex, but an original thinker. The movies played here are also a bit original - more Australian films, indie flicks and independant pieces of cinema feature here than Hollywood, that's for sure. If you're harking for something different in the world of cinema, you can't look beyond Collaroy Cinema

Went to the earliest screening of bohemian rhapsody on a Friday morning. Theater was super clean,…read morestaff were extremely friendly and the movie WAS SO AMAZING!! Love the location of this theater--steps away from the iconic opera house and right by the train station and ferries. Tickets were pricier than I'm used to in the states, but the experience was worth every penny!!

You could easily walk straight past the Dendy Opera Quays. It's tucked back beyond the hustle and…read morebustle on the foreshore, but once you know its there, you may well have found your new favourite cinema. For starters its licensed. And what better way to spend a rainy afternoon or hide away from the hot summer sun than with a glass of wine and a wonderful two hours of cinema? Dendy has your arthouse films covered, but they're also good at showing the more mainstream releases as well as hosting an exciting range of film festivals. The cinemas are relatively small and the seats are snug, but the atmosphere is great. Oh and so are the choctops! Don't forget to try one (you can thank me later!).

Event Cinema Macquarie has a lot to compete with for entertainment considering that the shopping…read morecentre has gotten bowling and laser just across from it and an ice rink down stairs but the cinema has a good offering as well for those shoppers tired after fighting for those last jeans in their size. The cinema has its own cafe located just before the screening hall. The cafe offers a range of beverages from tea and coffee to alcohol. So it makes it convenient to grab a quick bite before entering. The seating for the cafe has a great view onto the ice rink too so that's pretty cool. This cinema offers Gold Class too for those who want to splurge out and get those sexy reclining sofas that go all the way back. The cinema has about 8 screens so you have plenty of movies to choose from throughout the day. The cinema doesn't seem to have any V-max screens which is very surprising considering it's almost a must now to watch the latest blockbuster with surround sound and a huge screen. Overall though nice cinema and perfectly located surrounded by all the food choices that the shopping complex has.

Hot tip - don't run into Event in Macquarie Centre during the zombie apocalypse; it would be a…read moreterrible place to play hide and seek. It's just one big square loop of a corridor with cinemas coming off of it, so inevitably you'll end up with zombies running at you from both sides, or stuck cowering in a corner of a dark cinema as you await your fate. That aside, the Event at Macquarie is pretty ok if you just want to go watch a movie. There's a bar/cafe thing in addition to the usual candy bar, though you have an abundance of cafes and supermarkets to choose from if you want to sneak some cheaper and better coffee and snacks in. The screens are...big (as usual??) and the chairs usually clean enough, though try to avoid losing things down the gap between the seat and the arm rest. It's...just...don't.

Great local cinema that plays lots of independent films that you won't find anywhere else. If you…read morejoin Club Dendy, movies are just $13 anytime and they offer preview screenings of new films before they are released to the general public. The recent refurbishment has made this my favorite local cinema. Good, comfy seats, and nice (if small) screening rooms. And, as an added bonus, the Dendy tends to attract more of a movie-lover crowd, so I don't end up with idiots sitting next to me texting and/or talking throughout the film.

We arrived at Dendy in Newtown a little bit late and bought our tickets from the Candy Bar. We…read moretiptoed through the doors and took a seat up the back in one of their smaller cinemas. The film was 'Blessed' and like all Australian dramas it made you want to slit your wrists. So how do you review a cinema when the mood of the piece that you see there is so heavy that it surely will effect your opinions. The film was depressing, but the cinema was not. If you see a comedy, you're bound to leave with an upbeat attitude thinking, wow this cinema, absolutely hilarious! So let us look at the markable qualities within and try and ignore the child burning, man-slaughtering, sexually abused themes of the film we saw there. The cinema is quite small compared to its blockbuster equivalents. The cinema we watched 'Blessed' in, couldn't have sat more than one hundred and twenty people, this is a plus in my books. Less people, less chance of a phone call, a crumpled chip packet or an older person who assumes the cinema is a pantomime. "Look out behind you Batman! It's Heath!" The tickets are relatively cheap as they do not do 3D and thus do not feel the need to rob you for something so unnecessary as the third dimension. The range of films they get in is always interesting; foreign films, small Australian films and even blockbuster films from time to time. The main issue with Dendy in Newtown is the parking, but that goes for the whole of Newtown. Trains and busses are available or it's a pleasant stroll through a cafe and boutique rich suburb should you decide on walking. Let's be honest, a fresh aired walk is just what you'll need to clear your head of suicidal thoughts after experiencing the latest Australian familial drama.