With Hollywood’s film award season currently underway, East London movie fans are objecting to the limited choice of films shown here and lamenting the lack of award-quality films on the city’s circuit.
But Hemingways casino and complex marketing manager Neville Austin said the six-cinema complex was a business that had to make commercially viable choices in order to make a profit.
East London has just one cinema complex in the form of movies@Hemingways following the departure of both Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro.
Ster-Kinekor shut its doors at Vincent Park East London two years ago and the Nu Metro complex at Beacon Bay Retail Park closed down in 2005.
Marie-Claire Hand started the ball rolling by writing to Nasrin Sayed of Movies@hemingways saying she was “extremely disillusioned and disappointed” with the movie selection being presented in East London, describing it as “the bottom of the barrel”.
“We have missed so many good movies. I can’t name them all,” she wrote.
Hand said this week she was upset movies like Hacksaw Ridge, a true story about a conscientious objector, and multi Golden Globe winner La La Land were not scheduled for the East London circuit.
“There is so much violence and fantasy that you walk out feeling brain dead. Right now they are showing two movies with the word monster in the title, ” she said.
On a positive note, Hand lauded the inclusion of the highly rated drama Lion, starring Dev Patel and Rooney Mara which is currently screening at Hemingways.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch yesterday, Austin defended the complex’s line-ups, saying it catered to a commercial market in order not to run at a loss. He said film studios also had a say in distribution decisions.
“When an art film becomes available our management company in Johannesburg, which has 30 years’ experience, evaluates it but the film has to get a return on our investment or we run it at a loss.
“Overseas studios know how movies in certain genres perform and put some on limited circuit. For example, La La Land is on limited circuit in South Africa which is why we are not getting it.”
Austin said neither Bollywood films nor Afrikaans films had achieved good attendance at the complex.
“We try to choose in the interests of the market, but we have to be careful. Choices have to be commercially viable for ourselves and the studios.”
Responding to an informal Daily Dispatch Facebook survey, readers aired their opinions.
Thando Yashe wrote that the cinema catered for children. “The last time good movies were on circuit was when Ster-Kinekor in Vincent was still around.”
Renee Bezuidenhout bemoaned the lack of Afrikaans movies screening in East London, while Nkululeko Guwa asked that more black and locally produced movies be screened here.
Jade Botha said: Hemingways only shows the years’ biggest blockbusters in my opinion.” He said he would like to see more Oscar winners in the line-up.
Nicolette Scrooby said East London was “starved” of big- city offerings and she wanted more cultural, historical, art and sub-titled foreign films here. “It’s so sad that excellent movies like Woman in Gold and Big Eyes have never made it to the East London cinema screens.”
But Dave Rankin wrote that other cinemas had closed due to lack of support and questioned how many complainants were willing to discuss movie choices with cinema management and how many would commit to supporting them. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
City's film offerings a let-down say fans
But Hemingways casino and complex marketing manager Neville Austin said the six-cinema complex was a business that had to make commercially viable choices in order to make a profit.
East London has just one cinema complex in the form of movies@Hemingways following the departure of both Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro.
Ster-Kinekor shut its doors at Vincent Park East London two years ago and the Nu Metro complex at Beacon Bay Retail Park closed down in 2005.
Marie-Claire Hand started the ball rolling by writing to Nasrin Sayed of Movies@hemingways saying she was “extremely disillusioned and disappointed” with the movie selection being presented in East London, describing it as “the bottom of the barrel”.
“We have missed so many good movies. I can’t name them all,” she wrote.
Hand said this week she was upset movies like Hacksaw Ridge, a true story about a conscientious objector, and multi Golden Globe winner La La Land were not scheduled for the East London circuit.
“There is so much violence and fantasy that you walk out feeling brain dead. Right now they are showing two movies with the word monster in the title, ” she said.
On a positive note, Hand lauded the inclusion of the highly rated drama Lion, starring Dev Patel and Rooney Mara which is currently screening at Hemingways.
Speaking to the Saturday Dispatch yesterday, Austin defended the complex’s line-ups, saying it catered to a commercial market in order not to run at a loss. He said film studios also had a say in distribution decisions.
“When an art film becomes available our management company in Johannesburg, which has 30 years’ experience, evaluates it but the film has to get a return on our investment or we run it at a loss.
“Overseas studios know how movies in certain genres perform and put some on limited circuit. For example, La La Land is on limited circuit in South Africa which is why we are not getting it.”
Austin said neither Bollywood films nor Afrikaans films had achieved good attendance at the complex.
“We try to choose in the interests of the market, but we have to be careful. Choices have to be commercially viable for ourselves and the studios.”
Responding to an informal Daily Dispatch Facebook survey, readers aired their opinions.
Thando Yashe wrote that the cinema catered for children. “The last time good movies were on circuit was when Ster-Kinekor in Vincent was still around.”
Renee Bezuidenhout bemoaned the lack of Afrikaans movies screening in East London, while Nkululeko Guwa asked that more black and locally produced movies be screened here.
Jade Botha said: Hemingways only shows the years’ biggest blockbusters in my opinion.” He said he would like to see more Oscar winners in the line-up.
Nicolette Scrooby said East London was “starved” of big- city offerings and she wanted more cultural, historical, art and sub-titled foreign films here. “It’s so sad that excellent movies like Woman in Gold and Big Eyes have never made it to the East London cinema screens.”
But Dave Rankin wrote that other cinemas had closed due to lack of support and questioned how many complainants were willing to discuss movie choices with cinema management and how many would commit to supporting them. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos