Three To Try: New Single-Screen Indie Cinemas To Visit in Melbourne

There are few better ways to escape the heat than by going to the movies. Cinema Nova in Carlton has been the best place to catch indie films since the early ’90s. And it’s hard to top the majesty of seeing something at art deco icon The Astor Theatre. But recently, smaller operators have opened single-screen theatres across Melbourne. Here are three new places to stop by for a film, a choc-top and even a cocktail.

Brunswick Picture House, Brunswick

Brunswick’s new retro-style single-screen cinema comes from the duo behind the charming Thornbury Picture House. Filmmaker Gus Berger and his partner Lou Berger spent 18 months renovating the heritage building before opening Brunswick Picture House in December.

The foyer bar was designed to remind people of the golden age of cinema. Moviegoers are encouraged to come early for pre-show drinks and stay for post-film debriefs with a pint from local breweries such as Co-Conspirators, The Mill and Bodriggy, or a glass of wine from Fin, Noisy Ritual and Chrismont. There’s ice-cream from Luther’s Scoops and vegan choc-tops. And beyond the usual cinema snacks, you can order small plates from neighbouring Lebanese joint Tiba’s.

The programming is flexible, mixing new Hollywood releases such as Hamnet and Marty Supreme with classics including Kiki’s Delivery Service, and new Aussie cinema like the upcoming Pasa Faho. 

Eclipse Cinema, Collingwood

Before opening Eclipse in Collingwood, Mark Walker started a crowdfunding campaign with the goal to raise $25,000 to help with consultancy fees, council charges and start-up cashflow. The community rallied and the campaign took in over $42,800. In August last year, Walker’s 64-seat single-screen theatre opened.

The co-founder of Geelong’s Pivotonian Cinema, Walker focuses programming on local, international, indie and avant-garde cinema. Films range from a 20th anniversary screening of The Fall to Park Chan-wook’s new film No Other Choice and Toronto International Film Festival closing night film Peak Everything.

There are also Almodovar Wednesdays, spotlighting Walker’s favourite director, Pedro Almodovar (The Room Next Door, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown).

Champagne Video, Fitzroy North

Champagne Video, named for the video store in Seinfeld, is more bar than cinema. But the Fitzroy North venue, formerly home to Wildflower Picture House, has a 30-seat screening room (with gear typical of a home theatre rather than a commercial-grade set-up) available for private hire. When it’s not rented out, operator Jack White, who also runs Brunswick’s private screening room for hire Henkel Street Cinema, runs free screenings, funding film rights through bar sales rather than tickets. So far he’s shown Shaun of the Dead (2004) and The Witch (2015), but says he plans to largely screen “movies you would have rented from your local video store”. 

In the bar, DVD cases line the walls, with discs and VHS tapes available to rent Blockbuster-style, but without the late fees. Drinks, overseen by Jayden Boyce, lean into cinematic references. Lost in Translation is mezcal, hibiscus-and-ginger tonic, Cointreau, lime and agave mixed together; and Eternal Sunshine is a combination of St Germain, gin, lime and cucumber. There are plans to upgrade the kitchen, but for now food is limited to cinema staples: popcorn and Serendipity choc-tops, a fittingly named brand of ice-cream for filmic fare.

Additional reporting by Gemma Hassall, Sebastian Pasinetti and Jackie Zhou.