The Blackhearts Club Arrives At MIFF

2016 MIFF

Blackhearts & Sparrows, Melbourne’s favourite wine store, is thrilled to invite you to join them at The Blackhearts Club, the official bar of the 65th Melbourne International Film Festival, located inside the CBD’s iconic Forum Theatre, from Friday 29 July through to Sunday 14 August.

As Melbourne falls under its annual film-filled spell for three magical winter weeks, Blackhearts & Sparrows will transform The Forum Theatre into a drinking, dining and piano bar, conjuring the old world charm of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and a celebration of the era in which the atmospheric, magnificent theatre itself was built.

The building’s grand, otherworldly interior will be filled with decadent foliage and French bistro style tables, all centred around a Steinway & Sons grand piano. Imagine the heady romance of The Ritz or The Stork Club: stately hotel lounges of days gone by, the woozy glamour of speakeasy bars. Decadent indulgence like this doesn’t exist anywhere else in Melbourne: The Blackhearts Club will elevate your MIFF experience to new levels of comfort and pleasure.

In celebration of the fantastic journey upon which the theatre’s architect John Eberson took theatregoers (peering up at faux twinkling Mediterranean skies well before the age of travel) Blackhearts & Sparrows have collaborated with local Yarra Valley wine-makers to produce two ranges of bespoke wine specifically for MIFF. A Caesar’s Garden Pinot Gris celebrates the cerulean atrium of the theatre, and an Eberson’s Shiraz honours the theatre’s maverick architect. The wines will be available at The Blackhearts Club and across all MIFF 2016 venues, and for a limited time at Blackhearts & Sparrows stores across Melbourne.

In addition to the Blackhearts & Sparrows wine selection, patrons will be able to enjoy everything from a Genovese coffee, a Mornington Peninsula Brewery craft beer, or the official MIFF cocktail, a Grey Goose Le Grand Fizz.

To accompany your drink selection, Blackhearts & Sparrows have called upon the talents of Melbourne food heroes D.O.C Gastronomia Italia. Across five locations D.O.C (the quality food standard approval for much Italian produce) has become synonymous with real Italian-style eating, mixing the simplicity of quality ingredients with a contemporary flair. Beautiful, delicious food options will be conveniently packaged to enjoy either inside the bar, or in the cinema with a glass of wine.

Last, but certainly not least, The Blackhearts Club centrepiece, a glorious Steinway & Sons grand piano, will be put to good very use throughout the festival dates. Look forward to daily cocktail hour around the piano, an array of eclectic live performances (which will be announced very shortly) and of course, the annual RRR broadcast live from The Blackhearts Club.

The Blackhearts Club will be an immersive experience that will capture your imagination and give you a central, focused and social destination for all your MIFF needs and beyond. With exceptional eating and drinking options Blackhearts & Sparrows invites you to drink, eat, listen, discuss, argue and dissect your festival viewings to your heart’s content, in an evocative space that will reel you back in time and time again.

** Opening night celebration & MIFF’s 65th Birthday Party: 9pm-late Friday 29th July **

The Blackhearts Club, official bar of the 65th Melbourne International Film Festival
The Forum Theatre, Cnr Flinders and Russell Sts, Melbourne
Open 7 Days A Week – Monday to Friday: 5pm till late, Saturday and Sunday: 12pm till late*
All welcome, no ticket required for entry
*Times vary, please check the online program for full details