The Edinburgh International Film Festival has been shut down with immediate effect, with the Edinburgh Filmhouse and the Belmont Cinema in Aberdeen also forced to stop trading.
The news comes just a few months after the festival celebrated its 75th anniversary. The Edinburgh International Film Festival is the world’s oldest continually running film festival. In 2008, it moved from August – alongside the broader Edinburgh arts festivals – to June.
The news comes just a few months after the festival celebrated its 75th anniversary. The Edinburgh International Film Festival is the world’s oldest continually running film festival. In 2008, it moved from August – alongside the broader Edinburgh arts festivals – to June.
Centre for the Moving Image, the charity behind the festival, has called in administrators, citing a “perfect storm” as the reason for their now inescapable financial predicament. Over 100 staff have lost their jobs as a result of the decision. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs she was “hugely concerned” by the news. Rising costs and severely reduced trade caused by the Covid pandemic have largely led to the move. The Edinburgh Filmhouse was opened in 1979 in a disused former church. Ever since it has acted as a base for the city’s film festival.BREAKING: Administrators have been called in after the financial collapse of the charity behind @edfilmfest & the @Filmhouse cinemas in Edinburgh & Aberdeen. My @scotsman_arts story: https://t.co/uvit6vPpWs @TheScotsman @screenscots @CreativeScots @culturescotgov pic.twitter.com/uWOAkmWLQj
— Brian Ferguson (@brianjaffa) October 6, 2022
