BELOVED Edinburgh cinema Filmhouse has released pictures of progress being made to renovate the building.
The iconic venue is reportedly still on schedule to open later this year, after being forced to close in 2022 due to its parent company filing for administration.
Over £320,000 has been raised to support the relaunch of the cinema, with thousands of supporters donating to “Open the Doors” on Lothian Road.
Pictures show work that has been done to strip old flooring and disassemble seats in the soon-to-be refurbished screens.
The Filmhouse had been serving film fans with a wide selection of screenings from across the world for almost 50 years before closing in 2022.
This caused outcry amongst regular visitors and locals, who supported a Crowdfunder to open the doors again.
Since its creation in 2023, the crowdfunder has raised over £320,000, with familiar faces such as Alan Cumming and Brian Cox donating to the cause.
Pictures shared by Filmhouse show that work is well underway in getting the cinema ready to open its doors in June this year.
Changes being made include the creation of a new screen, with all being given new seating and more leg room, as well as improved acoustics and renovated toilets.
One picture shows a window becoming a new fire exit, with another showing a large pile of old seats from Cinema One ready to be “disposed of/recycled accordingly”.
The release from Filmhouse reads: “As the weekend begins, this is just a quick note to let you know we’ve posted a few more images of the progress of the renovation works at 88 Lothian Road here.
“Recruitment of the new staff team continues apace.
“The building works are still pretty much on schedule though there’s a few potential hurdles still to navigate before we can be so bold as to name an opening date.
“But when we can, you’ll be the first to know.”
Though the team have not supplied a concrete opening date, they previously confirmed that works will hopefully finish in late May with doors opening in early June.
We have also been given a sneak peek into the old Guild Room and Guild office, where the newest screen will be created.
The floor of the foyer appears to have been stripped away, as the Filmhouse says: “We loved the old foyer floor, but as too much of it was damaged and not replaceable, it unfortunately had to go.”
