If you’ve ever heard a pretentious cinephile claim the stories of the silver screen “look better on film” then you should point them toward Como’s own Revival House Cinema.

What was once known as Cygnet Cinema until its closure in 2021, stands the art deco heritage theatre that is, this year, enjoying a resurgence.

After great success in its 20-day trial run during Perth’s ‘Strange Festival’, Revival House has reopened to the public showing films Thursday through Sunday every week.

And, being one of Perth’s original ‘talkie’ (soundtracked film) cinemas, Revival House is dedicated to upholding this passion for the movies by showing nothing but 16mm and 35mm film reels.

Rob Denman, Revival House manager and part-owner, believes it was time the former Cygnet was brought back to its roots.

“Revival House is a way of keeping this venue’s past, and bringing that past to the future,” he says.

“There’s a huge demand for the past right now. It’s like vinyl, everything comes back in popularity eventually.”

Twenty-one-year old Como local, and major cinephile, Jordan Passauer, believes nostalgia is a huge factor in the resurgence of vintage cinema.

“When you watch something on film the quality is never going to be as good as digital, but that’s half the appeal. The imperfections make the experience for people. It’s a call back to a simpler time,” she says.

Along with their regular sponsored advertisements, Revival also plays vintage movie trailers and local ads from as far back as the 60’s.

“We’ve collected them for decades,” says Denman. “It’s a lot of fun for people to look back on what the city used to look like and what used to be important to us. Everyone really loves it.”

Passauer says when she talks to audiences from Revival, who are generally a lot older than her, they’re very excited to share not only memories of the venue but what Perth meant to them growing up.

“Revival is a really great way to connect with people, whether they be movie lovers or not,” she says.

Being the only cinema in Perth playing solely film, Denman says they aim to collect as eclectic a collection as possible, so there is something for everyone.

And with more than 50 films on their schedule this August, ranging from 1940’s classics like The Great Dictator to Disney Original’s like The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Revival House is a meeting ground for all ages and all genres of film fans.