Ballarat as it was in “extraordinary” footage

BALLARAT cinema icon, Jack Anderson was a big hearted, spirited, generous man who didn’t like to take centre stage.

This is something that artist, filmmaker and creative director of Yum Studio, Erin McCuskey has recently discovered, commissioned by the Regent’s Anderson family to research and pull his story together from archival footage.

“The Andersons discovered a stack of reels,” she said. “They were aware that it was rare for the family to have a birthday or gathering without Jack behind the camera… and some of it they hadn’t seen.”

Bequeathing the collection to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, everything was digitised and McCuskey, in partnership with ACMI, has been able to curate a short film from the archives “about Jack, what he shot and his emotional connections to Ballarat.”

This series of short films and vignettes will be shown for one night only on Thursday, 5 March, 7pm at Regent Cinemas as Large as Life: The Cinematic Legacy of Jack Anderson.

“It’s an extraordinary archive… and it highlights the extraordinary vision that this man had for Ballarat,” McCuskey said.

Mr Anderson grew up in an era where there were four movie theatres to enjoy in Ballarat. Years later he restored the Regent after it had been closed for 10 years and made it a cultural icon.

McCuskey hopes for a huge turnout. All proceeds will go to the Ballarat Arts Foundation.

“This is a really amazing legacy. Come and look at how artists have reinterpreted the archive,” she said.

“Let’s celebrate by showing Ballarat some of Ballarat.”

Tickets are available at the box office or at regentballarat.com.au/film/larger-than-life-the-cinematic-legacy-of-jack-a.