The Sydney Melbourne Cinephile Divide - Melbourne cinephiles weigh in....

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What Sydney doesn't have (1)

in earlier posts Sydney's supercinephile Barrie Pattison‪ and Melbourne buff in chief Paul Harris  took umbrage at a piece published in the Sydney Morning Herald authored by Gary Maddox. In brief, readers were told what a joy it was to live in Sydney with so much film activity happening and the only thing missing being a Cinematheque.  Several comments were published on Paul’s Facebook page so, to broaden out the audience if only by a handful, I’m republishing them

Tait Brady (Producer, distributor and former Director of the Melbourne International Film Festival) beautiful stuff Paul ... and just ask any film distributor about releasing quality films in Sydney compared to Melbourne.

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Ron Brown (Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Film Future Foundation) Next year Sally Darling and I will stage an architecture and design film festival, ARCHIFLIX, in Sydney and in Melbourne, with the best A&D films from across the globe. ‪As we have been talking to folks in both cities the most frequent comment in Sydney has been "we've been talking about doing this for years, but haven't got there". 

‪It seems Sydney likes to talk, but in Melbourne we just do it. Might be the pre-occupation with making money in Sydney, as cinematheques rarely are profitable concerns, which seems to concern art lovers in Melbourne far less.

What Sydney doesn't have (2) Cinema Nova, Carlton

‪Simon Killen (film distributor) Stopped in to The Nova this arvo to see restoration of PROOF. Screening, in season at a proper cinema - can't do that in Canberra where restoration funds came from, can't do that in Sydney because....well, because Sydney. And forget anywhere else in the country. Gawd bless Cinema Nova, The Melbourne Cinematheque, MIFF, and the hundreds of micro-screen opportunities that pop up like mushrooms here. Bless Fairfax for putting that article together, but yeesh, all the way with Paul on this one.