Blyth Community Cinema National Rural Women's Coalition and Network

About Blyth

Driving west of Clare in the mid-north of South Australia, the plains open to breathtaking views approaching Blyth; a patchwork of colour representing the diversity of agriculture in the district. A rural hub, cereal crops, legumes, hay, olives and livestock production (including cattle, sheep and pigs) support the region. The township has a population of just over 300 people and was founded in 1875.

Blyth’s proximity of just 13km to nearby Clare, has resulted in the loss of some services to the larger centre. However, new opportunities have emerged as people increasingly choose to move to Blyth and commute to work, enjoying the tranquility and slower pace of life in the small but vibrant country town.

History’s events have forged a community that is resourceful and resilient, and to this day Blyth still maintains the reputation for being ‘a strong small community, with big spirit’.

Lights, Camera, Action

The audience eagerly and quietly waits, suspense fills the air. The curtains are drawn; the lights go down and the evocative music fills the small intimate movie theatre. Hearts soar, chilling tales are told and laughter rings out….

This is just the experience local artist and philanthropist, Ian Roberts, had in mind when he dreamt up the idea of opening a movie cinema in Blyth.

“I went to the cinema in Adelaide and watched Master and Commander and was ‘blown away’ by the sound effects,” recalled Ian

“I’d only been to see five indoor movies previously, and those were in the 1950s. I went to lots of movies at the Clare Drive-In, but who was watching a movie from the back seat!,” he laughed.

“The cinema experience in Adelaide had me questioning, ‘why couldn’t we have access to the same quality in my region?”

Suddenly Ian had a purpose for the old Masonic Lodge hall that he had purchased on a whim a year previously.

“I had scratched my ear at the wrong moment and found myself the proud owner of a large stone building, with no immediate use and lots of cracking,” he recalled.

“I have a bad habit of doing most of my thinking when I should be sleeping. Needless to say over the next few months I lost a lot of sleep, but I formulated the design for the cinema, having convinced my wife I wasn’t insane.”

With the goal of making the cinema a community project, a public meeting was called and the concept received very positive response.

“A curious thing happened,” Ian exclaimed.

“Most of those who attended were not members of any other organization in Blyth but they were really keen on this idea. It made me reflect that perhaps we cling to old organisations for too long, meaning we are not perceptive to alternative needs or interests in our communities.”

Behind the Curtains

From the onset, it was important to Ian and Narelle Roberts that the community had input and ownership of the concept. The Roberts’ paid for the purchase of the building and the capital improvements, but the day-to-day decision making and cashflow management was handed over to an elected volunteer committee.

In December 2004 the project commenced with local tradespeople constructing a sloping floor, and the once-dormant stone building slowly began to take on a new life as a movie theatre.

A volunteer team of over 30 people painted the walls and hung curtains and helped to assemble 112 seats which were purchased from Hoyts in Sydney, made possible through the assistance and contacts of the NSW Film and Television office.

“Working on hems up a sloping floor to hang curtains was quite a feat!,” said Ian praising the volunteers’ efforts.

Locals remained committed to the idea from its inception and met every Wednesday evening, as well as weekends, for almost 6 months until the opening night of the cinema on 27 May 2005.

The volunteers continue to be the backbone of the operation and currently a team of 30 people are ‘on the books’ to assist with ticketing, running the candy bar, cleaning and movie projection.

The whole community has become involved and young people have found they can gain much needed experience to aid them in securing part-time paid employment.

“We have a waiting list of teenagers who want to help. Working on the candy bar is an excellent introduction to handling money, and we are thrilled when they move on to part-time jobs in Claire,” said Ian.

Ratings Soar

“While watching a movie may not be a life changing event it can provide valuable social interaction and can touch all emotions, from uproarious laughter to tears,” said Ian

“It is terrific when they sit at the end for five or so minutes; you can hear a pin drop. Then they all leave the building in hushed silence for fear of breaking the atmosphere…or after a comedy is screened the candy bar is filled with laughter and happy smiling faces.”

Two movies are screened every weekend and to date 32 000 people have visited the cinema to experience the ambient setting first-hand. A DVD projection system is used to remain cost effective and to broaden the range of movies that can be screened. The movies shown range from the most recent release, to classic and art-house films. Special events can be catered for, and the building is also available for hire for meetings and conferences with a difference.

Special movie screenings are regularly shown for dementia patients from the respite facility in Clare and residents of local nursing homes.

“Perhaps the best testimonial so far was when an 83 year old nursing home patient grabbed my arm, exclaiming that she ‘could see everything – thank you so much!’. Considered near blind, she could not only hear the movie due to sound quality, but she could see the movie because of large screen projection,” recalled Ian with a smile.

It seems that the word is out about the Blyth Cinema, and when former Clare resident, and international star, Chris Bishop, heard about the theatre, he created the Clare Valley Film Festival with the goal of attracting young people to the film industry and bolstering creativity in the area. His partner and co-director of the Festival was Seeta Indrani, a former cast member of ABC’s program, The Bill, and performer in the Cats musical in London.

Chris was quoted in the Plain Producer newspaper as saying, “I am hoping Blyth will act as a hub for regional film makers.”1

The inaugural festival was held in Jan 2010, which included a ‘24-hour Film Challenge’ requiring young students to create, shoot and edit a short film in just 24 hours. Special master classes were held, offering training and tuition by high profile film producers from around the world. Over 250 people in total visited the Blyth Cinema to see the seven short films created for the festival challenge, as well as the 27 international and Australian short films entered in the festival competition.

In summary, Ian concluded, “For me this investment has seen returns not necessarily in a financial sense, but more importantly, in a community sense. I feel that philanthropy in a small community can have huge mental and social benefits not only for us as investors, but the place we live in…and perhaps others will follow our lead.”