Decades after the closure of its grand theatres, the stars are aligning for a permanent return of cinematic screenings to Footscray.
Michael Smith, co-owner of Yarraville Sun Theatre, has confirmed he plans to open a new cinema complex in the heart of Footscray as part of the redevelopment of the former Forges site on Albert Street.
Mr Smith said the new cinema will feature up to eight screens within a new Banco Group development, approved by Maribyrnong Council at last week’s council meeting.
“We have been in discussions with [director Mario LoGiudice] from Banco Group for two years now,” he said.
“We are really excited by the proposal. It’s a new building so it won’t be quite like The Sun, but we really think we can do something that is pretty special and will have its own feel.”
Mr Smith said rather than simply double up with The Sun theatre, the new cinema will provide greater flexibility for broadening the local film offering.
“We will have eight screens at Yarraville and eight screens at Footscray, 16 screens all together, which is going to give us the opportunity to increase the range of films we show, to show more arthouse films,” he said.
The new cinema will be part of a $70 million complex that also includes a new supermarket, retail, 120-place nursing home and more than 200 apartments.
Mr Smith is hopeful the project will breathe new life into Footscray in the way The Sun Theatre proved a catalyst for Yarraville’s renewal.
“At the time a lot of people asked ‘why would you want to open in Yarraville?’, but we have loved that journey,” he said.
“With things like the Council doing work in improving the mall, there is clearly already some change happening in Footscray.”
Mr Smith anticipates the cinema could be open as soon as 2019, but concedes a project of this size could take longer than expected.
However he has more immediate plans to fast-track the return of cinema to Footscray.
“Next summer and the summer after, we are going to whet the appetite of people with some outdoor screenings on the rooftop of the building next to the site,” he said.
“We are planning two or three screenings each summer.”
