Ritz Cinemas
Sydney's Home of Celluloid
We are Sydney's proud Home of Celluloid, presenting exclusive shows in original 35mm and 70mm prints year-round.
"The language of cinema is universal, in a time of great divisions, conflicts, transformations, it's really crucial to preserve and share our cultural patrimonies and to ensure that this universal language will speak to future generations around the world."
- Martin Scorsese
We at the Ritz are huge believers in keeping the art of film projection (35mm and 70mm celluloid film) alive in the 21st century. In this age of digital cinema, shrinking screens and low resolution, celluloid film is an endangered species.
So as we are all huge film fans, we are doing our best to keep film alive by sourcing super rare and recently unseen original 35mm and 70mm film prints to present to new audiences and allow a new generation of film fans to experience the sharp pictures and epic sounds of celluloid film.
See our list of 35mm and 70mm screenings below, and come help us support and give new life to this incredible medium.
What is 70mm?
70mm is a high-resolution celluloid format that is twice the size and wider in aspect than a standard 35mm print. Before the widespread use of digital projection to screen films, the cinema standard was to project from a 35mm print. 70mm is a larger format of film stock that allows the projectionist to provide you with a clear and sharp image, deeper colour palate, and a level of detail within your image that you have never seen before.
What is the difference between 70mm and digital?
It’s all about the presentation.
Digital projection uses standard resolutions of 2K or 4K to screen your film. The resolution of a 70mm print is closer to 8K. This means your image will be much crisper, brighter and deeper than a digital version. The colour spectrum of film is also still superior to that of digital projection, showing vibrant, deep colours that are true to form – something digital is still yet to master. But our favourite reason is the projectionist. All 70mm sessions are screened by an experienced projectionist, taking the utmost care to ensure the perfect viewing experience for our patrons, and continuing the art of film projection at Ritz.
Digital does have its advantages though. As digital is not a malleable object, the first time we screen the film will be identical to the last. As film is a moving object it’s prone to slight wear and tear – but we think this just adds character and warmth to the experience.
