On 27 June 2025, Edinburgh Filmhouse will be reopening its doors to the wider public after a £2 million refurbishment.
The Filmhouse will soon have a total capacity of 350 seats. Screens 1, 2, and 3 and all public areas will open on the 27 June, with an additional screen opening in July. The four screens will allow the cinema to have a more wide-ranging programme and they are even available for private screenings and hires.
The Filmhouse’s closure in October 2022 was met with great disdain, as it not only resulted in the loss of an Edinburgh powerhouse but also the temporary loss of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Attempts to salvage the historic cinema cultivated into a three year long campaign. Famous A-List cinephiles who supported this campaign include Charlotte Wells (Director of Aftersun), Jack Lowden (Slow Horse, Dunkirk, The Outrun), Brian Cox (Succession), Dougray Scott (Ever After, Mission Impossible 2) and Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility, Love Actually, need I go on?).
The campaign was funded by a successful “Open the Doors!” Crowdfunder, which raised over £324,000 since September 2023, and a £1.5 million grant from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund (COF). Additional support can also be found from Screen Scotland, Creative Scotland, and the City of Edinburgh Council.
The cinema has been brought back to life by a group consisting of 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.
The group is now joined by newly appointed Executive Director Andrew Simpson and a raft of new staff members. Simpson has shown his true appreciation of in-person celluloid cinema, as he said, “There is an experience of watching film on film that can’t be replicated by digital cinema, despite the advances of that technology,” and, “Audiences want things which are real and authentic and connect them with the history of the media.” (Source: The Guardian)
The cinema rebuild is designed by Unick Architects and built by Clark Contracts.
The cinema will relaunch with a programme of films missed during the venue’s two-and-a-half-year closure.
Not only a place to watch films, Edinburgh Filmhouse is an institution for film enthusiasts that offers an admirable social space, cutting edge cinematic experience, and future for the film lovers of Edinburgh.
Students, as cinema outings make a comeback and faceless corporations fade into the background, it’s more important than ever to show Edinburgh Filmhouse that it’s valued — and that we want it to stay for good!
“Edinburgh Filmhouse (15401688832)” by Peter Sigrist from London, UK is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.