After more than 20 years of frustrated plans, Sydney will finally get a cinematheque

After decades of failed proposals, Sydney is finally getting a cinematheque – a dedicated centre for screening classic and contemporary films.

The Art Gallery of NSW will upgrade its film program and rebrand as Sydney Cinematheque from February, with Hugo Weaving as its ambassador.

The move comes weeks after the gallery acted to axe 45 jobs to repair a $7.5 million budget black hole.

The gallery’s film curator, Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd, said the cinematheque – a French term popularised by the famous Cinematheque Francaise in Paris – would expand the use of its 320-seat and 95-seat cinemas.

It would continue the free screenings that currently include programs of Brazilian films, queer Chinese-language titles and video works by two New Zealand-based artists.

But it will introduce paid seasons to cover the cost of shipping 35mm prints and commissioning innovative new work.

Arrowsmith-Todd said Sydney was the only one of the 26 UNESCO Cities of Film – others include Bradford, Cannes, Galway, Kathmandu, Mumbai, Rome and Wellington – without an established centre for screenings and talks.

“For over two decades we’ve been quietly serving as that space for weekly film culture in the city and it’s just about giving it a proper title and a proper status for a new era,” she said.

Weaving said the gallery was one of his favourite places to watch films.

“It’s a very exciting idea,” he said. “We desperately need it. To have a place where film lovers, film buffs and people in the film industry can gather and [hear] talks and talk about film culture, and where films can be seen … is a critical thing that we haven’t had in Sydney forever.”

More than two decades ago director George Miller supported a push for one at the Museum of Contemporary Art. About a decade ago Sydney Film Festival was part of a group proposing one at the University of Technology Sydney.

While those and other plans failed to get off the ground, successful cinematheques are operating in Melbourne, Brisbane and other cities around the country.

Arrowsmith-Todd said the new venture would screen five to six films a week while the gallery is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with hopes of expanding these hours in future.

“We’ll open with a very significant Australian-cinema retrospective with many directors and actors in attendance,” she said. “It’ll be a big celebration of Sydney on screen, along with a retrospective of a significant homegrown talent.

Arrowsmith-Todd said the new venture would be funded by philanthropic support and revenue from screenings and other activities.

“We work quite nimbly in the cinema world,” she said. “We’ve been sustaining ourselves for 25 years but, with a bit of extra support, we feel confident we can move forward.”

After jointly winning the Natalie Miller Fellowship for female screen industry leadership this week, Arrowsmith-Todd will attend a film-programming conference at the Cinematheque Francaise, and hopes to present a program of Australian work at the M+ museum in Hong Kong.

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