Cutting-edge cinema for National Film and Sound Archive
The Australian Film Commission has announced that Arc, a state-of-the-art 250-seat cinema, will be built in the National Film and Sound Archive headquarters in Canberra. Set to open early next year, Arc will feature sophisticated projection equipment which will allow the public to experience the best archival prints from the NFSA’s own collection as well as thousands of films restored by other film archives around the world.
NFSA Director Paolo Cherchi Usai said the cinema was the fulfilment of a dream
pursued by the NFSA since its beginnings in 1984. For the NFSA’s Chief Programmer, Quentin Turnour, it represents a unique opportunity to present archival prints as they should be seen.
Arc will also eventually be fitted with digital projection equipment.
For viewers, one of Arc’s most distinctive qualities will be its interior design, a showcase of dramatic lighting, soundscapes and dynamic artworks projected onscreen while audiences enter the theatre.
“This will not be a commercial cinema – the Arc will be special in that it will make the
experience of waiting for the movie to start as exciting as the film itself, with sounds and images creating a truly unique atmosphere,” Mr Cherchi Usai said.
The construction will involve a major restructure of the NFSA’s North Gallery exhibition
space in Acton.
The NFSA will launch a fully-fledged film program once the venue is open, with NFSA
curators working towards making Arc the leading repertoire cinema in Australia.
The full media release can be viewed on the AFC website at: http://www.afc.gov.au/newsandevents/mediarelease/2006/release_484.aspx.
NFSA Director Paolo Cherchi Usai said the cinema was the fulfilment of a dream
pursued by the NFSA since its beginnings in 1984. For the NFSA’s Chief Programmer, Quentin Turnour, it represents a unique opportunity to present archival prints as they should be seen.
Arc will also eventually be fitted with digital projection equipment.
For viewers, one of Arc’s most distinctive qualities will be its interior design, a showcase of dramatic lighting, soundscapes and dynamic artworks projected onscreen while audiences enter the theatre.
“This will not be a commercial cinema – the Arc will be special in that it will make the
experience of waiting for the movie to start as exciting as the film itself, with sounds and images creating a truly unique atmosphere,” Mr Cherchi Usai said.
The construction will involve a major restructure of the NFSA’s North Gallery exhibition
space in Acton.
The NFSA will launch a fully-fledged film program once the venue is open, with NFSA
curators working towards making Arc the leading repertoire cinema in Australia.
The full media release can be viewed on the AFC website at: http://www.afc.gov.au/newsandevents/mediarelease/2006/release_484.aspx.