New Filmhouse cinema to be powered by green energy

Plans for a state-of-the-art cinema powered by renewable energy in Edinburgh have been unveiled.

Centre for the Moving Image have lodged plans with Edinburgh City Council for a replacement for the city’s historic Filmhouse cinema, currently situated within a 190-year-old listed church building.

The New Filmhouse, on Festival Square, would initially comprise of five screens, doubling the amount of seats, with a sixth screen planned.

A rooftop terrace and meeting space for events such as the Edinburgh Film Festival have been planned, alongside a cafe bar and restaurant.

The New Filmhouse hopes to attract more than 800,000 visitors each year, working with more than 200 partners and organisations.

The building would operate on a net-zero carbon basis from its opening day, using on and off-site renewable energy to power the cinema.

If approved, construction is hoped to begin in 2023 with the building completed in 2025.

Ken Hay, CEO of Centre for the Moving Image, said: “We want the New Filmhouse to be the catalyst that transforms Festival Square so that it becomes a used and exciting public space.

“This new building itself will generate a lot of life in the square, and we will design the square to be welcoming and work collaboratively with our neighbours, the city council and key cultural partners in managing the use of the Square for the benefit of the people of Edinburgh.

“As a cultural charity with a strong commitment to the social impact of its work we believe Filmhouse will be a great caretaker of what could become a much more inviting and valued public space.

“And our commitment to environmental sustainability means that the building will operate on a net zero carbon basis from its first day of opening.”