MELBOURNE: The first Grand Slam of the annual tennis calendar, the Australian Open (AO) will launch yet another first in 2019 with the inaugural AO Sports Film Festival. Throughout the entire two weeks of the tournament, tennis fans can mix up their tennis action with a daily dose of blockbusters, documentaries and all-time sports films from around the world.
More than 50 films, covering a whopping 23 sports, will screen across three locations – The AO Ballpark (Emirates Family Sanctuary), AO Tennis Club at Birrarung Marr and The Glasshouse.
One of the movies The Glasshouse will screen is the Hindi film ‘Dangal’, starring veteran actor Aamir Khan. It depicted the true story of former wrestler, Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters who went on to win accolades for India in the sport.
The 2016-released Dangal ended up not just being the highest grossing Indian film ever but also won accolades in countries such as Australia, where it gained popularity by winning the ‘Best Film’ award at the 2017 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards.
Other famous Hollywood movies to be shown include Bend It Like Beckham, which was directed by Gurinder Sharma and starred another Indian actor, Anupam Kher. Both the films touched upon the issue of Indian women successfully taking up sport, defying all odds set by the society.
While children will be entertained with the likes of Cool Runnings, Kung Fu Panda and Space Jam, adults will get to watch real-life stories and documentaries of legends such as Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe from tennis, motorcycle champion Wayne Gardiner and Olympic aerial skiing champion Lydia Lassila.
“We are delighted to launch the inaugural AO Sports Film Festival, another Grand Slam first, in January 2019.” AO CRO Richard Heaselgrave said.
“The Australian Open is the biggest sports and entertainment event in the world in January and we are always seeking to push the boundaries of what’s expected at a sporting event. We know our fans love the food and entertainment at the AO, and introducing film into the mix promises to add yet another exciting element to our event.”
The AO Sports Film Festival has been made accessible via an Australian Open ground pass worth $49 per adult and $5 per child.
