A Night At The Movies Is Even Closer Than You Think

Forget the trek to Chatswood, Macquarie Park or the city. Forget the parking hassles, the $30 ticket prices and the sticky cinema floors. Lane Cove has its own thriving movie scene right on our doorstep, hidden in a local hall and a multi-purpose community space.

Whether you’re after a classic with a pizza on the side or something a bit more adventurous curated by council, here’s where to catch a film without leaving the postcode.

Pizza + Movie Nights, Longueville Uniting Church Hall

This one’s a long-running local favourite, and for good reason. In the second half of the year the Longueville Uniting Church Hall throws open its doors once a month for pizza at 6.30pm and a movie at 7.15pm.

It’s cash only, $15 a head, BYO drinks, and bookings are essential for catering (call 9428 4287).

The line-up for the 2026 season:

• Tuesday 4 August: 84 Charing Cross Road (1987, 100 mins). A romantic drama based on the true story of a trans-Atlantic correspondence between a New York book-lover and a London antiquarian bookshop. Starring Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench, Ian McNeice and Connie Booth.
• Tuesday 1 September: The Third Man (1949, 104 mins, B&W). British film noir based on Graham Greene’s thriller, set in post-WWII Vienna, and once voted the best British film ever made. Starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard and Alida Valli.
• Tuesday 6 October: Churchill’s Secret (2015). A biographical drama set in 1953, soon after Churchill’s third election as PM. Starring Michael Gambon, Romola Garai and Lindsay Duncan.
• Tuesday 3 November: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014, 96 mins). Wes Anderson’s comedy-drama following a legendary hotel concierge and his most trusted friend. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Adrien Brody and F. Murray Abraham.
• Tuesday 1 December: Soul on Fire (2025, 112 mins). An inspirational biographical drama based on the true story of a nine-year-old boy’s recovery from a near-fatal fire. Starring Joel Courtney, John Corbett, Stephanie Szostak and William H Macy.

The venue: 47A Kenneth St, Longueville, opposite the Longueville Private Hospital. It’s a simple set-up, but that’s part of what makes it special: a proper mixed bag of classics, dramas and true stories, no blockbuster franchises in sight, and a room full of neighbours rather than strangers.

Lane Cove Cinema Club, Pottery Lane Performance Space

If you haven’t been to the Pottery Lane Performance Space yet, a Cinema Club night is yet another reason to check it out. Set up to accommodate everything from local theatre performances to music and festival acts, the space boasts a cinema-quality screen and projection, tiered seating plus a cosy atmosphere, all nestled in the heart of Lane Cove.

Cinema Club runs monthly, usually mid-month on a Thursday, with doors at 6.30pm and the screening starting sharp at 7pm. It’s taking a short break in August and September to make way for all the exciting Lane Cove Festival events that will use the space, but it’s back in October with a Halloween-themed screening, followed by the annual Bollywood screening in November as part of Council’s Diwali celebrations.

A highlight of Cinema Club is the breadth of what gets programmed. Past editions have partnered with Awesome Black to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers, hosted a Taiwan Film Festival encore, and worked with the Queer Screen Film Festival on shorts nights. In May, the club hosted a screening of four short films by Chinese-Australian filmmakers, followed by a directors’ Q&A.

Keep an eye on In the Cove for more details on upcoming screenings as they become available. You can also stay in the loop by joining the Cinema Club mailing list.

So grab the popcorn, a sweet treat and head along to see a movie. They’re coming to a local venue near you!