As a small collection of our venues begin to gear up for 70mm film projection sessions of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (starting this weekend), we want to take a moment to celebrate the undeniable uniqueness of watching a film on film projection.

The medium of film has always been synonymous with cinema, but in the early 2000s, the majority of projectors in Australia were converted to digital, and thus ended the age of easily-accessible physical film prints. The benefits of digital projection simply outweighed the restraints of film projection and made it a smarter choice, but some venues still held onto their film projectors, knowing that the viewing experience was something audiences would seek out, even with the ever-shrinking library of films available.

Film projection suddenly became an exclusive experience, but why would one seek out film projection rather than the digital projection? Film projectors offer an undeniable warmness, depth and texture to the image that digital projection can’t replicate. It’s actually the imperfection of film and the physical medium that gives it an intangible, but noticeable difference – similar to the debate of laserdisc vs. vinyl records.

However, recently there has been more and more film projection sessions for big release films pioneered by big Hollywood names like Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese who have insisted the necessity for keeping the medium, and cinema history, thriving.

Want to see what the hype is about? Don’t miss our 70mm projected screenings of the sci-fi spectacle Tenet, at The Chauvel Cinema & Palace James St!