A SCREEN ICON RETURNS! SCOTLAND’S FLAGSHIP CINEMA, ‘FILMHOUSE’ IN EDINBURGH REOPENS ITS DOORS TO THE PUBLIC ON 27 JUNE 2025
REOPENING MARKS THE CULMINATION OF A THREE-YEAR ‘OPEN THE DOORS’ CAMPAIGN THAT HAS ATTRACTED ATTENTION AND SUPPORT FROM CINEMA’S FINEST TALENT AND FILM FANS BOTH LOCALLY AND AROUND THE WORLD
THE MUCH-LOVED FILM HUB ENTERS A NEW ERA WITH A NEW OUTLOOK AND NEWLY REFURBISHED SCREENS
This summer marks the long-anticipated return of Scotland’s leading independent cinema. On 27 June 2025, Filmhouse opens its doors and looks to the future as a home for community connection and cinematic discovery.
Following a £2 million refurbishment, Filmhouse returns with new leadership, a vision which builds on the venue’s legacy as a space for learning and discovery, and a commitment to building a sustainable future for this iconic cultural landmark.
With, ultimately, a total capacity of 350 seats, the venue will once again be a hub for film enthusiasts, offering a cutting-edge cinematic experience, a vibrant social space, and a platform for film lovers and filmmakers to engage with the very best in global cinema. Previously a three-screen venue, the new Filmhouse will become a four-screen cinema and will be unveiling a fourth screen with a capacity of 24, allowing for an even more expansive programme, as well as being available for private screenings and hires.
Opening on 27th June are the beautifully refurbished screens 1, 2 and 3 and all the public areas. Screen 4 will open later in July as part of a second phase of work and fundraising also continues for some remaining elements of the project.
Following its closure in October 2022, the reopening of Filmhouse marks the culmination of a three-year long campaign to save the historic cinema backed by film lovers in Edinburgh, Scotland, and around the world and by A-list film talent including patrons Jack Lowden and Charlotte Wells, as well as Dougray Scott, Brian Cox, and Emma Thompson.
The cinema will relaunch with a programme of films missed during the venue’s two-and-a-half-year closure.
The cinema has been brought back to life by a group consisting of Filmhouse Chair Ginnie Atkinson, Head of Programming Rod White, cinema strategist at Mustard Studio, James Rice, Technical Manager David Boyd, and strategic financial consultant, Mike Davidson.
The group is now joined by newly appointed Executive Director Andrew Simpson and a raft of new staff members. The cinema rebuild is designed by Unick Architects and built by Clark Contracts.
This next chapter for Filmhouse has been shaped by extensive research, expert consultation, and overwhelming community and industry support that emerged in the wake of its closure – notably through the Open the Doors crowdfunding campaign.
A successful campaign
With support from Screen Scotland, the reopening of Filmhouse began with the Filmhouse team negotiating with the building’s owners, Caledonian Heritable, to lease the building back for a minimum twenty-five-year period as a modern cinema space, before raising capital funding to refurbish the building.
Funding came from a successful ‘Open the Doors!’ Crowdfunder campaign which launched in September 2023 and has raised over £324,000. The project also fitted the criteria for 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 a raft of donations and from Trusts.
Further project support came from major funder Screen Scotland and Creative Scotland, and the City of Edinburgh Council.
In July 2024, the cinema’s 25-year extendable lease was signed, and in February this year contractor, Clark Contracts, began refurbishment work on the cinema.
State-of-the-art facilities in a historic building
Filmhouse’s historic home is a repurposed church on Edinburgh’s Lothian Road which has been a cinematic landmark since 1978. Originally opening with a single 90-seat screen, the venue expanded over the years to include three screens, a bustling café-bar and a welcoming front entrance, becoming a cherished gathering place for filmgoers.
Before the relaunch of the cinema, the building has undergone substantial repair work to the roof and stonework alongside an entire refit inside the cinema.
Filmhouse’s technical capabilities include 70mm, 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, and digital projection. The cinema also includes a Clipster Unit for creating Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) required for festival and theatrical distribution.
Comfortable seats and a new food and drink offer
Comfort has been prioritised across the new Filmhouse. Film-lovers can expect extra legroom and comfortable seats across the cinema’s screens, alongside a completely reworked foyer space.
The Filmhouse Bar has also been completely refurbished and will be able to seat 100 people for lunch and dinner, with drinks available throughout the day, catering for the many communities who enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, and placing an emphasis on produce from Edinburgh and Scotland, offering great food and drink alongside environmental sustainability. Filmhouse fans will be pleased to know that the cinema’s world-famous nachos are staying put too.
The cinema will announce new membership offers and multiple-tier ticket pricing over the next few weeks.
A wide-ranging film programme
Filmhouse has long been celebrated as a cultural cornerstone, showcasing world cinema in all its brilliance and diversity, from crowd-pleasing favourites and family films to avant-garde arthouse works, restored classics, and curated retrospectives.
Filmhouse will once again partner with many of Scotland’s film festivals offering technical and marketing packages for Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival, Take One Action, Edinburgh Short Film Festival and Iberodocs Film Festival amongst others.
Alongside this, the cinema will also look to screen events such as National Theatre Live and live Metropolitan Opera broadcasts for the first time, with more details to be confirmed in the coming months.
Details of Filmhouse’s involvement with this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival are yet to be announced.
Embedded in the community for everyone
Filmhouse will continue to prioritise its education and outreach work with facilities to inspire anyone with an interest in film.
A Learning & Engagement Officer has been appointed by the cinema, supported by a grant from the City of Edinburgh Council, and there will be forthcoming collaboration with the National Film and Television School’s Sean Connery Talent Lab, whose graduation shows will take place at the Filmhouse this summer.
The stage is set, the screens are ready, and the story of Filmhouse continues.
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.”
Patron Jack Lowden said: “Filmhouse is a place utterly dedicated to the promotion and celebration of independent cinema. Films need to be watched, not just made. Now, after months of hard work, the incredible team at Filmhouse have managed to pull one of Scotland’s few truly independent cinemas back fae the brink.
“To have such a place on the streets of our capital providing the platform to give our world class filmmakers and storytellers the lift off they need, and continue to ask the big questions of ourselves through cinema, is exciting and vital.”
Patron Charlotte Wells has said: “The Filmhouse was an essential part of my own story and I’m delighted it can continue to be that for others too through its film and education programming and its role as a public forum for film lovers.
David Smith, Director of Screen Scotland said: “Reopening Filmhouse has been the mission for many people across the last three years.
“From the moment it closed the Screen Scotland team were working to get Filmhouse back. In the end that effort, our support, became focused around Ginnie, Rod, James and David and it was those four individuals who put in hours upon hours of hard work that made it a reality.
“Edinburgh – and everyone who loves film – owes them and the thousands of people who supported their crowdfunder a huge thank you. The revitalised, reimagined, reborn Filmhouse will bring back all that was lost and much more, and once again be the heart and home for cinema culture in Edinburgh.”
Councillor Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “It is wonderful that the Filmhouse will be opening its doors once again. I am sure that many people across Edinburgh and beyond will be looking forward to this event.
“This much-loved cinema is both a community hub and cultural asset for the city. Its refurbishment will allow even more people enjoy the magic of global cinema in the heart of the city. I look forward to seeing the programme of events that will be on offer once the Filmhouse opens for business.”
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: “It’s blockbuster news that the much cherished Filmhouse in Edinburgh is re-opening its doors after three years.
“Thanks to £1.54 million UK Government funding and much hard work from the Filmhouse team and partners, cinema-goers are set for a thrilling experience in a fully refurbished venue that meets modern audience expectations. I can’t wait to take in a movie there.”
