The Mercury cinema in Adelaide’s West End
A destination cinema for serious cinephiles, film industry professionals and events
Mercury Cinema, tucked away next to the bridge at the Lion Arts Centre on the Morphett Street-North Terrace corner, Adelaide city, had stabilised in 2025 as a venue for serious South Australian film goers. Mercury showed classic or notable films by subscription to the Adelaide Cinémathèque film society and curated the Silverscreen programme of contemporary world cinema open to the public. The Mercury was also host for the annual national Screenmakers Conference and the South Australian screen awards.
The Mercury originated from the Media Resource Centre, a not-for-profit member-based film and television training group started in 1974 and one of the earliest members of the Screen Development Australia network. It moved from its first location at 1 Union Street, Adelaide city, to a larger Pirie Street venue in the 1980s to screen local filmmakers’ works as well as other independent, community or hard-to-find international films. It also provided equipment space for filmmakers to work on projects and network with others.
In 1992, the Media Resource Centre moved to Adelaide’s West End and the purpose-built Lion Arts Centre housing numerous arts organisations, including galleries and theatres. the Media Resource Centre also merged with Commedia, a community media organisation.
The 186-seat Mercury and 36-seat Iris Cinema were created next door and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992. With Gail Kovatseff as centre director, the centre closed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when the cinema was renovated and its foyer transformed.
The organisation was rebranded Mercury CX and a new website launched. The Media resource Centre struggled to remain solvent. The Steven Marshall Liberal state government gave emergency funding of $300,000 in 2021 to support ongoing operations but in 2022 the new Peter Malinauskas Labor government refused a request for $700,000 to $1.2 million in annual funding.
Months later, the government offered $50,000 to help keep the organisation afloat. In May 2022, members voted unanimously to oppose closing down the organisation and A Save the Mercury funds campaign was launched by chief executive Karena Slaninka.
A new board from December 2022 was led by former South Australian Film Corporation chair Peter Hanlon and producer Kirsty Stark, and including producers Lisa Scott of Highview productions and Rebecca Summerton of Closer Productions.