Mercury CX cinema in Adelaide city's west from 1992 gets a new board in 2022 with a self-funding approach
The Mercury CX cinema near the Morphett Street bridge in Adelaide city's west had been home to film society Adelaide Cinémathèque.
Embattled Mercury CX's cinema in Morphett Street, Adelaide city, received $50,000 from the South Australian government in 2022 to “keep the lights on”, after the organisation changed its board of directors and vowed to explore other operating models less reliant on public funding.
The film industry and screen talent training organisation, operating the 186-seat Mercury Cinema in Adelaide’s West End, faced insolvency after the state government refused its request for $700,00 to $1,2 million in annual funding.
The Mercury CX’s former board, with chair Gena Ashwell, was replaced by new board led by former South Australian Film Corporation chair Peter Hanlon and Emmy Award-winning producer Kirsty Stark, aiming to explore partnerships with other local film organisations to keep Mercury CX afloat.
The board also featured lawyer Adrian Tisato, film director Madeleine Parry, Highview Productions producer Lisa Scott, University of South Australia associate professor Kath Dooley, Channel 44 business development manager Chris Leese and Closer Productions producer Rebecca Summerton.
Music SA chief executive Lisa Bishop was appointed Mercury CX’s interim general manager, replacing Karena Slaninka. Bishop was a producer at South Australian film company Never Too Late Pictures and a deputy chair of the Adelaide Fringe. She worked at Mercury CX from 2010 to 2014
The Mercury Cinema, opened in 1992, was the only cinema running new release films alongside a retrospective program. The Media Resource Centre curated and presented the Adelaide Cinémathèque, South Australia’s film society, at the Mercury. It celebrated cinema in all forms, offering classic, cult, foreign language, experimental, documentary, independent, silent, short and premiere films hard to find elsewhere.
