A ravishing account of the birth of Australian surf culture, and the accompanying indie film movement.

Sydney Film Festival Review “ The film begins with a brief present-day sequence, of someone viewing and splicing a reel of film, before we are plunged into archival footage, taken from the films of the 1960s-1980s. This footage is beautiful — 16mm shots of surfers in remote beaches, of the sun rising and setting, and imagery of the water on its own. It’s good that the visuals are gorgeous, because this, largely, is all we see for 81 minutes. If you have no interest in videos of surfers, this is not the movie for you. As we watch these images, we hear the voices of various people who were a part of surf culture, of the films we are watching. They are kept offscreen until the end, which is an effective ploy."     

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE YESTERDAY combines hundreds of hours of lovingly restored 16mm surfing footage with a salt-infused soundscape by Headland. This cinematic poem tells the story of a wild Aussie community who took off up the coast and discovered a whole new way to live. Going back to the never-before-seen camera reels to ask the question - what do we keep and what do we leave behind?

Featuring Tim Winton, Wayne Lynch, Bob McTavish, Albe Falzon, Evelyn Rich, Maurice Cole and many more. Inspired by Moonage Daydream and Jen Peedom's Mountain.

PRODUCERS: Alex Saks, Christy Hall, Jamey Heath
DIRECTOR: Justin Baldoni
WITH: Jenny Slate, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Hasan Minhaj, Amy Morton

Documentary 78 mins Australia

Our theatre is inviting; cool in summer, cosy in winter. 2K Digital Projection with Dolby 5.1 Audio.

Our volunteers open the theatre doors and box office 30 minutes before the start time of each session.

Door sales if available from 30 minutes before the start of each session. If you want to check if seats are available phone 825 0023, from 30 minutes before the start of each session.

Due to our small capacity we recommend that reserves are made using the web reservation system as shown below.

There are no allocated seats. Arrive early to get the seat that's right for you from our eclectic collection of couches, reception and other chairs.

There is a café with juice, Bundaberg drinks, popcorn plus yummy food on sale. Most sessions are licensed with wine, cider and beer available.

Pay at the door by cash or EFTPOS.

The office is open Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 2pm for pre-purchase of tickets or to pay for reserves.

We accept online reserve requests up to about 1 pm on the day of screening provided the session isn't already full.

Online reserves are available for payment from 30 minutes before the start of a session to 15 minutes before the start.

From 15 minutes before the start they will be resold if the session is full.