Culture in the big picture

New data has proven arts and culture – particularly a love of the cinema – is alive and well in The Hills.

Cinema fans Rajiv, Norma, Sue, Kylie, Raymonde, Eddie, Melanie, Mary, Felicity, Andrew and Geoff at Event Cinemas Castle Hill. Picture: Peter Kelly

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New data has proven arts and culture – particularly a love of the cinema – is alive and well in The Hills.

According to data prepared by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for The Australia Council for the Arts, the Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury statistical region has the highest proportion of residents who ­attend arts and cultural events.

The data, released in an online interactive dashboard recently, shows how people aged 15 and over engaged with the arts in 2013-14 at a local region level.

It showed that 98 per cent of residents in the Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury statistical area attended arts or cultural venues or events in 2013-14, the highest of any area in greater Sydney.

The cinema was the most popular choice, with just under 90 per cent of the region’s residents seeing a film on the big screen that year.

The next most popular was music venues or events (38 per cent) followed by performing arts (37 per cent) and libraries and archives (35 per cent).

The data maps the attendance of residents in the Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury statistical region at arts and cultural events.

The study also found that 25 per cent of the region’s population participated in arts or cultural activities, such as creating craft, performing art, and writing.

The fact that the cinema is the most popular arts and cultural venue in the Hills is of no surprise to Event Cinemas Castle Hill and its regular guests.

Kylie and her mum Sue, both of Baulkham Hills, come to the cinema often and enjoy the variety of session options with their favourites being the Chicks at the Flicks screenings and a night out at Gold Class.

They also said they enjoy the children’s school holiday program.

“I come at least twice in the school holidays with my son,” Kylie said.

Between 10-30 members from the Probus Club attend the cinema for a fortnightly movie session.

Members Norma, of Epping, and Raymonde, of Cherrybrook, said the group watches all genres, including film adaptations of the books discussed in their book club - usually followed by a coffee in the Gold Class lounge.

“That’s where we dissect the movie,” Raymonde said.

Geoff from Castle Hill watches a movie at least once a fortnight, usually action films.

“They have to have a good story,” he said.

Geoff said also enjoyed the special event screenings such as the recent Andre Reiu in concert.

“I don’t really care if you’ve got a 55-inch screen at home, it’s not the same as the cinema,” he said.

Hills residents’ love of the cinema is no surprise to these regulars.

Castle Hill RSL’s Melanie said she visits at least once every couple of months with family, friends and colleagues, and said the cinema was “more of an experience” than watching a movie at home.

She said she enjoys the entertainment Event Cinema Castle Hill provided, including children’s activities in the school holidays and special screenings with cast members.

“Last year we got to come to Red Dog 2 and meet the dog… it was awesome,” she said.

Eddie from Castle Towers centre management said he attended a movie about once per month.

“It’s always the big budget blockbusters… the stuff that is more impressive on a big screen,” he said.

Meanwhile, his colleague Felicity, who lives in Bondi, said she only attended the movies about once a year.

“I just tend to wait until they come out on Foxtel a few months later,” she said.

Event Cinemas Castle Hill general manager Jessica Burns said she was “delighted to offer residents of the Hills an escape” at the cinema.

“With our special events such as Chicks at the Flicks, seniors screenings or Cine Buzz Crew advanced screenings for the kids, we pride ourselves in offering an array of alternate content, a decadent Gold Class menu and our big screen blockbuster movie experience in Vmax,” she said.

“Visiting the cinemas is about more than just the movie – it’s an experience.”