Edinburgh Filmhouse screen 1

Source: Alastair McCrum

Edinburgh Filmhouse screen 1

Edinburgh Filmhouse is on course to re-open its doors on June 27, having been closed for almost three years.

Following a £2m refurbishment, Filmhouse will be back with an additional fourth 24-seat screen and a total capacity of 350 seats. The fourth screen will open later in July as part of a second phase of work. Fundraising also continues for some remaining elements of the project.

The cinema will open with a programme of films missed during the venue’s closure. The Filmhouse team has said further programming will cover world cinema, crowd-pleasers, family films, avant-garde arthouse works, restored classics and curated retrospectives.  The cinema will also look to screen events such as National Theatre Live and live Metropolitan Opera broadcasts for the first time.

Filmhouse will partner with many of Scotland’s film festivals, including Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival, Take One Action, Edinburgh Short Film Festival and Iberodocs Film Festival. Details of Filmhouse’s involvement with this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival are yet to be announced. 

Features of the refurbishment include seating with extra legroom and a bar area able to seat 100 people that serves lunch and dinner. 

The cinema will also announce new membership offers and multiple-tier ticket pricing over the next few weeks. 

Maili Fraser has been appointed as a learning and engagement officer by the cinema, supported by a grant from the City of Edinburgh council.

The revived Filmhouse is led by a team of largely former Filmhouse staff: Filmhouse chair Ginnie Atkinson, head of programming Rod White, cinema strategist at Mustard Studio James Rice, technical manager David Boyd, strategic and financial consultant Mike Davidson and newly-appointed executive director Andrew Simpson.

Edinburgh Filmhouse closed its doors in October 2022, after parent company the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) entered administration. A campaign to save the historic cinema received strong backing from the UK industry, including Jack Lowden and Charlotte Wells, who are Filmhouse patrons, as well as Dougray Scott, Brian Cox and Emma Thompson.

The building was bought by Caledonian Heritable in April 2023. The Filmhouse team signed a minimum 25-lease on the property in July 2024. Screen Scotland and the City of Edinburgh council has backed the cinema’s re-opening, along with £324,000 from a crowdfunder campaign and £1.5m from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund.

“The love for Filmhouse never went away, it was just waiting to be reignited,” said Simpson. ”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.”  

Topics