PLANS for a new £50 million cinema complex that would become the home for the Edinburgh International Film Festival have been unveiled.
The new Edinburgh Filmhouse would feature six screens, allowing the festival to showcase more movies.
Also proposed are a new festival centre, where events could take place year round, as well as a cultural industries hub, a cafe/bar and a rooftop events space.
Film festival bosses hailed the planned new building as a “21st-century temple for film” and said it would “transform what we’re able to do for Edinburgh’s residents and Scotland’s film community”.
The eye-shaped design of the new building is said to reflect the eye on the world that the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) and other events there will provide.
The building – which has been designed by award-winning Edinburgh based Richard Murphy Architects – would be located in Festival Square and take the place of the current Filmhouse on nearby Lothian Road, which opened in 1979.
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Because of the significance of the project, a public consultation on the plans is taking place for 12 weeks to June 3. Filmhouse wants to hear from the Scottish film sector, residents, community groups and others before applying for planning permission after that.
While full costs for the project have still to be worked out, the total bill for the new building is estimated to be in the region of £50m.
It is hoped construction could start in 2023, with the new cinema opening to the public in 2025.
Ken Hay, CEO of Centre for the Moving Image, which incorporates the Filmhouse and Edinburgh International Film Festival, said: “For more than 40 years, Filmhouse has been at the centre of Edinburgh’s cultural life, and for more than 70 years the Edinburgh International Film Festival has been an international beacon for film and film culture.
“This proposed new building will transform what we’re able to do for Edinburgh’s residents and Scotland’s film community, as well as providing Scotland with a physical celebration of the most popular art form.”
Sandy Begbie, chairman of the Centre for the Moving Image, added: “These are very exciting times for the Filmhouse – the opportunity to create a new home for film in Edinburgh, with a landmark building in the city centre.”
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