Edinburgh Filmhouse in the running to be crowned the UK’s best cinema
The much-loved Lothian Road venue has been voted one of the 15 best cinemas in the UK.
Edinburgh’s Filmhouse is in the running to be crowned the UK’s best cinema at a prestigious film awards.
The independent cinema on Lothian Road, which reopened last summer after a two and a half-year closure, has been longlisted for ‘UK Cinema of the Year’ by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
It is one of four Scottish cinemas to be nominated, with the the Hippodrome in Bo’ness , Astoria in Ayr and the Lonsdale in Annan also in the running for the coveted title.
The Filmhouse opened in 1979, and closed in 2022 when its parent company, Centre for the Moving Image, went into administration.
The much-loved venue was saved after grassroots campaign endorsed by celebrities including Brian Cox , Jack Lowden, and Emma Thompson which led to a £1.5 million award from the UK government’s Community Ownership Fund to bring the cinema back to life.
It reopened in June 2025 after a £2m refurbishment, which saw the addition of a fourth screen and a refit of the existing screens, front entrance and the popular café-bar.
In May, cinema bosses said the venue had exceeded expectations for audience numbers in its first year back, welcoming 125,000 people through its doors.
BIFA said the longlist was drawn from almost 50,000 votes and reflected a “UK cinema revival led by young audiences and local communities”.
The awards shortlist is being announced on November 3, and the awards ceremony will take place on December 6.
In a post on social media following the news, the Filmhouse said: “A huge thank you for voting for us as on of the 15 best cinemas in the UK.
“Our team have been reading through some of the lovely words written by voters and it has made us feel so warm and fuzzy inside.”