Edinburgh's historic Filmhouse saved after UK Government steps in with £1.5m

Work to revamp the art house cinema is planned to get under way in May and could be completed by October – the second anniversary of its sudden closure after its previous operator went into administration.

A new charity created by a group of staff to try to bring the Filmhouse back to life has secured the “transformational” backing of the Government’s Community Ownership Fund, which was created to help groups secure the future of assets at risk of being lost.

Up to 40 jobs are expected to be created in the reborn Filmhouse - which began operating in a former church building in 1978 and became a long-time home for the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The Government funding will be used to install new seating, create extra legroom, add a fourth screen, and revamp the cafe-bar and foyer to create better links between the two spaces.

The £1.5m grant, which is ring-fenced for the improvements to the Lothian Road landmark, means that Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Limited has now raised more than £2.3m since it was launched last September, including more than £250,000 from a public crowdfunder.

The charity’s “Open The Doors” campaign to reopen the Filmhouse went on to win the backing of stars like Brian Cox, Emma Thompson, Alan Cumming, Ewen Bremner, Dougray Scott, Jack Lowden, Greg McHugh, Kate Dickie and Timothy Spall.

An initial fundraising target of £1.25m was set for the end of February in the hope that the Filmhouse could reopen in time to be used for the film festival.

However the timetable was put back in the hope that the Government could fund a more ambitious refurbishment.

The former members of staff – James Rice, Rod White, David Boyd and Ginnie Atkinson – had launched an earlier bid to buy the Filmhouse building after its sudden closure, and formed the new charity at the end of 2022.

The administrators for the Centre for the Moving Image, which previously ran the Filmhouse and the film festival, decided to sell the building to hospitality company Caledonian Heritable last April, but later agreed to lease it out to the charity if it could raise the funding for its revamp plans.

The charity has had access to the building in recent months to allow it to plan the revamp and reopening, which Scottish Government agency Screen Scotland has already agreed to fund to the tune of £300,000.

Ms Atkinson, a former chief executive of the Filmhouse, said: “It would be fantastic if we could open on 6 October, which would be the second anniversary of the Filmhouse closing. That might be a bit pushing it, but we are hoping to reopen by Christmas.

“We thought we wouldn’t hear about this funding application until the end of April, but were told this week that we’d been successful, which is obviously great news. We now have to complete our negotiations with Caledonian Heritable on the lease, but would hope to be able to sign that on 1 May and then start the work the next day.

"We have done quite well with our fundraising, as we have had money from trusts, philanthropists and donors who have seen our crowdfunder, which has been symbolic and extraordinarily important for all sorts of reasons.

“When we applied for UK Government funding the amount we went for was aspirational. To get this will be absolutely transformational for the Filmhouse."

The overall cinema capacity will be reduced from around 450 to 350 when the new seating is installed, with the main screen capable of housing around 200 customers in future.

Ms Atkinson said: "We have to attract new audiences and have to offer them a modern, comfortable cinema experience. People have told us they had stopped coming before the Filmhouse closed because of the torn seats or they couldn’t cross their legs. But they couldn’t see the films that we showed here anywhere else.”

Mr Rice, former Filmhouse programme manager, said: “We are trying to strike a balance between reducing the number of seats and making the Filmhouse experience more comfortable.

"Audiences are much less ready to tolerate cramped viewing conditions when they go to the cinema than they were previously.

“But coming to a refreshed Filmhouse for a meal and a chat with your friends before watching a film together will be a different, larger and better experience compared to anything you can have at home. People are looking for the whole experience we can offer.”

Minister for Scotland Donald Cameron, who visited the Filmhouse for a tour of the building this week, suggested the crowdfunding campaigners to support its reopening had been crucial.

He said: “What really struck the Government about this application was that the Filmhouse had such widespread and varied support.

“There has been a very powerful campaign which has been driven by the community and its long tie-up with the Edinburgh International Film Festival is also very important.

"The type of programme the Filmhouse puts on is unique in Edinburgh. It’s really important that a facility like this is accessible to everyone. It’s partly down to the age of the Filmhouse that it is not as accessible as it should be. The programme of refurbishment will address that. We hope this significant funding will not only just reopen and refurbish the Filmhouse, but reinvigorate it.”

Screen Scotland director David Smith said “That we will have Filmhouse back, better than ever, is a tremendous outcome and all credit goes to the hardworking team that held on to that possibility and made it a reality across the last 18 months.

“We welcome this essential funding from the UK Government for the redevelopment and reopening of the Filmhouse.

"With the Scottish Government’s support, we have worked alongside the Filmhouse team and our colleagues in the council since Caledonian Heritable accepted the proposal to reopen the Filmhouse as a cinema that celebrates film in all its forms.

"Our support enabled the Filmhouse team to dedicate themselves to its reopening, launch the very successful crowdfunding campaign, and draw up both their ambitious plans and the applications that ultimately led to the UK Government’s very welcome award.”

This is wonderful news for the Capital and the campaign to reopen the Filmhouse.

“I’m really pleased that UK Ministers have listened to the positive case to help fund the reopening of the iconic Filmhouse and that this announcement will help to secure this cultural hubs for future generations to enjoy as so many of us have before.

“Congratulations to all involved in the campaign especially the founders of the Filmhouse Charity for the positive work they have taken forward since the cinema closed in 2022.

“I hope this announcement will now provide a path towards realising the reopening of the Filmhouse and like many residents I can’t want to get back to this cultural jewel in the crown in Edinburgh.”

Val Walker, culture convener at Edinburgh City Council, which pledged £60,000 towards the cost of reopening the Filmhouse last year, said: “We all want to see a positive outcome for the Filmhouse and this is a significant step along that road.

“Alongside the wider stakeholder group, we look forward to our continued dialogue and working alongside the Filmhouse.

"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 world’s the great cultural cities and cultural cinema is an integral part of this landscape.”

Miles Briggs, Conservative MSP for the Lothians, said: “This is wonderful news for the city and the campaign to reopen the Filmhouse.

“I’m really pleased that UK Ministers have listened to the positive case to help fund the reopening of the iconic Filmhouse and that this announcement will help to secure this cultural hubs for future generations to enjoy as so many of us have before.

“Congratulations to all involved in the campaign especially the founders of the Filmhouse charity for the positive work they have taken forward since the cinema closed in 2022.

“I hope this announcement will now provide a path towards realising the reopening of the Filmhouse. I can’t want to get back to this cultural jewel in the crown in Edinburgh.”