CinemaLive: building the exhibition options in cinemas

How did an event cinema company called CinemaLive ride the death of lantern slides in cinemas into an operation in two countries and seventy territories? It is a long, tangled and inventive tale.
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 Image: Baldy the camel in rehearsal for the Sydney Harbour production of Aida, broadcast by CinemaLive.

CinemaLive, owned by Peter Skillman and Janelle Mason announced an obscure but significant milestone in August. The André Rieu 2015 Maastricht concert was the highest grossing performance music event in Australian cinema history ever.

The term Event Cinema has been hijacked in Australia as a name for Greater Union’s Sydney venues. It has more general usage around the world as the one-off satellite driven cinema screenings of prestigious or funky performances in music and theatre with a side order of outdoor spectaculars and museums.

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David Tiley was the Editor of Screenhub from 2005 until he became Content Lead for Film in 2021 with a special interest in policy. He is a writer in screen media with a long career in educational programs, documentary, and government funding, with a side order in script editing. He values curiosity, humour and objectivity in support of Australian visions and the art of storytelling.