Edinburgh film festival to run 'pop-up' at National Gallery
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The EIFF, which will launch its full programme on Wednesday, will be returning to the Filmhouse for the first time since 2022 following its reopening to the public over the weekend after being rescued from closure and undergoing a £2m revamp.
Another long-time festival venue, The Cameo, in Tollcross, will be used again for gala screenings, along with the Vue at the Omni Centre.
The Hawthornden Lecture Theatre will be turned into a 'pop-up' cinema for the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August. (Image: National Galleries of Scotland)
The film festival, which will be running the gallery pop-up in partnership with Fringe venue operator Assembly, will also be running events at the Monkey Barrel Comedy Club in the Old Town.
A new EIFF delegate hub will be created at the Central Hall in Tollcross with the 1000-capacity venue also hosting the EIFF's main in-conversation events with leading actors and filmmakers.
The underground Hawthornden Theatre, which is normally used by the National Galleries for talks and conferences, will be turned into a 'pop-up' cinema for the film festival in the venue, which is beneath The Mound precinct.
The Scottish National Gallery will play host to the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August. (Image: Gillian Hayes)
Specialist projection equipment will be installed at the venue, which was opened in 2004 as part of the Playfair Project to expand the attraction and create an underground link beneath two 19th century buildings on The Mound.
The new EIFF venue, which will have a 150-strong capacity, is expected to host up to five screenings a day in the latest incarnation of the festival, which dates back to 1947.
The event was rebooted last year after a turbulent period since it was suddenly forced to cease trading in October 2022 when the arts charity behind the event, the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), went into administration. The CMI also ran the Filmhouse, which was eventually put up for sale, but has reopened after its new owners agreed a long-term lease allowing it to be brought back to life.
The EIFF went ahead in 2023 as part of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival's programme, before being revived by a new board led by the leading Scottish film producer Andrew Macdonald.
Paul Ridd, who leads the organising of the new-look festival with producer Emma Boa, introduced a number of new innovations in his first year, including partnerships with Fringe venues, and the launch of filmmaking prizes backed by Oscar-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker and the family of Sir Sean Connery.
Mr Ridd said: "We want to bring films and the film festival to a film festival audience, but we also want to reach audiences who are engaging with all the other art forms in August.
"The proximity of the Hawthornden Lecture Theatre within the National Gallery to Fringe venues make it an absolutely opportune space for us to use.
"It's a really beautiful big space and we will be kitting it out state-of-the-art equipment to create a pop-up venue.
"I think it's going to be brilliant and it will renew our commitment to show films in non-traditional spaces as well as in cinemas.
"We will be running screenings throughout the day into the evening.
"The idea with all the spaces that we are using is that we have something going on all the time for a lot of different audiences so they all feel buzzy and exciting."
Anne Lyden, director-general at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: 'We're so excited that the Edinburgh International Film Festival is coming to the National Galleries of Scotland this summer.
'Our mission is to make art work for everyone, and hosting film screenings in the National gallery is a perfect way to bring in a new audience who might not have thought about visiting before.
'The Hawthornden Theatre is the perfect location, a unique space to enjoy films right in the heart of the city centre. We can't wait to welcome the festival this August.'
The Filmhouse was a key venue for the film festival for decades before its sudden closure nearly three years ago.
A group of former staff led a bid to rescue the venue, which reopened on Friday after a campaign backed by stars including Jack Lowden, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Emma Thompson, Dougray Scott, Kate Dickie and Timothy Spall.
Mr Ridd added: "It's wonderful that a key Scottish institution like the Filmhouse is back and that we'll be able to use all four of its screens throughout the festival. It's very exciting and I can't wait to see films in there again.
"It's been inspiring to see the Filmhouse come together again and all the work that the team has done to get it back up and running again. The real magic moment is going to be when we have our first screening in there."
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