Australian Cinémathèques Experience Resurgence, Draw Diverse Audiences
Cinematheques across Australia are experiencing a resurgence in popularity, drawing new and diverse audiences, including younger demographics.
Recent screenings of the film "In the Mood for Love" at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (Goma) sold out quickly, leading to an additional session that also neared capacity.
Amanda Slack-Smith, Australian Cinémathèque’s curatorial manager, noted that these screenings attracted intergenerational families and reached various communities.
What Are Cinémathèques?
Originating in Paris in the 1930s, cinematheques function to preserve celluloid archives and promote cinema as an art form. Australia hosts several such institutions, with the largest located in galleries and museums, including Goma, the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney, and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne. Other venues exist in Adelaide, Perth, and Hobart.
An Alternative to Mainstream
These cinematheques offer an alternative to mainstream multiplex chains and streaming platforms by providing retrospective screenings, underseen highlights, and independent discoveries.
Slack-Smith states that cinematheques act as "translators" to help audiences discover film gems, a role commercial cinemas often cannot fulfill due to business pressures and the global box office’s struggle to match pre-Covid figures.
Examples of curated seasons include an ode to Hong Kong star Maggie Cheung, a showcase of Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and the work of Charles Burnett.
Shifting Demographics and New Engagements
The Sydney Cinémathèque, an expansion of AGNSW’s existing program, is set to open in March. Film curator Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd observed a significant shift in audience.
The gallery’s cinema audience has become "much younger" and "more diverse" post-Covid, with social media platforms like Letterboxd contributing to this increased interest in classic and non-canon films.
Grace Boschetti, an annual member and volunteer at Melbourne Cinémathèque, exemplifies this shift, having moved her viewing habits from new releases to retrospective screenings after a "transformative experience" at university.
Preserving Film and the Cinematic Experience
Arrowsmith-Todd also highlighted that Sydney Cinémathèque will offer training for emerging film professionals, including projectionists skilled in analogue formats like 35mm and 16mm. This initiative preserves the ability to screen historical films in their original formats.
Audience members particularly value the experience of watching films in a cinema, especially original cuts and formats, over home viewing.
Boschetti noted a "particular magic" in many older films shown in cinematheques that she rarely finds in new releases.