Overview
There’s a brand new venue in Melbourne’s boutique cinema landscape. Or, to put it more accurately, a very old venue is about to make its return. More than a century after it first opened as a 1600-seat single screen picture palace, and more than 60 years since it ceased operation, the historic Glenferrie Theatre is set to be reborn.
Now named The Lido, the resurrected cinema building is located almost directly opposite the exit to Glenferrie Station in Hawthorn — and while you'd never know it from the street, it still boasts many of its original fittings, like stained glass windows, two marble staircases and an intricately decorated ceiling. Combine that with state-of-the-art technical facilities across nine screens — including one on the rooftop — plus a host of food and beverage options in both the theatre foyer and the adjoining Glen Arcade, and it’s clear that owner Eddie Tamir wants every visitor to feel a genuine sense of occasion.
“The shared experience of a cinema is something that people fundamentally want,” says Tamir. A self-described "sucker" for old cinema buildings, Tamir and his partner, Lindy, previously restored The Classic in Elsternwick and The Cameo in Belgrave, and also founded the Jewish International Film Festival. To him, the experience of going to the movies is a social one, something akin to “sitting around a bonfire singing songs”.
In order to foster that sense of community, the films at The Lido will cover a wide range of tastes. There’ll be commercial releases alongside indie, arthouse and critically acclaimed foreign films, as well as a number of more eclectic titles. For example, their opening slate includes blockbuster Chinese film Hollywood Adventures, Punjabi language musical Sardaar Ji, and Israeli black comedy Zero Motivation. They’ll also be hosting a program of Friday night cult films presented by Monster Pictures, beginning with the Melbourne premiere of The Human Centipede 3. “There’s no kind of snobbery at any level,” says Tamir, going on to describe the lineup as “one big interesting soup”.
Pushing the idea of community even further, Tamir collaborated with filmmaker Clayton Jacobson on a project called 8K Radius, with Jacobson shooting and editing eight four-minute documentaries about different individuals living within 8 kilometres of the cinema. The films will premiere at The Lido on July 23 and then screen individually ahead of regular film sessions over the course of the following months. “Rarely does a cinema show something unique,” says Tamir. “So we’ve gone that extra mile and produced product for the screen.”
In an age when film exhibitors have to compete not only with rival cinemas but alternative distribution models like Netflix (not to mention online piracy), Tamir highlights the importance of providing a point of difference, a necessity that extends well beyond the programming. “It’s about trying to broaden the entertainment experience of what a cinema can offer,” he explains, pointing to both the rooftop screen and a hidden jazz room as areas where The Lido stands apart.
Another big tick in the cinema's favour is the unique food and drink offering. The Glen Arcade is home to a number of retailers, including the recently opened Yo-Chi and Huxtaburger, both of which will no doubt draw in business to the theatre — and vice versa. Then there’s the generous Lido bar, which in addition to classics like popcorn and homemade choc tops will serve up toasties, gourmet cheeses, dumplings and edamame, plus beer on tap and a selection of Victorian wines. “I think we’re the only cinema, maybe in the world, but definitely in Australia, to my knowledge, that only uses recycled popcorn boxes and recycled drink cups,” Tamir adds proudly.
The Lido is located at 1/675 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn and is set to open on Thursday, June 25, with $5 tickets all day. For more information visit the Lido Cinemas website.