Dubai’s 2009 run of SwissOpenAir Cinema, the world’s largest outdoor movie screen, is set to begin on Thursday (November 26) with 12 nights of cinema starting with the UAE premier of New Moon.

Taking place at the Media City Amphitheatre and happening every night till December 7, movie lovers will be entertained with a line up of Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters making their UAE premiers.

SwissOpenAir cinema also features a food festival of international cuisine and drinks, a world class laser light show, and Red Bull DJ on weekends.

“The Open Air Cinema is an event bigger than the films themselves, it’s a whole night out in a world class environment with atmosphere, high quality cuisine and drinks, a Red Bull sponsored bar and the after-party and DJ, all coming together to make it a special night for everyone involved,” says Farzin Samadian, CEO of SwissOpenAir Concept.

“But of course, it’s the movies at the centre of all the magic.”

One of the biggest highlights this year will be the Bollywood surprise nights, which will feature the premiers of two of this year’s most anticipated Bollywood blockbusters.

“Bollywood has a huge fan base here and we know there’s been a lot of hype about these movies which we’re keeping a surprise for now, all I can say for now is that their UAE premiers are going to be special affairs when combined with the atmosphere and magic of the Open Air Cinema,” Samadian added.

Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) director of marketing and sponsorship Mahsa Motamedi said: “DIFF has been at the forefront in reviving the tradition of open air screenings at Dubai Media City amphitheatre. These events bring together friends and family, where cinema acts as a vehicle for fostering community spirit, developing film culture in the city as a whole.”

Mohammad Abdullah, executive director, Dubai Media City, a member of Tecom Investments, said: “Hosting the region’s largest confluence of global media majors, Dubai Media City continues to pioneer initiatives that place art and culture as a core strategy. Our support of the SwissOpenAir Cinema, the world’s largest outdoor movie screen at the Dubai Media City amphitheatre, bears testimony to this commitment.

“We are confident the general audiences as well as the media community in the cluster will savour the coming together of open air screenings and the magic of movies.”

Swiss Open Air is a giant - over 4000 sq ft - screen rising six stories high and accompanied by a 32 speaker digital surround sound system, which will host regional and world premiers of the latest Hollywood and Bollywood films.

SwissOpenAir screens were first developed in 1989 as the world’s largest hydraulically erected mobile screens.

Despite their enormous size and weight (up to 70 tons), the screens can be dismantled for convenient transport and are constantly on tour around the world in cities such as Zurich, Basel, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro and Pusan in South Korea , where over 5000 people turn out for the show every night. – TradeArabia News Service