Filmhouse Edinburgh has always been more than a cinema; it’s both a symbol and a celebration of the brilliance and diversity of the art of film and the power of the cinematic experience to change the way we look at life.
As Scotland’s leading arthouse cinema, Filmhouse remains true to its roots, even in today’s world of the all-encompassing blockbuster: we are unafraid to take risks and ask audiences to join us on a journey of discovery.
Emerging from the Edinburgh Film Guild and intrinsically linked with the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Filmhouse occupies a special place in Scotland’s rich cultural landscape, residing in a former church in the heart of Edinburgh since 1978.
The Filmhouse programme includes around 700 films and events every year and is extraordinarily eclectic: from quality crowd-pleasers and family films to esoteric art house works, via restored classics, retrospectives and themed seasons and festivals. Uniquely, we can screen work digitally and from film (35mm, 16mm or 70mm). Our education and learning department offers a range of screenings, workshops, courses and events for all ages.
Alongside our year-round programme and visiting seasons and festivals, Filmhouse also hosts special events, such as the Scottish Premieres of Sunset Song with Agyness Deyn, Noah with Russell Crowe, and the recent UK Premiere of Ewan McGregor’s directorial debut, American Pastoral, which achieved global press coverage.
One of the jewels in our crown is, of course, hosting the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the world’s oldest continually running film festival, each June. New international cinema, retrospective and country focus strands, industry activity and high-profile guests bring a certain sparkle to proceedings to Filmhouse, and Edinburgh, for ten days each year.
Filmhouse also supports quality programming further afield: lending our programming and technical expertise to our sister cinema Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen, as well as other independent cinemas throughout Scotland; collaborating with over 30 programme partners each year who deliver special events, festivals, tours and collaborations (including Scottish Mental Health in the Arts Festival, Edinburgh Asian Film Festival, Scottish Queer International Film Festival).
In the past year our Moving Cinema project – a partnership with A Bao A Qu (Barcelona), Meno Avilys (Lithuania) and Os Filhos de Lumiere (Portugal) has aimed to attract new young audiences to see European cinema. This not only develops knowledge about European film amongst a group of young people in each city but also encourages them as Young Programmers to curate, promote and host their own screenings.
With all of the challenges in mind, we will continue to programme as we always have – innovatively, inclusively, radically and with integrity – and take film lovers and film makers with us.
http://www.filmhousecinema.com/
Find out who is Filmhouse’s ambassador here.
