Janet de Kretser

01 June 2023 – The legend of Country and Western music, Willie Nelson, celebrated his milestone 90th birthday with a star-studded, two-day concert event. This historic concert took place on 29 and 30 April 2023, before a sold-out crowd at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. It was also recorded live for a limited theatrical release, Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, which will be screened exclusively in select Ster-Kinekor cinemas, with four shows only, between 10 and 16 June. The film features a selection of the most memorable moments and unforgettable collaborations from the two-day concert event. These include once-in-a-lifetime performances by the legend himself, Willie Nelson, Keith Richards, Snoop Dogg, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Dave Matthews, Neil Young, The Lumineers, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Billy Strings and many more. The Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90 concert film will be screened at the following Ster-Kinekor cinemas: Garden Route, George; Somerset, Somerset West; V&A Waterfront, Cape Town; Gateway Commercial, Umhlanga; Ilanga, Mbombela; Rustenburg, North West; Rosebank Nouveau, Johannesburg; and The Grove in Tshwane/Pretoria. The four screenings take place on 10 June at 17:00; 11 June at 14:30; 13 June at 12:30 and 16 June at 14:30 (subject to change at some sites, depending on loadshedding schedule). The two-hour-plus limited release film will give fans the opportunity to re-live or experience for the first time this epic event described by USA Today as “headed for the concert history books.” Honouring the legacy of this 12-time Grammy Award-winner, the scene at the Hollywood Bowl transcended genres, with Associated Press remarking “The parade of partners illustrated one of the night’s themes: Willie brings people together”. "Demand to attend this historic concert event was unprecedented. Willie wanted to make sure his 90th birthday party included and was accessible …

12 May 2023 – If you’re having that kind of a week, and the weekend can’t come quickly enough, Ster-Kinekor and DJ Fresh have the perfect pick-me-up. Join them for ‘ActionWeekends@SK’, where you can catch some of the hottest action films releasing over the next few weeks at select cinemas. The ‘ActionWeekends@SK’ campaign is happening in collaboration with DJ Fresh on his popular weekly podcast “WAW!!/What A Week”. Every Friday, a new episode of the WAW podcast drops, and DJ Fresh and one of his special guests, be it a comedian, actor or muso, will check out the trailer of the new action film releasing that week, to give you the lowdown on all the thrills and spills. The WAW podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple. Released on 05 May, Assassin (05 May) takes centre stage this week with die-hard action actor Bruce Willis starring together with our own homegrown Nomzamo Mbatha, and Dominic Purcell. The film follows the action when a man dies as part of an experimental military programme, and a former black-ops soldier takes his place to find out who killed him. This Friday, 12 May, it’s Ben Affleck’s time to turn up the heat on the Action Weekend platform, with the release of Hypnotic. He plays a detective investigating a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government programme – keep your eyes on the screen so you don’t miss a beat. Only the biggest screens in the country can do justice to the action film releasing on 19 May. It’s the one the petrol heads have been waiting for, and now it’s in the starting blocks with engines revving! Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the release of Fast & Furious 10 in Ster-Kinekor’s IMAX cinemas. They’re back, faster and more furious than before – and this adrenalin-fuelled, fast-paced action movie is a must-watch on the IMAX screen. In the 10th instalment, Dom Toretto and his family are targeted by the vengeful son of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes. Kandahar, releasing on 26 May, …

03 May 2023 – A couple of crazed killers on the run, some prisoners involved in money laundering, an anti-hero disguised as a joker and a superhero fighting crime and corruption. These could be today’s news headlines, or the movie plots from some classic films. Following the success of the first month of ‘Throwback Thursdays’ at Ster-Kinekor cinemas, the country’s leading cinema chain has lined up some all-time greats for the month of May. And, with the ticket price at R50, this is your chance to rediscover some iconic movie blasts from the past, or perhaps watch them for the first time. Heading the Throwback Thursdays May line-up is the 1994 Oliver Stone movie Natural Born Killers (18VL), starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. In this graphic, action-packed thriller, two victims of traumatised childhoods become lovers and psychopathic serial murderers, irresponsibly glorified by the mass media. The film will be screened at select Ster-Kinekor cinemas on Thursday, 04 May. The following week, 11 May, sees the return of another 1994 classic, The Shawshank Redemption. Starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, the film follows two convicts who, over the course of several decades in prison, form a special bond, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion. Nominated for seven Oscars, this movie is certainly one for the ages. The incredible Oscar-winning performance by Joaquin Phoenix can be re-lived when The Joker is screened on Thursday, 18 May. Also starring Robert de Niro, this classic crime drama follows the rise of Arthur Fleck, from aspiring stand-up comedian and pariah to Gotham's clown prince and leader of the revolution. Rounding off Throwback Thursdays for May is a superhero adventure of a different kind, with Gotham City still in our sights. The screening of Batman Begins on 25 May follows Christian Bale as Batman who, after training with his mentor, begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from …

Good things come in threes, the saying goes. For young creatives, Bernice Mosala and Raphael Kuppasamy from agency Joe Public Johannesburg, never have truer words been spoken. Having won the Ster-Kinekor Cannes Young Lions competition in 2020, but with travel plans scuppered when Covid cancelled out the Cannes International Festival of Creativity that year, their dream has been answered this year. This week, their entry into the 2023 Cannes Young Lions – Film Category competition for South Africa, sponsored by Cannes official local representative Ster-Kinekor, was judged the winner. So, this year they will find themselves at the world’s most prestigious celebration of creativity in Cannes, France in June. “Winning this competition means so much to us. To be honest, we’re still in disbelief. And, after not being able to attend the last in-person event when we won in 2020, this means even more to us,” said the duo. “We have been creative partners since 2019, and we’ve been entering the Cannes Young Lions competition together since 2020, so we’ve really learnt to play on each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” The Young Lions competition gives the next generation of industry creatives the chance to prove themselves under immense pressure, answering a charity brief to produce an advert in just 48 hours, from brief to finished product, with the theme: ‘Teen suicide shouldn’t be a secret’. Lynne Wylie, Chief Marketing Officer of Ster-Kinekor, says the more than 80 entries received were of a high standard in response to the brief. “We are privileged to represent the Cannes Festival locally and sponsor the Young Lions competition. We partnered with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) and the theme focused on the prevention of teenage suicide. “While this is a sensitive topic, we were so impressed with how the teams tackled the brief. Selecting the final winner from the shortlisted entries proved to be a difficult task for the panel of …

Who doesn’t love watching a classic movie again in the way the director made it to be seen – on the big screen? With the launch of Ster-Kinekor’s ‘Throwback Thursdays’ campaign, now you can – with a ticket price to match. The country’s leading cinema chain is bringing back two classic, favourite movie titles every Thursday, at all its cinemas countrywide. At just R50 a ticket, ‘Throwback Thursdays’ gives movie lovers the opportunity to relive some iconic movie scenes on the silver screen. “People who love movies love reliving those great movie moments on the big screen,” says Lynne Wylie, chief marketing officer of Ster-Kinekor. “This campaign allows us to bring back some of those unforgettable movies for our customers to enjoy at an affordable ticket price. We’ve had a wonderful time going through the catalogues to select the films, and we are sure everyone who books a ticket for a ‘Throwback Thursdays’ movie will have a similar experience while watching it. “Two different movies will be screened each Thursday. Titles that are more kid- and family-friendly will be screened during the morning and early afternoon slots, while films targeting adults and couples will play during the late afternoon and evening times, at every one of our sites across South Africa,” comments Wylie. The Throwback Thursdays movie line-up to look out for in April includes Happy Feet (2006), screening in the morning on 06 April, to get those feet tapping, and the timeless classic Casablanca (1942) with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, screening in the evening on 06 April. Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) with the charismatic Gene Wilder in the title role, and Risky Business (1983) are lined up for your entertainment on 13 April. The fun continues with Space Jam (1996) and When Harry Met Sally (1989) with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal (and the famous line: “I’ll have what she’s having….”!) on 20 April. The following week, on 27 April, fans of the …