Thirty years ago, an enterprising businesswoman, Ingrid van den Berghe, took over the New Oxford Cinema, renamed it Luna and began an evolution that has seen it turn into Luna Palace Cinemas with 15 screens in three locations.
Ingrid still remembers the first movie she put on at the new cinema, a British thriller, Shallow Grave.
Technology has evolved over those 30 years and streaming services have arrived but she says cinema is as popular as ever.
“We are getting good numbers through. COVID really was tough for us, but it feels like things are getting back to normal now,” Ingrid says.
“We do a lot of events, so we get good crowds, but we have to work really hard for them, because there’s so many competing entertainment options.”
Ingrid says those events include things like a Dalai Lama event, where the cinema reached out to Buddhist centres in Perth, put on chai tea and samosas and organized Tibetan dancers and a Tibetan throat singer.
“That’s a lot of effort to put into one screening. It’s hard work, but it’s fun.”
Ingrid’s own film favourite at the moment is Small Things Like These, a historical drama adapted from Claire Keegan’s novella, starring Cillian Murphy.
“It’s a beautiful Irish film, but the problem is, my favourite film changes all the time.
“There’s a few films we’ve got coming up that I really loved. A film called The Friend, which stars our own Naomi Watts and that’s a beautiful film.
“I like really human heart stories with good dialogue. It’s not necessarily what always works but that’s what I like.”
Ingrid wasn’t always a movie buff.
“Not from the word go, but I certainly learnt my craft. I worked for the Film and Television Institute for five years and that’s really where I got my love for cinema.
“Then the opportunity to take over the lease of the New Oxford came up.”
She called her new enterprise Luna because it was short and evocative.
“When we started it was only a twin cinema complex. Now we’ve got eight screens plus an outdoor screen and then of course we run other cinemas as well.”
Movie technology has evolved over the years from the old black and white films to modern day CGI (computer generated imagery).
“Ours are usually not so reliant on CGI in general. We don’t show the big blockbuster, Avatar-type of films, but films have changed because they are reflecting today’s world.”
Luna’s audience varies enormously depending on what is being screened.
“Much of our audience has also grown up with us, so they were very young when we opened but we definitely get a bit of an older audience these days.
“We also show a lot of film festivals, so at the moment we’re showing Spanish, so a lot of Spanish people turn up. We cater to all types of groups and people and we like to think we’re very inclusive.
Through it all, we’ve stayed true to our roots: handpicking each film, supporting local artists, and giving back to our community through screenings that spotlight reconciliation, climate action and social justice.
“We’re really grateful to the public that have supported us for 30 years. Our staff are amazing and hardworking and fun to be around.”
While Ingrid says she believes cinemas will be around for decades to come.
“I think the whole community aspect of it is why people come to the movies. Because you can stay at home and you’ve got so many choices. But people still want to experience a film with other people in the cinema, because there’s something magical about that.”
To celebrate the anniversary Luna is holding a free night of film, food and festivities on Friday, August 8 at Luna Cinemas in Leederville.
There will be pre-film pizza, drinks, special guest speeches and a screening of Luna, Starring – a short film about the cinema’s story, followed by Shallow Grave. Tickets are open to Cinema Club members from July 18, and to the general public from July 22 if any seats remain.
