Independent Cinemas Australia is inviting federal MPs and the wider community to visit local cinemas throughout next week in an attempt to raise awareness of the pandemic's impact on its members and secure greater financial support.
As cinemas across the country do it tough, Sydney Film Festival's Traveling Film Festival has partnered with Independent Cinemas Australia (ICA) to present two curated programs of features and shorts designed to drive audiences back to local theatres.
While the school holidays are giving ticket sales a modest uplift, the crisis for Australian cinemas shows no signs of abating, at least until Boxing Day.
"You know business is in bad shape when the documentary 'David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet' and a 'Star Wars' re-release are your top two films by a wide margin."
Drive-in cinemas in Adelaide and Heddon Greta near Newcastle resumed trading last Friday, drawing big crowds, as a survey of more than 20,000 Australians showed 98 per cent look forward to cinemas re-opening.
Independent Cinemas Australia president Scott Seddon addresses the challenges facing cinemas in negotiating with landlords, cash-flow problems with JobKeeper and the need for a coordinated industry-wide approach when cinemas re-open.
The Independent Cinemas Association has today called on both federal and state governments to provide independent cinemas tax relief and immediate cashflow injections, as the industry struggles for survival in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The global rise of streaming services has not directly impacted cinemagoing but it has hurt independent films which traditionally have performed well at indie cinemas.