Following a £2 million refurbishment, Edinburgh’s Filmhouse has confirmed that it will reopen its doors on Friday 27 June.

Positioning itself as a ‘home for community connection and cinematic discovery,’ the Lothian Road mainstay is aiming to once again secure its position as a hub for cinema in Scotland, with the addition of a fourth screen and full refurbishments in screens one, two and three. The building’s café-bar will also be fully refurbished to fit 100 patrons. 

The opening is the culmination of a three-year long campaign to reopen the cinema after its sudden closure in October 2022, following the liquidation of its parent company Centre For Moving Image (CMI). CMI blamed rising costs and falling profits for its closure, which resulted in the loss of more than a hundred staff and the closure of Edinburgh’s Filmhouse, Aberdeen’s Belmont Filmhouse and the Edinburgh International Film Festival (which returned in a scaled-back form a year later). Since then, various campaigns have been undertaken to secure funding for the cinema, and have included support from patrons Jack Lowden and Charlotte Wells, as well as Dougray Scott, Brian Cox, and Emma Thompson. 

Funding for the refurbishment initially came from a crowdfunder campaign titled ‘Open the Doors!’, which raised more than £324,000 in September 2023. The project also received funding from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund (COF), which has supported community groups to take ownership of assets and amenities at risk of being lost. COF granted Filmhouse £1.5 million, with other capital funding coming from donations trusts. Further project support came from Screen Scotland, Creative Scotland, and the City Of Edinburgh Council. 

The Filmhouse's first season of screenings  will consist of future classics that the cinema missed out on screening during its two-and-a-half year absence. It will also once again partner with Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival, Take One Action, Edinburgh Short Film Festival and Iberodocs Film Festival amongst others.  

Andrew Simpson, Executive Director of Filmhouse, said: ’The love for Filmhouse never went away, it was just waiting to be reignited. 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.’

We weighed in on the Filmhouse debate in our latest Mouthpiece, writing, ‘A klaxon-loud sentiment of “use it or lose it” needs to exist at the heart of every community-focused venture, but so should there be an irresistible lure that tempts people away from the city’s well-kept but anodyne cinema chains. Within its revamp, let’s hope that a communication plan is in place that transforms its café-bar and shiny new screens into a living room for the city where all manner of niches can rub shoulders with the mainstream; where the film anoraks can grab a pint with the casuals, and low-budget passion projects can enjoy the same buzz as blockbuster releases. More than simply reopening its doors, the Filmhouse needs to make itself invaluable again.’ Read the full column here.

Main picture: Alastair McCrum.