The parent charity behind Edinburgh Filmhouse and Edinburgh International Film Festival, Centre for the Moving Image, ceased trading yesterday (October 6). The day meant that two of Scotland’s most influential independent cinemas, Aberdeen’s Belmont Filmhouse and Edinburgh Filmhouse, have closed.
The news came as a shock to many as Edinburgh’s beloved venue shut its doors. As a result, 102 employees lost their jobs overnight. Centre for the Moving Image stated the reasons for going into administration as the post-pandemic effects with profit figures plummeting by 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels, followed by the cost of living crisis. The energy bills and inflation were listed as reasons for increasing financial problems and debt.
The CMI was founded in 2010 with a vision to create more opportunities for people to engage with film and the moving image locally, nationally and internationally.
What is more, Edinburgh International Film Festival is the oldest-running film festival in the UK, and just weeks ago we celebrated its 75th anniversary. While the administrators are seeking new buyers for the film festival and the historic Filmhouse, the future of either is still uncertain.
Centre for the Moving Image board announced: ‘Unfortunately, the combination of sharply increasing energy and other costs, together with the lasting impacts of the pandemic and the rapidly emerging cost-of-living crisis affecting cinema attendances means that we have had no other option but to appoint administrators.’
While Edinburgh Filmhouse is now closed, it has remained a steady presence within the capital’s cinema scene, as well as its reasonably priced cafe and bar. Filmhouse Cafe & Bar was not only a place for film lovers, but it was also a place for writers, artists and locals to gather with kind, friendly staff.