The Story Behind Brisbane’s Favourite New Farm Cinema

Almost 100 years since the first film was projected, New Farm Cinemas are a favourite for people Brisbane-wide.

Whether you live locally or travel over the bridge purely for the unique atmosphere, the movie hotspot is the perfect location to sit back, relax (with a choc top in hand of course) and enjoy your favourite flick.

Located along Fortitude Valley’s buzzing Brunswick street, the latest Hollywood films and old time classics have been projecting on their screens since 1921, making it one of Brisbane’s oldest cinemas!

We spoke with the Marketing and Events Manager of the cinemas, Roshon Georgas, who shared the history of the cinemas and what makes so popular even today.

So, get your popcorn ready and enjoy the story!

Tell us about the history of New Farm Cinema?

When the cinemas were first built they were constructed as open-air cinemas until a rooftop was added in the 1940’s.

The cinemas were known as the Astor Theatre when it first opened and then the Village Twin when it reopened on Boxing Day 1970 as Queensland’s first twin-plex.

Before then, nobody had thought to construct two theatres on one site; giving movie-goers a wider choice of films.

The original Astor Theatre was designed by Claude Humphreys. The Astor operated until the late 1960s when it was acquired by the Melbourne-based Village chain of cinemas.

The Melbourne architects Ron G Monsborough and Associates were hired to design a twin cinema within the existing space of the Astor Theatre.  

In the early 2000’s the cinema was closed with the building left derelict, until 2013 when the current owners purchased the cinema and restored it to be what it is today - New Farm Cinemas.

How did the cinema come to be what they are today?

The Sourris Family, who currently own the cinemas, have a long history in the cinema industry.

The Sourris brothers, Stephen and Peter, are the passionate movie lovers behind the project. They are dedicated to giving cinema fans a mix of retro style and state of the art sound and vision, plus bringing the ‘experience’ back to a trip to the movies.

They are the third generation to work in the family business. Their grandfather Peter built the Yatala Drive-in, which he ran with his son James, the father of Peter and Stephen. Their grandfather moved here in the 1900’s and had set up several movie locations so Stephen and Peter really grew up in the cinema industry.

The brothers always had the dream of bringing back the ‘grand old days’ of cinema to Brisbane movie fans.

The objective of the restoration of the cinema was to pay homage to its history as the Village Twin hence its décor and interior being themed in a contemporary 1970’s style. 

The Sourris brothers, Stephen and Peter. 

After being open for so many years, making it one of the oldest cinemas in Brisbane, why do you think everyone loves New Farm Cinema?

It has remained authentic to its past with its history and uniqueness being heavily incorporated into the restoration and design of the building.

Peter and Stephen Sourris are passionate about movies and providing a unique, boutique entertainment venue that provides a movie-going experience coupled with good-old fashioned customer service and value for money.

The cinema has six auditoriums, two of which are premium, intimate style cinemas offering full food & beverage service to your cinema seat.

All six cinemas are licenced. They screen a broad range of films, from mainstream to niche movies, retrospective to one-off Q&A events.

Tell us about some of your offerings at the cinema?

We have a functions space that can accommodate up to 250 guests for corporate events. We hire out the cinemas for private bookings whether it be for a children’s birthday party for 20, fundraisers or for larger bookings for corporate client nights (up to 200 guests). We offer a full catering service for bookings.    

The Purple Club is our loyalty club.  It’s a 12 month membership program that provides discounted tickets for the cardholder and a guest.  The cardholder also receives a complimentary ticket on sign-up.  Members receive weekly e-newsletters containing information on upcoming films and events at our cinema.

We have a screen dedicated Mums & Bubs sessions each Wednesday morning and offer seniors the opportunity to enjoy a movies for only $8.00 (Monday to Friday before 5pm). Seniors can also purchase barista made coffee for $3.00 each as part of this deal.

New Farm Cinemas is the home of the Brisbane Queer Film Festival, The Queensland Film Festival, Jewish International Film Festival and the Iranian Film Festival Australia.

 If you're interested in learning more about New Farm, check out our suburb profile here.