A CINEMA operator's bid to save the Edinburgh Filmhouse from closure has been rejected by administrators. 

According to The Scotsman, a bid made by the team behind the Prince Charles Cinema in London has been unsuccessful. 

Gregory Lynn, who has co-run the successful cinema in London's West End for the past 20 years, said he was "gutted" that the fully funded and costed plan to resurrect the site had failed. 

Under Lynn's plans, the cinema would have re-opened in spring next year after much needed renovations to the building were complete.

However, despite "positive conversations" with the council it appears the group's proposals will not come to fruition. 

It is understood that at least 14 bids were made for the building on Lothian Road, which has been home to the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) for 40 years. 

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The site closed suddenly in October when the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), the umbrella company which ran the Filmhouse, EIFF, and the Belmont cinema in Aberdeen, ceased trading. 

The company said a "perfect storm" of issues had led to the closure, including increased energy costs, the ongoing impact of the pandemic on visitor numbers, and the cost of living crisis. 

It is unclear what will happen to the site if no bids to rescue it have been successful. 

A petition to save the Filmhouse and keep it operating as a cinema has garnered nearly 25,000 signatures.