A special gala screening in Sydney of new Australian film Holding The Man is set to help raise money to end HIV transmission in NSW.
The exclusive pre-release screening of the highly anticipated film will take place at the Ritz cinema in Randwick on Wednesday 12 August and will be a fundraiser for ACON.
The gala screening follows the sold out world premiere of the film at the Sydney Film Festival in June and will precede the general release of the film in cinemas nationally on August 27.
Guests at the gala screening can choose to just see the film ($30) or to also mingle with the stars of the film and enjoy delicious wines, beers and canapes at an exclusive after party in the bar and balcony of the historic art deco building ($55). All guests will get a popcorn, ice cream or drink plus they’ll each receive a 2-for-1 pass to Bingay, ACON’s hilarious monthly bingo night at The Shift Club in Darlinghurst.
The film is a wonderfully moving love story set in the early years of Australia’s HIV crisis, and is based on the much loved memoir of Timothy Conigrave who worked as a health promotion officer at ACON in the early 1990s, developing HIV prevention campaigns and providing HIV education and support for young gay men.
ACON has teamed up with the producers and distributor of Holding The Man to become an official community partner of the production to honour Tim’s work as a community health advocate and to help promote the film’s message of acceptance and inclusion of LGBTI people and people with HIV.
ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill says the event will be a special evening for Sydney’s LGBTI and HIV positive community. “Holding The Man is one of our community’s most cherished love stories, and it provides a compelling personal insight into the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS during the early years of the epidemic. It’s a beautifully sad, surprisingly funny and ultimately uplifting film with great performances and a terrific soundtrack.
“For all these reasons, we know there’ll be massive interest in this film from within and beyond our community and so we’re extremely grateful to the producers and distributor of the film as well as the Ritz cinema, Queer Screen and our media partner SX magazine for allowing us to present this very special gala fundraiser for our HIV prevention and HIV support services.
“There’s only limited seating available for this event so I encourage anyone who’s interested in attending to purchase tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.”
WHAT: Holding The Man ACON Gala
WHEN: Wednesday 12 August 2015, 6 – 8:30pm
WHERE: Ritz Cinema, 45 St Paul’s St, Randwick, Sydney
COST
Film + Party: $55 (inc. film + popcorn/ice cream/drink + after party (with wines, beers and canapes) + 2-for-1 Bingay pass)
Film Only: $30 (inc. film + popcorn/ice cream/drink + 2-for-1 Bingay pass)
BOOKING: www.acon.org.au/HTMgala
*LGBTI = lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex
Media Enquiries:
Andrew Hamadanian, ACON Media & Communication Officer
E: ahamadanian@acon.org.au T: (02) 9206 2044 M: 0419 555 768