Edinburgh Filmhouse reopens after three-year fight to save cinema

The Edinburgh Filmhouse reopened on Friday for the first time in nearly three years.

Originally opened in a repurposed church in 1978, the Lothian Road cinema was shuttered following the collapse of its parent charity Centre for the Moving Image.

That prompted a campaign involving A-list stars to first save the Filmhouse, and then to complete a much-needed refurbishment to get the building into a place where it could open again.

Since then, the building has undergone a £2m refurbishment, which has seen a complete internal refit to the public areas and screens, and “substantial” repairs to the roof and stonework.

The Edinburgh Filmhouse has undergone major renovations. Rod White

All three existing screens have also been given a makeover, as have the café and bar area, which bosses hope will be crucial in making the Filmhouse financially sustainable.

A brand new fourth screen, based in a disused office space, is set to open in the coming weeks.

Executive director Andrew Simpson told STV News: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be bringing Filmhouse back to the people of Edinburgh.

“I think people know by now that it’s been an incredibly long journey to get the cinema to this point. A lot of hard work has been done by an awful lot of people.”

The refurbishment came in at a cost of £2m, partly funded by more than £300,000 in crowdfunding.

Other grants from both the UK Government and Scottish Government agencies have also been crucial to get to this stage.

Friday’s reopening follows a three-year campaign backed by film lovers from around the world and leading actors including Filmhouse patrons Jack Lowden, Charlotte Wells, Brian Cox and Emma Thompson.

Filmhouse chair Ginnie Atkinson said: “It’s been a huge team effort, that lovely phrase ‘it takes a village’ because we had a hugely successful crowdfunded.

“That gave us real faith that people wanted Filmhouse back, the donations were incredible.

“The number of people who told us how much they wanted Filmhouse open again really inspired us on the road.”

The opening weeks of the Filmhouse re-opening will be a chance to screen some of the films that haven’t been shown for the last two-and-a-half years, but also to re-visit some classics.

It also opens the opportunity to not only show new blockbusters in 4K, but to watch all sorts of movies in formats like 35mm and 70mm.

Furthermore, it’s hoped a number of festivals will be able to make use of the facilities.