FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the Scottish Government will “consider whether there is any support” they can offer to two independent cinemas in Scotland.
The Filmhouse Cinema and Café Bar in Edinburgh and the Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen have faced the “perfect storm of sharply rising costs”, according to the charity running the venues.
The Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) is also responsible for running the Edinburgh International Film Festival – which will stop trading as administrators assess the charity’s future.
Labour MSP Daniel Johnson raised the issue at FMQs and asked what the Scottish Government would do to support the businesses.
Sturgeon said: “Firstly can I thank Daniel Johnson for raising this issue, this news which of course has emerged publicly this morning is of huge concern and I know many people in Edinburgh and Aberdeen will be profoundly upset about it.
“These are really important cultural organisations and all of us want to see them if at all possible go from strength to strength.
WATCH: Nicola Sturgeon says the Scottish Government will 'consider support' to help save two independent cinemas which have announced they will stop trading pic.twitter.com/X2fCOjk1aa
— The National (@ScotNational) October 6, 2022
“The Scottish Government will engage to consider whether there is any support we can bring to bear, I will ask Angus Robertson to engage with Aberdeen and Edinburgh city councils and ensure that Creative Scotland which of course takes funding decisions independently of ministers engages with these organisations as well.
"Obviously, I cannot give any commitment standing here right now and I can’t go into any more detail ahead of that engagement but I can say that we recognise the importance of these organisations and will do everything possible to support them at this difficult time.”
The CMI has said that energy costs combined with reduced trade have had a major impact on the cinema sector and said "immediate action" was required in the face of "unprecedented" challenges.
In a statement, the charity's board said: "We have been proud to have led the CMI through incredibly challenging times, and in particular during the worst days of the pandemic.
"Unfortunately, the combination of sharply increasing energy and other costs, together with both the lasting impacts of the pandemic and the rapidly emerging cost-of-living crisis affecting cinema attendances, means that we have had no other option but to appoint administrators at this time.
“We would like to put on record our immense gratitude to the entire staff team whose passion for film as an artform and for the audiences and communities we work with and serve has remained undented by the challenges of recent years. We’re fully aware that this will be an exceptionally stressful time for them.”
Tom MacLellan and Chad Griffin of FRP Advisory have been appointed as joint-administrators.
They will work alongside Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council and Aberdeen City Council to find a way forward.
A spokesperson for Creative Scotland said: "We are saddened by the news from CMI, the loss of employment, of cultural programming in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and the impact on the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
"We are working to explore future options for such cinema programming in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and for Edinburgh International Film Festival's 2023 edition."
