Italian Cinemas in Melbourne: From Post War Migration to The Movie Show (SBS)
This project aims to provide a comprehensive overview of ways in which Italian language cinemas contributed to the reception and distribution of Italian cinema in Melbourne from the Post-WWII and mass migration periods until the advent of SBS in the late 1970s.
Although Italian language cinemas were made redundant with the institution of SBS and the digital and streaming formats that followed, for great number of Italians migrating to Australia in the early 1950s, they represented an important way to connect to their cultural heritage while also providing significant social and recreational opportunities. In the pre SBS period various Melbourne cinemas and improvised screening spaces were dedicated to screening films, and filmed sporting events, exclusively in Italian language - targeting the city’s large Italian speaking population. Consequently, the Italian language cinemas contributed to reinforcing the developing multi-culturalism of Melbourne.
The project will analyse the films screened, source primary accounts of their reception, and articulate an understanding of the curatorial aspects of their distribution and exhibition. This study will also help to ascertain the influence that the presence of Italian cinemas had on Italian and/or Australian filmmakers and the wider Melbourne community. To this end, the study will include analysis of media reports, artefacts related to the years of Italian cinemas in Melbourne such as posters, advertisements, foyer information and photographs, as well as personal recollections of members of the Italian language cinema-going communities.
Choc Tops and Cassata podcast series
This podcast series explore the role Italian migrants played in keeping Melbourne’s cinema culture alive. Featuring prominent guests who helped shape the scene, listen to the podcasts for a fun-filled journey back to the golden era of cinema in Melbourne.
Choc-tops and Cassata is a mini-series of The Secret Life of Language, a podcast from the University of Melbourne’s School of Languages and Linguistics.