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41-492: The BBC listed it as one of the 10 most beautiful cinemas in the world. Growing up, Norman Hunter (Snr) and his family would travel from their home in Emu Plains to Avoca Beach for the holidays. In 1948, Hunter permanently relocated to Avoca in the hopes the warmer weather would improve his wife Dulcie's health. The Hunters began weekly outdoor screenings of films produced by Shell Australia . The money they initially raised from

82-461: A gallery, and basement parking for 16 cars. Mrs Hunter stated the development was integral to the Cinema's survival. Members of the local community, including the cinema's leaseholder Lynda Hansen, opposed the plans for the redevelopment. Hansen stated the proposed development was too big for the area. In 2005, local filmmaker Michael Rubbo 's short film Our Little Treasure , which outlined opposition to

123-520: A local farmer and steel support beams came from the Hunter's property in Emu Plains. Alongside the cinema, the building featured retail space for two additional shops. Norman attributed the idea for the cinema to Dulcie, who had recently passed away. The first films screened at the cinema were the comedies Two Weeks with Love and The Big Hangover . The theatre originally operated on Saturdays and during

164-575: A new series called Screen . Screen stopped production in 2020, and past episodes are available on YouTube. Pomeranz has appeared regularly on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering as a guest reviewer giving humorous reviews of TV shows, such as Married at First Sight Below Deck , and Love in the Jungle . Pomeranz was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2005 Australia Day Honours. In 2015, Pomeranz and Stratton were named patrons of

205-535: A regular part of the lineup. The theatre is home to the Avoca Beach Comedy Club. The cinema has a film discussion group which meets first session each Wednesday & Thursday to see the week's new movie. Emu Plains, New South Wales Emu Plains is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales , Australia . It is 58 kilometres (36 mi) west of the Sydney central business district , in

246-459: Is a concrete plant located in town in the industrial area, this plant is owned and operated by Holcim Australia, the plant was formerly owned by PF Concrete and currently services the western suburbs region including Penrith six days a week. Emu Plains railway station is situated on the Main Western railway line . It is the last station on the suburban line with Lapstone , the next station to

287-679: Is an Australian film critic, writer, producer, and television personality. Pomeranz was born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen on 14 July 1944 in Waverley , a suburb of Sydney . She was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon , the then newly opened Macquarie University , where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in German and social psychology , and the Playwright's Studio at

328-656: Is best obtained by the Great Western Highway. The local government schools are Emu Plains Public School and the Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School . There is also a Catholic primary school, Our Lady of the Way, and high school, Penola Catholic College. Emu Plains is the westernmost residential suburb in the outskirts of the Greater Western Sydney area, set away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney. As

369-648: The AFI and IF Awards . She was appointed producer for David Stratton 's film presentations. Together with Stratton, she hosted the long-running SBS TV program The Movie Show from 30 October 1986 until 2004. From 1 July 2004 she appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) version of the program, At the Movies , again with Stratton, concluding on 9 December 2014. Two articles which analysed their reviews at SBS and ABC showed that Stratton

410-622: The Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification (now the Australian Classification Board ), the Australian censorship body, on a number of occasions. She has also spoken out against production companies refusing to give preview screenings for critics. On 29 January 2015, it was announced that Pomeranz had signed with Foxtel to present film and television programs on Foxtel Arts , along with Graeme Blundell , in

451-700: The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). In between her studies, she spent two-and-a-half years in Vienna , where she worked as a stringer for The Bulletin and ABC Rural Radio. She wrote stories about such things as Australian sales to Hungarian farmers, and the effects of the Russian wheat crop failing. Pomeranz joined the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) in 1980 as writer and producer, working on TV programs such Front Up , Subsonics and

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492-794: The local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Emu Plains is on the western side of the Nepean River , located at the foot of the Blue Mountains . Prior to European settlement, what is now the suburb of Emu Plains was located on the border of the Western Sydney-based Dharug people and the Southern Highlands-based Gandangara people , whose land extended into

533-723: The Blue Mountains. The local Dharug people were known as the Mulgoa. They lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle governed by traditional laws, which had their origins in the Dreamtime . They lived in huts made of bark called 'gunyahs', hunted kangaroos and emus for meat, and gathered yams , berries, and other native plants. The first British colonizers to visit the area surveyed Emu Plains in August 1790 led by Watkin Tench . They named it Emu Island due to

574-582: The French Film Festival in Australia. On 13 April 2016, Pomeranz and Stratton were both awarded honorary doctorates (Doctor of Letters) at Macquarie University , for their contribution to the film industry In 2017, Pomeranz became the first woman to be honoured with a star on Winton's Walk of Fame during The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival in Winton, Queensland . Pomeranz and Stratton received

615-535: The Lewers' daughters donated the site, buildings, gardens and a substantial collection of art to Penrith City Council. The gallery was opened in August 1981 by the New South Wales Premier, Neville Wran . Every year tens of thousands of visitors inspect the gallery's exhibitions and use the gardens and café. Emu Plains has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: St Paul's Church School opened in 1848, and

656-506: The Ratpac. Alongside the theatre's traditional cinema offerings, it specialises in independent, international and arthouse cinema, National Theatre Live and retrospective screenings. Throughout the year the theatre plays hosts to a variety of film festivals like the French Film Festival, RunNation Film Festival & Ocean Film Festival. The cinema also hosts a range of special screenings with themed fancy dress events and charity fundraisers being

697-570: The building's size would clash with the local area's character. In 2016, the Council added the theatre to a list of proposed heritage protected sites. After the Hunters lodged an appeal in the Land and Environment Court , the development plan was approved in 2017. The court found the site was not worthy of a heritage listing and the approved plan saw a reduction from a 5 screen complex to 4. In 2022, modifications to

738-681: The church building consecrated in 1872. The church is now part of the Emu Plains Anglican Church. Our Lady of the Way is a part of the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta in Western Sydney. The church and school buildings were built in about 1860 on a government land grant. Emu Plains Community Baptist Church began ministering in August 2001. The services were initially held in the Emu Plains Community Centre, until

779-539: The cinema after the building failed to meet requirements for a Place of Public Entertainment licence . A Gosford City Council spokesperson said that if repairs weren't made they could move to enforce a work order on the site. While the cinema was closed, Hansen arranged screenings at nearby Kantara House in Green Point . After disagreements between the lessee and building owners about the repairs failed to resolve, Lynda and Russell Hansens decided to terminate their lease for

820-574: The development application were announced. The plans include the site's original theatre, a new 54-seat theatre with adjoining café, a 32-seat theatre and a piano bar that doubles as a cinema. The site would also feature five apartments. Avoca Beach Theatre offers both film screenings and live on stage musical performances. The theatre has seen performances from acts like David Helfgott , Amelia Farrugia , Teddy Tahu Rhodes & Simon Tedeschi . Frequent performers also include tribute bands to acts like The Beatles, Blues Brothers, Billy Joel, Elton John and

861-487: The emus they sighted there, and in the mistaken belief that the land was actually an island, which was the result of the occasionally flooded river giving the appearance of it being an island. When Governor Lachlan Macquarie toured the area on the 15th of April 1814, he had realized the misconception and was the first to use the name Emu Plains. William Cox started building a road over the Blue Mountains from Emu Plains on 18 July 1814. A government farm using convict labor

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902-496: The festival. The festival received over 100 entries and featured a special screening of Breaker Morant . In April 2016, local actor Martin Ashley Jones partnered with the cinema to host blue2blue , Australia's first annual Drone and Action Camera Film Festival. Jones believed it was the perfect time to start the initiative after "how many locals already have cameras stuck on their surfboards, skateboards and bike helmets and ...

943-551: The main gateway to the Blue Mountains, the suburb provides scenic mountainous beauty at its foot. Its attractions include a selection of old colonial-era buildings. Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest is an art gallery established at the former property of artists Gerald and Margo Lewers . It is at 86 River Road, Emu Plains. The property was bought by the Lewers in the 1940s, and in 1950 it became their permanent home and studio. Gerald died in 1962, and Margo continued to live and work there until her death in 1978. In 1980

984-734: The moved to Melrose Hall in 2005. At the 2021 census , there were 8,126 residents in Emu Plains. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.0% of the population. 81.3% of residents were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 4.5%, New Zealand 1.6%, Ireland 0.6%, Philippines 0.6%, and Scotland 0.5%. The top responses for religious affiliation were No Religion 31.7%, Catholic 26.8% and Anglican 19.2%. The top ancestries were Australian 41.6%, English 40.0%, Irish 13.7%, Scottish 9.9% and German 3.8%. 89.0% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Greek 0.7%, Arabic 0.4%, Hindi 0.3%, Mandarin 0.3% and Croatian 0.3%. Until 1963, Emu Plains

1025-679: The number of drones I've seen up in the air". During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the cinema's owners called for an extension of the Australian Federal Government's Job Keeper support payments. While federal government financial support was about to end, cinemas were still restricted to 75 per cent capacity. NSW cinemas were forced to close in both 2020 and 2021 due to the NSW government's lockdown restrictions. In 2023, an accessible floor and new seating were installed to remove all steps from

1066-524: The occasion by framing and displaying their archive of retro movie posters. Avoca Beach Theatre won the Australian International Movie Convention's Best National Independent Regional Cinema Award in 2008 and 2010, 11 & 12. In 2009, the cinema hosted The Coasties Film Festival as an initiative to highlight local talent. Australian film critic Margaret Pomeranz and cinematographer Don McAlpine were chosen as Patrons for

1107-449: The plan, with restrictions on the site's size and changes to the original theatre. In 2012, the Hunters submitted a formal development application for the site that included a five-screen cinema, five units, a gallery and a café. Mr Hunter stated "Single-screen cinemas are no longer a viable business option." In 2015, Gosford Council voted to reject the planned development. The council was concerned about issues with parking, flooding and how

1148-480: The racist violence in the film), The Castle (1997), Last Train to Freo (2006), Human Touch (2004), and Kenny (2006), with Stratton awarding fewer stars than Pomeranz on all but Human Touch . In addition to being a critic, Pomeranz is also an anti-censorship campaigner. She was a prominent attendee and was briefly detained by police at an attempted 2003 protest screening of the controversial film Ken Park , banned in Australia. She has been critical of

1189-616: The redevelopment, screened at the cinema. A Gosford City Council report on the development's local environment plan stated the development was "satisfactory 'in principle' from a land use viewpoint" but did not handle concerns raised by the National Trust, the NSW Heritage Office or the local community. The council voted to approve the plan and forwarded it to the NSW State Government . Planning Minister Frank Sartor approved

1230-524: The release of The Phantom Menace in 1999, the cinema's manager, Peter Hindmarsh, spoke out against the "fairly horrible" restrictions placed on single-screen cinemas by distributors. 20th Century Fox required cinemas who chose to play the film to screen it for eight weeks, with three-day and two night sessions daily. Hindmarsh said, "our entire program is consumed by Star Wars". The Avoca Beach Theatre celebrated 50th years since it opened in December 2001 and

1271-438: The school holidays, while on Sundays it held church services. In 1974, 24-year-old Paul Brennan bought the business after the theatre suffered storm damage. Brennan undertook renovations of the site and installed a café. Under Brennan's custodianship, the cinema operated seven days a week and screened both first-release and classic films, while also holding events like live performances and annual dress-up parties. Brennan operated

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1312-601: The screenings was put towards building a rockpool at Avoca Beach. Shortly after, Norman and his brother Mervyn applied to develop a 500-seat cinema. Construction finally began on the theatre in the Autumn of 1951 and it formally opened in December. The building was designed by local architect T.A. Mayo and due to shortages after World War II, most of the construction materials were recycled. The site's projectors and seats were repurposed from an MGM theatre in Manly, concrete blocks were made by

1353-400: The theatre floor. After the Hunters purchased the site's adjoining garden in 2002, Norman Hunter stated that plans were in the work to expand the complex. Hunter expressed interest in extra cinema screens, apartments, a restaurant and a stage for outdoor concerts. In 2003, the Hunters showcased plans to expand the cinema. The plans included 2 extra screens, 5 apartments, a 60-seat restaurant,

1394-524: The theatre until 1992. Leaseholder Rod Gibbs oversaw a renovation of the cinema during his tenure in 1990s. Gibbs imported adjustable seating from a theatre being demolished in Florida. Upon arrival the seats were rust-proofed and uphsoletered before installation. Gibbs also upgraded the theatre's sound system and oversaw the construction of an upstairs office. During the period, the cinema was notable among travellers for its complimentary tea and coffee. Before

1435-399: The theatre. In late 2006, Beth and Norman (Jr) Hunter took over operations of the theatre. It was the first time the Hunter family had operated the cinema since the 1970s. The cinema was reopened after interior renovations were completed. In 2008, the cinema celebrated 60 years since films began screening in the Hunter's backyard with a screening of The Red Shoes . The cinema commemorated

1476-593: The west, considered part of the Intercity network . While a long distance from Sydney city, there are many express services from Emu Plains to the city. Emu Plains is also serviced by Blue Mountains Transit . Emu Plains can easily be accessed from Penrith via the Great Western Highway . Access from further east is best obtained by the M4 Western Motorway . If travelling east from the Blue Mountains, access

1517-519: Was established in 1813 with 1,326 convicts growing local agriculture. It closed in 1833. The land was sold to establish the village of Emu Plains. Emu Ferry Post Office opened on 1 April 1863 and was renamed Emu Plains in 1882. In the 1880's the Emu and Prospect Gravel and Road Metal company began removing stones from the Nepean River. They were turned into concrete and road-base. A railway siding, which

1558-580: Was generally a slightly harsher critic than Pomeranz. At SBS, they only both gave five stars to four films: Evil Angels (1988), Return Home (1990), The Piano (1993), and Lantana (2001). At the ABC, they only both gave five stars to six films: Brokeback Mountain (2005), Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), No Country For Old Men (2007), Samson and Delilah (2009), A Separation (2011), and Amour (2012). They disagreed particularly on Romper Stomper (David refusing to rate it because of

1599-562: Was listed by the National Trust of Australia . In 2002, the building's owners Beth and Norman Hunter Jr acquired the site's adjoining garden at auction for $ 1.75 million. 200 people attended the auction to vocalise support for the Theatre and oppose housing developers. The cinema had previously used the gardens for al fresco dining and outdoor screenings. In 2006, the site's leaseholder Lynda and Russell Hansen decided to temporarily close

1640-828: Was part of Blue Mountains City Council but was then transferred to Penrith City Council , where it is currently split between the North and South Wards. At the state level, it is part of the Electoral district of Penrith , represented by Karen McKeown of the Australian Labor Party . Federally, it is part of the Division of Lindsay , represented by Liberal Melissa McIntosh . 33°45′07″S 150°39′35″E  /  33.75206°S 150.65967°E  / -33.75206; 150.65967 Margaret Pomeranz Margaret Pomeranz AM (born Margeret Anne Jones-Owen , 14 July 1944)

1681-562: Was to be expanded into a short branch, was first laid in from the Main Western Line at Emu Plains in 1884. Railway operations, which included the line's own locomotives, continued until 1967 when only a siding, shunted by government trains, remained. All railway operations ceased in 1993. Emu Plains has a number of landmark buildings: The main commercial centre is Lennox Village (formerly Centro Lennox), named after David Lennox .The shopping centre features Aldi and Woolworths . There

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