lumiere Cinema
The Lumiere cinema (Lonsdale Street, Melbourne) screened its last film in mid-August this year (2005). The independent fell victim to an increasingly competitive film exhibition market in which small cinemas are finding it increasing hard to survive. The closure of the Lumiere follows a number of independent cinema closures in Melbourne over the last decade.The Lumiere opened in 1993 after owner and operator Paul Coulter transformed an old Chinatown cinema into the art-house thearte. Coulter was already well known within the Melbourne film community after funding the fledgling, cash-strapped Melbourne Film Festival in 1988 with his own credit cards. In turn, the film enthusiast was able to bring that sense of tenacity to the Lumiere cinema and its’ exhibition of non-mainstream material.
The Lumiere cinema entered a strong art-house/independent exhibition scene in Melbourne in the early 1990s. Coulter’s cinema joined “the Kino, the Nova, the Carlton Moviehouse and the up-market Rivoli - each of which had only two screens - and the Longford, Valhalla, Trak and Brighton Bay,” (Kalina) who all served Melbourne’s then vibrant art-house market. The three screens of the Lumiere showed arthouse and independent films, and although the cinema wasn’t known for its comfortable seating or multiplex-style lavish interiors, film enthusiasts were able to see gems that other cinemas (whether it be for economic or classification reasons) would not screen.
The Lumiere played an important role in the Melbourne film industry and community- not only by screening controversial films like ‘Baise-Moi’- but also through the exhibition of independent arthouse cinema, which provided much-needed diversity to Melbourne’s film culture. Veteran Melbourne film critic Paul Harris said: “"The Lumiere cinema was the only genuinely independent theatre because it had no ties to any chains…(it) played the more daring type of fare." (Coslovich) Mark Spratt, from independent distributor Potential Films, said the Lumiere was so important to Melbourne’s screen culture because it filled "quite a huge gap and took on challenging and controversial films chains wouldn't touch." (Sutherland)
The art-house exhibition market has also changed dramatically in the past decade. From the vibrant scene the Lumiere entered in 1993, there has been a shift to fewer venues with more screens. Currently, “the Rivoli has eight screens, the Nova 11 and the Kino Dendy four, while new venues at the Como, the George, ACMI at Federation Square and three Cinema Europa screens at the Jam Factory to cater in the main to the ‘quality’ art-house market.” (Kalina)
Larger exhibitors have also started screening art-house films in an attempt to recoup the poor box-office returns of mainstream movies. Films that were traditionally restricted to exhibition on the art-house circuit are now gaining general release in the major cinema chains. Lynden Barber perhaps describes the situation best by stating that the majors have “moved into the independents’ territory- creaming off the most lucrative niche films and leaving the independents to fight for the scraps.” (Barber) Recent examples include the Chinese language film ‘Kung Fu Hustle’ (2004) and art-house-flavoured ‘Sideways’ (2004).
As a result, the new art-house exhibition market generally runs a mixture of mainstream films with ‘safer’, proven art-house and independent material. Although Melbourne still has a strong ‘art-house’ scene, some believe the closure of true independent venues like the Lumiere has produced a ‘toned-down’, more consumer-friendly art-house market. Paul Harris attests to this fact saying: “"On one level you could argue that it's just an economic sorting out in a depressed climate, but it's much more significant on a symbolic level. The Lumiere played the more daring type of fare, the slightly left-of-field films, whereas now some of the other art-house cinemas play it a bit safer." (Coslovich)
The Lumiere’s closure has restricted a vital avenue for art-house and independent films to gain exposure to audiences. Cinema consultant Andrew Pannel believe films that were once screened at cinemas like the Lumiere “will find alternative screens…(and) that's almost an absolute guarantee." (Coslovich) But others like Cinema Nova's Natalie Miller fear that “some of those smaller films won't get bought. We will consider playing them, but there is so much other (art-house) product in the market.” (Coslovich) Even Coulter admits that: “well-reviewed art-house films are failing to find the kind of audience that they would have attracted two years ago.” (Zion)
The Lumiere cinema was also a strong supporter of homegrown films and the Australian film industry. Its closure signals yet another blow to the ailing local industry. Kirsteene Luhrmann, national promotion and marketing manager for Shock distributors said: "It's sad… (when yet another) exhibition outlet for independent Australian and international films (closes).” (Kalina) The Lumiere was an important ‘middle-ground’ venue for Australian filmmakers. Coulter’s cinema would often pick up local films, after their theatrical runs at larger cinemas had finished, prolonging audience exposure and bridging the financial gap between box-office returns at bigger cinemas and DVD sales.
Coulter has often been described as dogged and passionate (Kalina) about the cinema and exhibition of non-mainstream product. These traits are equally characteristic of the way in which the cinema operated for twelve years, and to an extent, the fragment of Melbourne’s film community who frequented the Lumiere and witnessed so many art-house treasures there. But even the loyal regulars of the Lumiere couldn’t save the cinema from the impending doom of closure.
Like so many others in recent times the Lumiere was forced into liquidation after dwindling ticket sales could no longer cover the debts to various distributors. The reasons as to why this occurred are numerous and varied- the high prices of admissions; the poor quality films; the rise in DVD rentals/sales; the earlier release of films onto DVD; the surge in home-thearte system sales; the increase in popularity of other forms of entertainment such as video games; video piracy; and the list goes on.
Some see the Lumiere’s closure as an economic by-product of the cyclical nature of the film exhibition and entertainment industry. Andrew Pannel remains pragmatic about the cinema’s closure claiming Coulter was unable to keep up with the public’s preference for the ‘multiplex-style’ experience. Pannel says "In many respects, it's a mature market. There will always be a process of rebirth and regeneration and, unfortunately, the Lumiere is one of the pieces of infrastructure due for recycling." (Coslovich) Similarly, Mark Safarty from Dendy Cinemas views the Lumiere’s closure as resultant of Coulter’s own stubbornness to not change with the times. Safarty says: "Art house is not dead, it's just taking a different form, and that new form is in line with customers' expectations of comfort and screening standards." (Coslovich)
But for now the Lumiere remains closed, pending a decision by the venue’s liquidators on whether to re-open as a cinema or not. Whether looking at the issue from the eaves of economic rationalism or cultural diversity, Coulter’s cinema and its art-house fare have indefinitely disappeared from Lonsdale Street and to the detriment of our local screen culture. All that remains are distant memories and journalistic obituaries that reminisce for a venue that dared to show the toughest art-house cinema in Melbourne.
Though the Lumiere’s existence has been cast to the history of film exhibition in Australia, the cinema’s cultural impact on our city will not be as easily forgotten. Gabriella Coslovich perhaps best sums-up the cinema’s closure by stating: “If the Lumiere fails to resurface, I'll remember it fondly, just as I do those other cinemas from the city's past. Every one holds a story, memories of films and former loves and small awakenings, not just mine, a city's collective history.” (Coslovich)