It is heartening for cinephiles to see the former home of the Edinburgh International Film Festival making a comeback.
In 2023, Scotland hosted three major international festivals: the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) and the Edinburgh Television Festival.
According to Screen Scotland, there were 36 film and TV festivals in Scotland in 2023, including 21 that were funded by Screen Scotland or Creative Scotland.
The challenges for arthouse cinemas – and the lockdowns during Covid – led to the collapse of the Filmhouse and the famed festival, supported by Sir Sean Connery, in 2022, when the Lothian Road cinema was forced to close.
After a concerted fund-raising community campaign by Save The Filmhouse, the venue is back showing films. It is supported by local audiences, alongside the UK Government Community Ownership Fund, Creative and Screen Scotland, the Nancie Massie Charitable Trust, Robert Barr Charitable Trust, and The Andersons, as well as City of Edinburgh Council. The fully refurbished cinema was reopened with four screens in 2025.
While Filmhouse in Lothian Road has cultural significance heritage, this is a new organisation and a new venue in the Capital.
The organisation is a registered charity offering educational programmes where those who share a love of film can see films and make connections.
Meanwhile, the organisation’s fundraising is continuing. The good news is that Scotland’s box office for films has rebounded to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Read more from Graham Lironi on the creative industries and Glasgow Film Festival here.