As part of our promotion with Cinema Nova, we take the time to explore their liminal hallways.
I found a place … a place of winding corridors, repeating stairs, doors that open to strange places, and rooms that can never be seen. All these … rooms. They just go on and on and on.
This place is an independent cinema in Melbourne, Australia called Cinema Nova. A cinema that takes the time to curate the movie experience for customers, a supporter of local, arthouse and independent films including those by A24.
For not only is Cinema Nova a unique movie going experience, it is also a unique location. Even as you walk up the stairs to the box office you can tell there’s something unique about this place as everything is painted purple (the signature colour of the cinema). But it’s once you go past the lobby that things start to seem like you are lost in a maze. Of course there’s ample signage everywhere so you can easily find your cinema. But this is where you are faced by corridors. Lots of corridors in several directions.
To say that Cinema Nova is liminal is quite apt especially when the patrons are seated inside watching the film of their choice. We aren’t just talking about the usual wide corridors that larger cinemas have either. No these ones are narrow, twisting and some lead to dead ends. On the north side of the cinema you’re placed in a loop of levels. Stairs that go back on themselves made even more confusing by the mirrors that appear to be strategically placed and make the area seem like it goes on further than it really does. While on the south side there are several smaller, more intimate cinemas – connected together with often narrow hallways.
When I visited the cinema recently I was lucky enough yo be given a tour and was shown some things that I never would have even noticed walking around myself. Strange doors that make no sense at all – opening from the side of one cinema to another. 1/4 height walls that look like they come straight from the Backrooms. And like any business there are places that are off-limits to patrons. I got shown a few of these too. And it was like going into a time-warp. Classic movie posters from years gone by, equipment that looked like it was from the 90s, and just a general look of a place that was caught in a time loop.
But that’s really the charm. Modern buildings often feel sterile and lack character. But older buildings just have something about them – there’s a reason I live on an older house. The walls of these places feel like they are alive. They feel like they have stories to tell. And they feel nostalgic. That’s part of the appeal of the Backrooms. Many fans love these spaces because they do hold a nostalgia factor. Whether you’re someone who remembers similar places from their childhood or someone who has never experienced these places but still gets nostalgia from them (referred to as anemoia).
Cinema Nova is certainly one of these places. The cinema first opened in 1992 beginning with two screens and with more screens being added over the years. Today they are the biggest independent cinema in the Southern Hemisphere with 16 screens. There just seems to be little order to them — just like the Backrooms it’s like the place created them out of memories, adding them on where they felt appropriate.
And just maybe it did.
If you are ever in Melbourne, Australia be sure to visit Cinema Nova in Carlton. Whether you go to see an independent film, an anime or a blockbuster, it’s an experience you’ll remember. And be sure to walk those liminal halls at what really is Australia’s most liminal cinema.
Backrooms opens at Cinema Nova on May 28. Join us for the opening night event or book tickets to one of many other screenings here.
We will also be holding an informal meetup after the opening night 7pm session and Friday 7pm sessions. If you’re in Melbourne join us to meet other fans and chat about all things Backrooms!
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