Last week, the independent Filmhouse cinemas in Edinburgh and Aberdeen and the Edinburgh international film festival (EIFF) suddenly closed. One hundred and two staff, including myself, were notified and made redundant, effective immediately. This was my first year programming for the EIFF.
The closure was particularly painful as it came during the same week that critics breathlessly covered the glitzy, premiere-heavy BFI London film festival. It’s tough to watch one cinematic institution crumble as another is celebrated. Cinema matters, but only if it’s in London. Cinema is in great health, but only if you can get talent to pose on the red carpet. Ultimately, there is a deeper issue: cinemas are not considered cultural spaces.
