Cinema bent on retaining status

The committee that runs the Roxburgh cinema, which burned to the ground last week, is determined the "setback" will not scupper its status as the world’s second-longest continuously operating cinema.

Even if it requires screening films on the side of a truck in the building’s carpark.

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Roxburgh Entertainment Centre and Improvements Committee chairman Curtis Crawford said the committee was resolute films would continue screening at the main street site, as they had since the first moving pictures screened there in 1897 in what was then the Roxburgh Athenaeum Hall.

Roxburgh folk had put in too much hard work and incalculable volunteer hours over generations to get the cinema this far, Mr Crawford said.

"There’s no way we’ll be giving up now. We wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we did."

Guinness World Records rules around the longest continuously operating cinema include that it must occupy the same site.

A cinema in Iowa, the United States, holds the official title, after it provided proof of having operated about seven months longer than Roxburgh, which failed to find enough evidence to secure the title.

The committee has since called Roxburgh the longest continuously operating cinema in the southern hemisphere and worked to retain its position as the second-longest continuously operating cinema in the world.

That status experienced a "setback" on Thursday when the building that housed the cinema and the town hall was razed by fire, Mr Crawford said.

But a plan was already forming to return to screenings at the site as soon as possible.

The carpark for the building was part of the same site so the plan was to hopefully screen films there in the meantime, he said.

He had spoken to the cinema’s digital projector supplier on Friday night and he had a half-sized projector the committee could use.

While it would be "pretty basic", initial thoughts were the projector could be put on the back of his ute and project on to a curtainsider truck in the carpark and people could bring their own seating, Mr Crawford said.

The set-up could be rolled in and out for each screening and the carpark was relatively clear of detritus from the fire at one end, Mr Crawford said.

"We really don’t want to lose our second-in-the-world status."

The cinemas sitting in third and fourth were some distance behind, but Roxburgh needed to keep up the effort.

"So watch this space ’cause as soon as we can we will be running movies again to maintain our continuous status."

He hoped to have initial discussions with authorities and helpful locals this week about the carpark plan.

The brick facade of the building in Scotland St, at the other end of the site from the carpark, is the only part of it left standing.

It is being assessed by engineers as to whether it can be safely retained or will need to come down.