Edinburgh's Filmhouse: Council contributes £60,000 towards bid to reopen city's much-loved arthouse cinema

Council funding boosts hopes of reviving Filmhouse ahead of Edinburgh International Festival

Edinburgh city council is to contribute £60,000 towards the re-opening of the Filmhouse cinema.

The grant will help pay for a planned refurbishment of the much-loved Lothian Road venue, which closed suddenly in October last year after its parent charity, the Centre for Moving Image (CMI), went into administration. It is the council’s first financial support for the efforts to revive the Filmhouse and will be a major boost to hopes of getting the doors open again in time for next year's Edinburgh International Festival.

New charity Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd, set up by a group of former staff, has now raised half of the £1.25 million it says is needed for the refurbishment. A public crowdfunder appeal has so far raised £190,000 towards a target of £250,000.

The city council is giving £60,000 towards the bid to reopen the Filmhouse cinema following its closure in October last year.

The council said it had been working closely with key stakeholders since the closure to secure a future for cultural cinema in the Capital. The option to support a renewed Filmhouse was included in a report agreed by the council’s culture committee in May as part of a wider allocation of resources. The council said it would continue to monitor progress in the coming months and work with Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd, Screen Scotland, the Scottish Government, and other partners.

Culture convener Val Walker said: “We’re delighted to see the progress of the fundraising campaign and to be in a position to contribute as a council. Crucially, this funding is in-budget and has been agreed by elected members. Alongside the wider stakeholder group, we look forward to our continued dialogue and working with Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd.

“We’re committed to having a home for cultural cinema in the heart of the city and for the wider sector going forward. Edinburgh is rightly one of the great cultural cities of the world and cultural cinema is a key part of this landscape.”

The announcement was welcomed by the directors of Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd. In a statement, they said: "This is fantastic news and everyone who has their heart in the campaign will want to thank the council for this tangible commitment to opening the doors of Filmhouse once more. Filmhouse, as a cultural institution that celebrates the art of film alongside the other art forms supported in Edinburgh, aims to re-open as soon as the total necessary funds have been raised.

“We plan to provide the broad range of cultural cinema that the city is lacking just now, as well as to host the diverse group of specialist and community film festivals which have been missing their longstanding home on Lothian Road. The funds are needed for a full refurbishment of the cinemas and public areas, including the much-loved cafe-bar."

Screen Scotland director David Smith said his organisation and the council had worked together over the past year to support the return of the Filmhouse. “It is a vital resource for Edinburgh and Scotland, providing a home for filmmakers, film lovers and film festivals, and a hub for film education. Its absence is keenly felt by us all, and Screen Scotland continues to work for its revival. Its return would signify not just the reopening of a cinema, but the return of a vital home for the art form.”