Latest news with #EdinburghFilmhouse
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Filmhouse announces new opening date following
The Edinburgh Filmhouse is set to reopen this month following a £2 million refurbishment. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The independent cinema at 88 Lothian Road first opened in 1979 and operated for over 40 years before closing in October 2022 following the collapse of umbrella company Centre for the Moving Image (CMI). But following a major refurbishment, it is now set to reopen on June 27, with a fourth screen being added to the historic venue in July. The cinema's sudden closure prompted a grassroots campaign to save the beloved venue and established the new charity, Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd, set up by a group of former staff. The group's Open The Doors campaign launched in September 2023 and saw huge public support, generating more than £325,000 to refurbish the venue, with the charity also securing £1.4million from the UK Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund and £60,000 from the Edinburgh City Council. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Edinburgh Filmhouse will reopen its doors on June 27 | NW Work on the building started earlier this year, with scaffolding taken down from the front of the venue last week. The project includes reducing the total seating capacity to 350 to make it more comfortable for visitors, 'a completely reworked foyer space' and a newly improved Filmhouse bar with 100 covers. Newly appointed executive director Andrew Simpson said: 'The love for Filmhouse never went away, it was just waiting to be reignited. The incredible response to its closure showed us how vital this space is, not just for Edinburgh, but for audiences across Scotland and beyond. 'We are returning with fresh energy, a clear plan for the future, and a commitment to delivering world-class film experiences for everyone. Filmhouse belongs to its community, and we're excited to welcome people back.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The cinema was been brought back to life by several key individuals including Filmhouse chair, Ginnie Atkinson, head of programming, Rod White, cinema strategist at Mustard Studio, James Rice, technical manager David Boyd, and strategic financial consultant, Mike Davidson. In July 2024, the team agreed a 25-year lease with the cinema's new owners, Caledonian Heritable Ltd and soon after appointed Clark Contracts to transform the iconic cinema. Screen 1 of the newly refurbished Edinburgh Filmhouse | Rod White David Smith, director of Screen Scotland said: 'Reopening Filmhouse has been the mission for many people across the last three years. From the moment it closed the Screen Scotland team were working to get Filmhouse back. In the end that effort, our support, became focused around Ginnie, Rod, James and David and it was those four individuals who put in hours upon hours of hard work that made it a reality. 'Edinburgh – and everyone who loves film – owes them and the thousands of people who supported their crowdfunder a huge thank you. The revitalised, reimagined, reborn Filmhouse will bring back all that was lost and much more, and once again be the heart and home for cinema culture in Edinburgh.' Councillor Margaret Graham, culture and communities convener, said: 'It is wonderful that the Filmhouse will be opening its doors once again. I am sure that many people across Edinburgh and beyond will be looking forward to this event. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This much-loved cinema is both a community hub and cultural asset for the city. Its refurbishment will allow even more people enjoy the magic of global cinema in the heart of the city. I look forward to seeing the programme of events that will be on offer once the Filmhouse opens for business.'
The National
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Re-opening date announced for Edinburgh Filmhouse cinema
Edinburgh's iconic Filmhouse cinema, in the Tollcross area of the capital, has been shut since October 2022 when its parent company collapsed. The cinema has since undergone a £2 million refurbishment following the success of the Edinburgh Filmhouse charity's "Open the Doors!" crowdfunder campaign, which raised more than £324,000 since being launched in September 2023. The charity also received funding from Screen Scotland, Creative Scotland and the City Of Edinburgh Council, as well as £1.5m from the UK Government's Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund, with the rest of the money coming from donations and trusts. On Thursday, it was announced that the Filmhouse will officially re-open its doors to the public on June 27. It will re-launch with a special programme of films which were missed during the venue's closure. The renovation included a full refurbishment of the three existing cinema spaces, including installing new seating to create extra legroom for cinemagoers, the addition of a fourth room for screenings, and the renovation of the cafe-bar and foyer spaces. READ MORE: Edinburgh Filmhouse signs 25-year lease ahead of reopening While the three screens will open to the public on June 27, the new fourth screen is expected to open later in July. The cinema is also under new leadership, with Filmhouse chair Ginnie Atkinson, head of programming Rod White, cinema strategist James Rice, technical manager David Boyd, and strategic financial consultant Mike Davidson. A new executive director, Andrew Simpson, has also been appointed. The campaign to save the cinema has been backed by stars including patrons Jack Lowden and Charlotte Wells, as well as Brian Cox, Emma Thompson, Alan Cumming and Timothy Spall. Jack Lowden Commenting, Lowden (above) said: "Filmhouse is a place utterly dedicated to the promotion and celebration of independent cinema. Films need to be watched, not just made. "Now, after months of hard work, the incredible team at Filmhouse have managed to pull one of Scotland's few truly independent cinemas back fae the brink. "To have such a place on the streets of our capital providing the platform to give our world class filmmakers and storytellers the lift off they need, and continue to ask the big questions of ourselves through cinema, is exciting and vital.' READ MORE: 'Brave and powerful' documentary on Gaza protests to have Scottish premiere Filmhouse executive director Andrew Simpson said: 'The love for Filmhouse never went away, it was just waiting to be reignited. "The incredible response to its closure showed us how vital this space is, not just for Edinburgh, but for audiences across Scotland and beyond. "We are returning with fresh energy, a clear plan for the future, and a commitment to delivering world-class film experiences for everyone. "Filmhouse belongs to its community, and we're excited to welcome people back.' David Smith, director of Screen Scotland said: 'Reopening Filmhouse has been the mission for many people across the last three years. From the moment it closed the Screen Scotland team were working to get Filmhouse back. "In the end that effort, our support, became focused around Ginnie, Rod, James and David and it was those four individuals who put in hours upon hours of hard work that made it a reality. "Edinburgh – and everyone who loves film – owes them and the thousands of people who supported their crowdfunder a huge thank you. "The revitalised, reimagined, reborn Filmhouse will bring back all that was lost and much more, and once again be the heart and home for cinema culture in Edinburgh.' The Filmhouse first opened as a cinema in 1978. The building, which was formerly a church, has also undergone significant repair work to the roof and the stonework.
Scotsman
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Filmhouse reopening plans revealed with programme of films 'missed' during 2-year closure
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Edinburgh's reborn art house cinema is to finally reopen next month after a £1.7 million refurbishment, launching with a programme of films 'missed' during the venue's two-and-a-half-year closure. Directors of the Edinburgh Filmhouse said building work was on schedule for a June opening. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Edinburgh's Filmhouse cinema has been closed for two-and-a-half years The soft launch will include up to a week of screenings of major films from the past two-and-a-half years, including Brady Corbet's The Brutalist, on 70mm film using historic equipment from the cinema's pre-digital days, ahead of a 'major and very visible celebratory' launch event. The cinema, on Edinburgh's Lothian Road, closed in October 2022 when its parent company, Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), went into administration. The new Filmhouse will include a revamped bar and cafe area, as well as an additional fourth screen, which will give the cinema capacity to expand its programme, directors Andrew Simpson and Rod White said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Work on the building, which is largely cosmetic, started earlier this year. Builders have stripped out 'historic complexities' from the building, including what Mr White described as '50 years of telephone cables'. 'The idea was that it was well planned enough that it would be delivered in a very tight timeframe,' said Mr Simpson. 'And I think we're making good progress. Slightly more than two weeks ago, it was just a shell. And the last few weeks things have started to go in.' Mr White added: 'Most things that could have gone wrong haven't. We're quite confident that we're on a timeline now that is achievable. 'They were just empty rooms for a while, but you can start to see now what the auditoriums are going to feel like. It's got a cinematic energy to it now, which is really good.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The box office has been reduced in size due to the popularity for online ticketing and a fourth 'bijou' screen has been created, with capacity of just 24, which will available for private screenings and rental. Meanwhile the three main screens have been reduced in capacity, from around 450 seats to 350. This has allowed for larger, more comfortable seating. Edinburgh's Filmhouse cinema has been closed for two-and-a-half years However, Mr White and Mr Simpson are adamant they do not want to rival luxury cinemas, such as the Everyman, which in recent years has opened Scottish branches in Edinburgh and Glasgow, charging up to £17.95 for an adult ticket. 'We're not going for that,' said Mr White. 'We feel it's inappropriate for a public cinema like Filmhouse to be going for that luxury end of the market. We're a far more egalitarian organisation than that. But at the same time, we very much embrace comfort. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The key thing is just to give more comfort than was the case before, which is, is, you know, it was admittedly a problem before that the screens were a bit cramped. They no longer are, but it's not what you would call Everyman-style luxury.' Mr White said pricing was still to be confirmed, but that it would be 'very competitive within the city'. 'It will certainly be nothing approaching the higher end prices you get in some cinemas,' he said. Mr Simpson added: 'It's a space for the communities of Edinburgh to to meet and socialise and to discover the full diversity of cinema.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Generated image of what the Filmhouse will look like after renovation, | Clark Contracts The make-up of the Filmhouse's programming is likely to be broadly along the lines of its previous incarnation. 'It sounds boring to say that it would be a version of what it was,' said Mr White, who was head of programming at the Filmhouse before its closure. 'But I happen to think there wasn't an awful lot wrong with what it was.' He added: 'Certainly it won't be more commercial or anything like that. Because we have more screens, we will have a bit more flexibility to go both ways, perhaps into slightly more commercial territory or or even the other way. So it will be very similar, there'll just be a bit more of it.' Many small film festivals, such as the Spanish Film Festival, which were historically an integral part of the cinema's calendar, have already been booked in for the coming year. But Mr White said he was keen to 'invite them all back'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There's a whole load of them returning,' he said. 'And that's very much an area that that we would hope to develop.' The cinema also hopes to capitalise on its ability to show older films on 35mm and 70mm film - as well as some newer releases, like The Brutalist, which was launched simultaneously on film and digitally. While many cinemas scrapped their old machinery at the advent of digital cinema in the mid 2000s, the Filmhouse was one of few cinemas in Scotland and the only one in Edinburgh to retain its projectors, some of which date back to the 1950s. Mr White said there was a 'growing and booming' demand for films being shown non-digitally. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'There are rare prints and archives all over the world that Filmhouse is equipped to show. There's a whole lot of people out there who very much enjoy watching films on the formats in which they were created. Keeping those legacy formats alive is something that the Filmhouse has always been involved in.' The cinema has had a difficult time in recent years. Hopes of reviving the venue as a cinema appeared to be dashed nearly two years ago when it was sold by administrators to pub operator Caledonian Heritable. However, the company, which owns The Dome, Ryan's Bar and the Theatre Royal in the city centre, agreed to lease out the building to the new charity.
