The following statement is issued jointly on behalf of Australian cinemas and film distributors by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA), National Association of Cinema Operators (NACO), Australian Independent Distributors Association (AIDA) and Independent Cinemas Australia (ICA).

“As an industry, we have been deeply saddened, like all Australians and many people around the world, by the bushfires ravaging our country. The loss of lives, wildlife, homes and land is heart-breaking, and our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted.

We send our sincere thanks to all the firefighters, volunteers, defence personnel, charities, organisations and communities who are working tirelessly to protect and support fire-affected Australians. We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of those who have donated their time, money and resources.

We want to help, so on Sunday, 19th January, we will be donating $2 from every movie ticket sold at participating cinemas to bushfire relief.

100% of the proceeds will be shared across three Australian charities doing incredible work in fire-affected communities:

Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal – providing immediate emotional and material support to firefighters, volunteers and evacuees;

Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery – supporting thousands of people in evacuation centres and recovery hubs across the country, and the;

RSPCA Bushfire Appeal – protecting animals in threatened or affected areas and long-term rescue and rehabilitation efforts

Most cinemas in Australia will be participating in this campaign, and some may have tickets for January 19 on sale days in advance.

We encourage cinemagoers to check with their local cinema to confirm they are participating.”