Community Film Night

“It felt so good to have the grass under your feet, to hear the waves, watch the whalebirds overhead, smell the salt… as well as watching a movie on the big-screen with other people” said one of the patrons of CDANI’s summer outdoor movies the following morning.

Down in the Kingston area, just before 7 pm on Thursday 15th January, people started streaming towards the New Military Barracks in KAVHA with blankets, pillows, deck chairs and picnic baskets for an island night of cinema under the stars. Plenty salan catching up, kids doing cartwheels in the grass, visiting paddlers coming in tired but happy after the day’s events. The set-up was a little unconventional – the projector sitting on a coffee table on the back of an iwi truck and the screen: the side of the Georgian-era Military Barracks, but the sound and movie quality were top-notch. The movie was the screen adaption of Tim Winton’s bestselling book “Blueback”, a story based around an enduring love of the ocean, playing with the sound of the surf in the background! This particular outdoor cinema night also celebrated the Norfolk Ocean Challenge with a montage of thrilling images of the NOC taken by EyeDesign Films’ Luca Fox, who handily also happened to be our projectionist for the night!

The outdoor movie nights are part of the Cultural Development Association of Norfolk Island’s ( that’s a mouthful, CDANI for short) annual cultural program, which in winter includes monthly movies in Cascade Hall, monthly Senior Citizens ‘Crafternoons’, an Artist-in-Residence scheme being developed in association with KAVHA, supporting the Bean Shed Creative workshops, and later in 2026 we hope to present a Children’s Festival. Events are free for a yearly membership of only $20, and if you are interested in becoming a member or volunteering you can contact secretary@cdani.org, or memberships are available at the door.

Our next Cinema under the Stars will be Friday February 6th , featuring NZ movie ‘Tina’ .

Thanks to Baunti Tours for the loan of audio equipment, KAVHA and NIRC for their kind assistance (and a NIRC community grant for our beautiful projector) and all of our volunteers who keep these events running so smoothly for visitors and locals to enjoy! Source: Norfolk Online News. 20 January 2026.