Look, I’ve got an excuse. I haven’t been writing very much of late, as I’ve been very busy with something else. I’ve been helping my mate Nick Paris, who is about to open a new boutique cinema in the Arts Centre. It is very exciting. It’s going to be called The Lumiere, and the (extremely lush) curtains are about to be raised.
There are two screens, both small but big enough. Given that it is in the Arts Centre, it is a heritage space - so we’ve had to work in with the existing rooms and spaces of the building. At times it has been challenging, but the details of the fit out, in both the original heritage, and the art-deco fit out, make the place feel warm and lived in.
Nick has been involved in cinema in Christchurch since before I was born. He started out at the old Academy in the Arts Centre in the late 70’s, and this is his chance to return to one of the city’s most iconic spaces. He’s also been heavily involved in the New Zealand International Film Festival for a number of years, and the programming of the Lumiere will skew towards that part of the cinematic world, rather than what you might find at the mall multiplex.
The first films that we’re screening are part of the Polish Film Festival, on Friday and Saturday. Normal scheduling will start from next Monday. Check the website lumierecinemas.co.nz, or the listings in the Press for films and times. It’s a project that I’ve been excited about since Nick and I first worked on the tender proposal, and his vision is very close to being realised. It is a wonderful fit out, a real asset for the Arts Centre and the city as a whole.