Independent cinema could self-certify films under new plans

An independent cinema may get permission to self-certify films for screening, under plans set to be considered by Edinburgh councillors.

The Filmhouse, on Lothian Road, has to seek permission from councillors to show films that have not been certified by the British Board of Film Classification.

Due to the number of independent films it shows, it needs to request councillors’ permission to screen a film around ten times a month, and up to 50 times during festivals.

And because the approvals can only be granted at a meeting of the licensing sub-committee, it may take up to a month for the cinema to get approval.

The city’s Regulatory Committee will on Friday consider a request from another council committee to change the rules for the Filmhouse’s licence.

Several possible alternatives were identified by the culture and communities committee, which first discussed the issue in August.

One is to change the Filmhouse’s licence to allow it to self-certify non-certified films in-house, ending the requirement that the council consider films for screening altogether.

A report to councillors notes that the “knowledge and dedicated programming experience” provides more robust scrutiny of material than through the council’s approvals process.

Another option would see council officers take over the power to approve or reject films from councillors.

The report notes that this would remove the possibility of an extensive time delay for approving films, while keeping some level of council oversight of film screenings.

Otherwise, the report asks for any solutions that could “alleviate or reduce the administrative burden” placed on councillors, officers and the Filmhouse due to the requirement.

It adds that the policy of having the council approve films is still useful for other forms of media and that the Filmhouse is in a unique situation.

It names the Edinburgh International Film Festival and one-off filmings of film students’ works as situations where the policy still makes sense.