Golden Age Cinema and Bar to Open in September

Sydney's new cinema with an old-world air, The Golden Age Cinema and Bar, has been confirmed to open on September 6. It's taking over the old Heritage-listed Paramount Pictures Building on Commonwealth Street in Surry Hills with a revamped screening room and atmospheric small bar that takes advantage of the original art deco fittings from 1940.

If some of the best films of the last few years have taught us anything, it's that audiences miss the good ol' days of cinema. Whether it's the splendour and decadence of an opening night in The Artist or Hugo's love song to the early years of film, the movies themselves seem to be filled with a deep longing for an era when films didn't live and die by their opening weekend and the 'megaplex' did not yet exist.

The Golden Age Cinema and Bar, from the Brothers Barton and Right Angle Studio, recaptures some of that old-world movie magic, that picture-palace romanticism, right here in Sydney. It is set to feature a bar, a fascinating film program and an atmosphere more hearty than Hoytsy. The first program is anchored by festival-hit new releases (Behind the Candelabra, Before Midnight) that screen once a day Tuesday to Saturday, mixed in with cool films that haven't been released in Australian cinemas (Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture, Michel Gondry's The We and the I), classics both cult and mainstream (Suspiria, Singin' in the Rain) and even a weekly pick for kids with cred (My Neighbour Totoro).

The 60 person-capacity bar is accessible whether you're seeing a film or not, and will serve wines, beers, cocktails and food (including film-inspired specials) from interesting producers. It's also the place to get your cinema snacks before heading into a session. Golden Age Cinema and Bar runs Tuesday to Sunday, while the space is available for private hire on Mondays.

See more of their beautiful renovation images, by Don Cameron, at the Golden Age website. Top image: Golden Age artist's impression by Robert Barton.