ACCLAIMED Scottish writer Irvine Welsh has given his backing for the proposed New Filmhouse in Festival Square in Edinburgh.
The Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) has submitted plans for the proposed New Filmhouse, which is projected to be a world-class centre for film designed by Richard Murphy Architects, and will create a landmark home for Filmhouse and Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Welsh said of the plans: “Edinburgh can’t remain bereft of cultural ambition. A custom-built filmhouse would put the city on a par with some of the great cinema capitals of the world.
“It would be a marvellous resource for our community and provide a fitting home for the world’s oldest international film festival.”
The Filmhouse centre will be a local, national and international hub for community engagement and learning, talent and skills development, film programming and audience engagement, innovation and enterprise, and networking.
It is hoped the New Filmhouse will benefit both the city’s residents and Scotland’s film industry.
Plans submitted to Edinburgh City Council highlight that the building will retain the identity and programming of the existing area but will include state-of-the-art cinemas, learning suites, and an event and meeting space in the heart of the building. The area will also include vital project, meeting and work spaces, an expanded cafe bar, a separate restaurant, and a programmable rooftop terrace and public viewpoint.
It is projected that the building will attract over 800,000 individual visits each year, and will work with more than 200 partners and organisations.
The New Filmhouse will also operate on a net-zero carbon basis from its opening day and will encourage staff and audiences to utilise low carbon travel options.
Ken Hay, CEO of CMI, said: “We want the New Filmhouse to be the catalyst that transforms Festival Square so that it becomes a used and exciting public space.
“This new building itself will generate a lot of life in the Square.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here