Naseby resident Matthew de Woeps was astounded when he found out Ranfurly's ailing cinema had not been used in years because of broken equipment and a lack of funding.
Mr de Woeps, who moved to the Maniototo from Auckland in 1996 with his wife, Tracy, and two sons, Charlie (4) and Harry (2), felt the area needed a cinema.
The couple, originally from London, are both film fans and decided to pay for the refurbishment and upgrade of equipment so Maniototo audiences could once again enjoy a night at the movies.
"The sound system was broken, and projectors needed an overhaul. No-one would fund an upgrade so I purchased the equipment from the Central Otago District Council and got a three-year lease to show films at the town hall," Mr de Woeps said.
A Dolby Digital sound system was installed, along with 16 surround-sound speakers, three screen speakers, and two 14,000W subs.
The de Woepses also sourced a top-of-the-line popcorn machine from the United States.
"It was ridiculous how much equipment we had to bring in from overseas because you just couldn't buy it here," Mr de Woeps said.
The project has cost them about $56,000, which they hope to recoup through ticket sales in order to further develop the old town hall theatre.
"We didn't do this to make money. We just felt there was a need for a cinema here as the next closest was in either Dunedin, Roxburgh or Queenstown, all two or more hours away," Mrs de Woeps said.
When refurbishing, the couple had further development in mind and future-proofed the equipment so it could be either upgraded or remodelled.
"We didn't want to put all this work in to have equipment out of date and unusable in a few years. Everything can be brought up to speed in the future when we can afford it," Mrs de Woeps said.
The grand opening of the cinema would take place on November 14 with a screening of Mamma Mia from 7pm.
Mrs de Woeps said films would initially be shown on the first and third Saturday of each month, and screenings would increase if there was a demand.
"We will show a children's film during an afternoon matinee, then have films for the rest of the community at night. If a screening sells out, we will offer another screening the next day," she said.
Community support had been overwhelming, the couple said.
"Everyone's really stoked about having cinema again. Feedback has been really positive," Mr de Woeps said.
