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Reports that one of Sydney’s three remaining historic independent cinemas had closed are wrong – or at least premature. Tell them they’re dreaming, says the manager of Roseville Cinemas, Emma Addario, quoting Darryl Kerrigan from The Castle.
As for the vibe, the heritage-listed cinema is open and will continue to be for as long as it can. But its future is far from assured.
Addario is one of three equal shareholders and the director of Macos Holdings, which owns the 110-year-old heritage-listed theatre bought by her parents, Hans and Susan van Pinxteren, in the 1970s.
A Supreme Court ruling in mid-June ordered the sale of the cinema and the site, and another property next door, to resolve a shareholder dispute among Macos’ three owners, which include a family member and her late mother’s estate, and discharge any outstanding mortgage.
The ruling has put the cinema’s future in peril.
The double site on the Pacific Highway, bordered by a laneway, is within the area rezoned for apartment buildings up to 29 metres high, or nine to 10 storeys.
But any demolition or major changes to the cinema would face several hurdles.
The area is designated as a local centre, zoned to provide a range of retail, business and community services – such as a cinema – that provide jobs and contribute to a vibrant and active local centre.
It is also heritage-listed with Ku-ring-gai Council, and a developer would face pressure from an outraged community to retain the theatre and build around it.
The listing provides “some protection for the building”, a council spokeswoman said.
Demolition of a local heritage item would be considered only where a developer could show that retention, stabilisation and adaptive reuse of the building wasn’t viable. She said the impact of proposed alterations and additions would be assessed during a development approval by the consenting authority. That could be the council, state government or land and environment court.
News of the sale triggered thousands of people to share memories of going to the theatre, including watching a film in the crying room with their toddlers and babies.
Many were appalled at what they called a tragic loss, assuming the theatre had already closed.
Addario said: “People have been coming in and saying, ‘When are you closing?’ We are not. We are not financially unwell. It is important that this is a viable business, and people continue to visit and support it. If everyone runs away, it won’t survive. Please support the cinema.”
Along with the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne and Randwick’s Ritz Cinemas, Roseville is one of only three historic independent cinemas left in Sydney.
A century ago, 600 cinemas operated across NSW, said Graham Quint, the former head of conservation who wrote the National Trust of Australia (NSW)’s heritage listing. Now only about a dozen older theatres remain across rural NSW.
Quint said: “It would be an incredible shame when there are so few left, to see another one go. This would not be more in accordance with what the local community would want.”
Roseville was listed as much for its social history and role in the community as its stucco walls and modern art deco style. Its cinema history spans from the silent era to digital technology.
As news of the court ruling spread, cinema-goers shared their favourite memories.
Addario said the cinema had hosted countless fundraisers and birthday parties, and a few memorials that were requested by patrons before they died.
Jennifer Tolmie of North Ryde said the cinema had such a special place in her parents’ hearts, after decades of Friday evening date nights, that it was the perfect place to celebrate the life of her late mother, Pamela.
“I wanted to make Mum the star of the show for one last time,” Tolmie said of the short film she made to celebrate her mother, who died in 2022.
Friends and family were given a ticket, which included a coupon for a choc top, popcorn or coffee.
The family’s homemade movie gave Pamela the same star treatment that Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille gave Gloria Swanson in the golden years of Hollywood. When the guests left Pamela Tolmie’s wake, they did so to the sound of Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.
Beatrix Brady, manager of this year’s Travelling Film Festival, which starts next week, said nearly everyone would have a memory linked to an old cinema and its decor. They were ingrained via thousands of first dates and other events. “That sort of experience almost feels like an endangered species,” Brady said.
Michael Brereton, a partner at restructuring and insolvency firm William Buck, has been appointed by the court as trustee of the sale.
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