Regent (Dannevirke) Re-opened April 2022
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Address:
84 High Street Dannevirke 4930 Contact Person Graeme Moffatt graeme@moviefest.nz Phone: 027 660 3094 Facebook: www.facebook.com/DvkRegentTheastre Details: Capacity: 214 seats Screen: Nine metre Cinemascope single screen with e-cinema. Lighting upgraded. Waterfall curtain. Sound: Dolby Surround Sound Seating: tip-up seats, in good condition Snackbar: adjacent Regent Cafe Accessibility: good. Street parking and rear parking. |
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Geoff's Review
Most recent visit: May 2022
This more than a century-old cinema closed in 2012 but re-opened, after a ten year hiatus, in April 2022. It is not yet fully-functioning but is in a state of transition, due to the efforts of Graeme Moffatt, a film-maker and long-time cinema enthusiast, who is also responsible for distribution of the iconic 1970 film 'This is New Zealand'. The re-opening was initiated by Alison and Alex-Stephanie Amboy, who are daughters of the owner of the building and operate the adjacent Regent Cafe.
Although the cinema remains privately owned, a Moviefest Charitable Trust has been set up to ensure screenings again grace the Regent, as well as developing longer-term plans which will celebrate the historic significance of the cinema. The building will also require earthquake strengthening in the near future--even though it successfully survived the 1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake.
In the meantime, the Regent Dannevirke is screening films from the back catalogue, and children's fare in the school holidays.
The cinema, which opened as the Arcadia Picture Theatre in 1919 declares itself to be the third oldest provincial cinema in New Zealand. The building, in its terracotta glory, is a major feature of this southern Hawkes Bay town (population 5700), and is listed as a category two heritage building. You can find out more about it from a display in the cinema foyer.
Note: Dannevirke is formally included in the Manawatu administrative region but most people would consider it to be situated in the southern Hawkes Bay.
Most recent visit: May 2022
This more than a century-old cinema closed in 2012 but re-opened, after a ten year hiatus, in April 2022. It is not yet fully-functioning but is in a state of transition, due to the efforts of Graeme Moffatt, a film-maker and long-time cinema enthusiast, who is also responsible for distribution of the iconic 1970 film 'This is New Zealand'. The re-opening was initiated by Alison and Alex-Stephanie Amboy, who are daughters of the owner of the building and operate the adjacent Regent Cafe.
Although the cinema remains privately owned, a Moviefest Charitable Trust has been set up to ensure screenings again grace the Regent, as well as developing longer-term plans which will celebrate the historic significance of the cinema. The building will also require earthquake strengthening in the near future--even though it successfully survived the 1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake.
In the meantime, the Regent Dannevirke is screening films from the back catalogue, and children's fare in the school holidays.
The cinema, which opened as the Arcadia Picture Theatre in 1919 declares itself to be the third oldest provincial cinema in New Zealand. The building, in its terracotta glory, is a major feature of this southern Hawkes Bay town (population 5700), and is listed as a category two heritage building. You can find out more about it from a display in the cinema foyer.
Note: Dannevirke is formally included in the Manawatu administrative region but most people would consider it to be situated in the southern Hawkes Bay.