Matt Dann Theatre & Cinema

The Matt Dann Theatre & Cinema was officially opened on Feb 26 1988. As a shared facility, owned by the Department of Education and operated by Town of Port Hedland, we have been providing the latest movies and live shows to the residents of Port Hedland for over 25 years.

The Matt Dann Theatre & Cinema is named in honour of Matt (Matthias) Dann, a man of Aboriginal descent from Nyul - Nyul tribe on his mother's side and Philippine descent on his father's side, who came to Port Hedland from Beagle Bay in 1927. He and his wife Belinda raised six children. In 1942, along with other local Aboriginal residents, he successfully pioneered primary school education for Aboriginal people in Port Hedland. Prior to that time he was a bosun on the pearling supply schooner "Geraldton". In the 1960's during construction phase, Matt Dann was a leading hand for Goldsworthy Mining's Finucane Island wharf operations.