Former employees at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh announced their plans. 

A group of former employees have announced plans to start a charity which could see an historic filmhouse in Edinburgh reopened. 

The Filmhouse Cinema and Café Bar in Edinburgh, which has been shut since late last year, could be revived by a team of four former staff. 

Led by former chief executive Ginnie Atkinson, the team has created a new charity which aims to take over the running of the building. 

The group told the Scotsman newspaper that they are in “advance discussions” over a long-term lease, which could see the art house cinema revived. 

The Filmhouse is home of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, but was forced to cease trading in October 2022 after its parent company entered administration. 

An official announcement from Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd said: “Caledonian Heritable Ltd. who recently acquired the Filmhouse Building at 88 Lothian Road, are in talks with a new charity to explore re-opening the much-loved cinema.

“Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Limited, granted charitable status in June and led by four former Filmhouse colleagues, is in exclusive discussions with Caledonian Heritable regarding a long lease on the building at 88 Lothian Road, with the aim of re-opening Edinburgh’s unique cultural cinema.”

The cinema’s former chief executive added: “Being in advanced discussions with Caledonian Heritable is a significant step on the journey towards restoring cultural cinema provision for the city.

“We anticipate being able to make a further statement after the festival.”

A spokesperson for Caledonian Heritable said: “We have a longstanding appreciation of the vital importance of culture and the arts to the city of Edinburgh and are pleased to be working with Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd in anticipation of a new era at this key cultural venue.”