North Hobart Picture Palace, Liberty Theatre, State Theatre | |
![]() The State Cinema in 2022 | |
![]() | |
Address | 375 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart, Tasmania Australia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°52′20.75″S147°18′53.03″E / 42.8724306°S 147.3147306°E |
Owner | John Kelly |
Capacity | 700, 11 screens |
Current use | cinema |
Opened | 2 October 1913 |
Years active | 1913–1920, 1935–present |
Website | |
www |
The State Cinema (formally known as the State Theatre, colloquially known as "the State") is a historic cinema venue located in North Hobart, Tasmania. It was acquired by the US-owned Reading Cinemas chain in November 2019. [1]
Originally designed with seating for 412 patrons, the venue officially opened as the North Hobart Picture Palace on 2 October 1913. [2] The theatre housed the North Hobart Concert Band until 1920, when the waning cost of the Great War, Spanish flu and growing competition from theatres in the city centre caused the venue to close all together. Subsequently, the cinema became a billiard hall, gymnasium and boxing venue. [3]
After extensive renovations, the venue re-opened as the Liberty Theatre on 29 June 1935 by the Lord Mayor of Hobart Mr. J. J. Wignall with The Gay Divorcee and We're Rich Again . [4] The cinema was remodelled in an Art Deco appearance, with an Australian-made Raycophone sound system and locally made finishes such as lampshades, woodwork and curtains showcasing Tasmanian craftsmanship. Alterations were also made to the facade, including affixing large neon lighting and stylised burning torches. Wall decorations were designed by Mr. G. Harrex, lamp shades were supplied by Trowbridge and Co., the woodwork undertaken by Crisp and Gunn Co-operative Ltd., and the stage curtain by Modern Art Furnishers. The architect for the alterations was Mr. A. Lauriston Crisp. [5]
On 18 August 1948 it was re-named State Theatre. [6]
Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam attended the grand re-opening of the State Cinema after it was purchased by the government-funded Australian Film Institute in 1976. [7] [8] The State Cinema hosted the premiere of Manganinnie , the first feature length film produced by the Tasmanian Film Corporation in August 1980. The premiere was attended by actors Mawuyul Yanthalawuy and Anna Ralph, as well as the Governor of Tasmania Sir Stanley Burbury and Tasmanian Premier Doug Lowe. [9]
In the 1980s, the Hobart Film Society curated weekly exhibitions for the State Cinema as part of the AFI Cinémathèque circuit. The society projected mostly classic and foreign language films, including Jesus of Montreal , Wings of Desire , and The Killing Fields , which included a question and answer (Q & A) session with actor Haing S. Ngor, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia and the only actor of Asian descent to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor until 2022. [10]
In 1994, Dutch-Australian film director Paul Cox premiered his film Exile at the State Cinema, which was followed by a Q & A. [11]
The State was purchased by North Hobart businessman John Kelly in 2002. Extra screens were added in 2006, and by 2014 it had eight screens, and offered over 700 seats, plus a rooftop cinema and bar. [12]
A star on the footpath of the State Cinema was added to commemorate the 100th birthday of Tasmanian actor Errol Flynn on 20 June 2009. It was unveiled by his daughter Rory Flynn and grandson Sean Flynn. [13]
American actor Willem Dafoe attended the Tasmanian premiere of The Hunter at a red carpet event held at the State Cinema in 2011. [14] [15] Director Daniel Nettheim and Tasmanian premier Lara Giddings were also in attendance. [16]
On 5 April 2012, Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan officially opened the State Cinema Bookstore at the site. [17]
A special red carpet charity event for the premiere of Lion was attended by the film's subject, Saroo Brierley and his family at the State in December 2016. [18]
In 2019, the State Cinema had 11 screens in operation, including a rooftop cinema, cafe, bar and bookstore.
The State Cinema hosts several national film festival events, including the Alliance Française French Film Festival, Japanese Film Festival, Lavazza Italian Film Festival, and Taiwan Film Festival in Australia. The Hobart Film Society, Australia's oldest continually operating film society, curated the annual Hobart International Film Festivals between 1974 and 1992 at the State, which were often attended by several hundred members and non-members. [19]
In October 2021, the State Cinema screened Nitram , a film about the life of the gunman of the Port Arthur Massacre in spite of protest from locals and survivors of the event. [20] The State Cinema displayed no posters or advertising of the Tasmanian premiere as a means to avoid offence. [21]
Hobart is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly half of Tasmania's population, Hobart is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest by area after Darwin if territories are taken into account. Its skyline is dominated by the 1,271-metre (4,170 ft) kunanyi / Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world, with much of the city's waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the seven local government areas that cover the city. It has a mild maritime climate.
Margate is a small seaside town on the Channel Highway between North-West Bay and the Snug Tiers, 7 kilometres (4 mi) south of Kingston in Tasmania, Australia. It is mostly in the Kingborough Council area, with about 4% in the Huon Valley Council LGA. Margate is also part of the Greater Hobart statistical area.
Bellerive Oval is a cricket and an Australian rules football ground located in Bellerive, a suburb on the eastern shore of Hobart, Tasmania. Holding 20,000 people, it is the 2nd largest capacity stadium in Tasmania, behind Utas stadium which holds 21,000 people. It is the only venue in Tasmania which hosts international cricket matches.
The Cascades Female Factory, a former Australian workhouse for female convicts in the penal colony of Van Diemen's Land, is located in Hobart, Tasmania. Operational between 1828 and 1856, the factory is now one of the 11 sites that collectively compose the Australian Convict Sites, listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO.
Australian rules football has been played in Tasmania since the late 1860s. It draws the largest audience for any football code in the state. A 2018 study of internet traffic showed that 79% of Tasmanians are interested in Australian rules football, the highest rate in the country.
The history of the Tasmanian AFL bid covers a series of proposals and bids between 1987 and 2023 for a Tasmanian-based Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League and AFL Women's premierships. Eight formal proposals for a new or relocated club to represent Tasmania were made over this time, the earliest coming in 1992, while informal proposals were raised as early as 1987, when the Victorian Football League commenced its expansion to become a national competition.
Exile is a 1994 Australian drama film directed by Paul Cox. It was entered into the 44th Berlin International Film Festival. The film was shot entirely on location in Tasmania.
The Hunter is a 2011 Australian drama film, directed by Daniel Nettheim and produced by Vincent Sheehan, based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Julia Leigh. It stars Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill and Frances O'Connor. Dafoe flew to Tasmania for the film's premiere at the State Cinema in North Hobart.
General Post Office is a landmark building located on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Macquarie Street in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It stands next to the former Mercury Building and has served as the headquarters of the Tasmanian Postal system since its construction in 1905, though mail processing has now been moved to Glenorchy.
The Princess Theatre is a historic theatre in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
The Prince of Wales Theatre was a theatre on Macquarie Street, Hobart, Tasmania from 1910 to 1987.
Nitram is a 2021 Australian biographical psychological drama film directed by Justin Kurzel from a screenplay by Shaun Grant. The film revolves around the life and behaviors of a mentally distressed young man called "Nitram", and the events leading to his involvement in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania. The film stars Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Essie Davis and Anthony LaPaglia.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Tasmania is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
The Hobart Film Society (HFS) is the oldest continually operating film society in Australia.
The Odeon Theatre is a historic former cinema and current live entertainment venue in the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
The Gaiety Theatre and Grand Hotel is a historic theatre and hotel in Zeehan, Tasmania, Australia.
The Majestic Theatre is a historic former theatre and cinema in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
The Avalon Theatre is a historic former Temperance Hall, theatre and cinema in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Howatson, Donald (2013). The Story of North Hobart Street by Street. New Town, Tasmania. ISBN 9780987128751.{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)