Long-time Roxy Theatre owner Bob Brainwood and recently departed Independent Cinemas Australia (ICA) CEO Adrianne Pecotic were honoured at last night’s ICA Conference Gala Dinner, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Mark Sarfaty CEO Award for Outstanding Service to Independent Cinemas, respectively.
Brainwood has been at the helm of the Nowra cinema for more than 50 years and is credited with modernising the venue, having twinned the main auditorium, while also adding more screens.
While unable to attend the gala dinner due to health reasons, he was able to give thanks via a video call with ICA President Scott Seddon, who MCed the event, with ICA board member Denis Parkes accepting the physical award to deliver to him.
Pecotic was recognised for her more than ten years as ICA CEO, during which time she established the My Cinema Select platform, and worked to secure support for members throughout the pandemic.
Having stepped down from the top job in January, she remains a special advisor to the organisation and was the convener of this year’s conference.
Speaking at the event, Pecotic said it was an “incredible honour” to receive the award, named after the former ICA CEO who died in 2011.
“I don’t know where to begin to thank all of you for the experience and friendship I have enjoyed over the last 11 and a half years,” she said.
“In fact, it all goes back even further to when I started at the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft with the theatrical and home entertainment distributors in 2004, and exhibitors stepped up to support me and the fight we had against piracy nearly 20 years ago.
“Right from that moment, the values and unique personality of independent exhibition shone in every person I met, people like our late friend Bob Parr, and Denis [Parkes], Kieren [Dell] and Scott [Seddon] – and it was an easy choice to make when Denis Parkes walked up to me after the memorial for our dear friend and colleague Mark Sarfaty and asked simply, ‘So what are you doing now?’ It was a much, much harder choice to step away.”
Last night’s Gala Dinner concluded this year’s ICA conference, which was held at Wallis Piccadilly Cinema in Adelaide.
The event began on Tuesday with the announcement that Brett Rosengarten would take over as CEO of the organisation.