CLASSIC movie images were projected on to public buildings in Edinburgh last night as part of a campaign to save the city’s Filmhouse cinema and International Film Festival (EIFF).

The projections of films such as Gregory’s Girl, The Wizard of Oz, It’s A Wonderful Life and Local Hero carried messages including A Cinema is the Heart of a City; EIFF and Filmhouse: Windows on Worlds; Love Filmhouse, and EIFF and Filmhouse: Places of Imagination.

Other images included Tilda Swinton in Orlando; the animation The Illusionist which is set in Edinburgh, The Bill Douglas Trilogy which was filmed in Newcraighall; and filmmakers Agnes Varda and Spike Lee.

The projections, conceived by Mark Cousins, are part of a public, staff and filmmaker campaign to rescue the two key elements of Edinburgh and Scotland’s film culture.

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Filmmaker Paul Sng, alongside Amanda Rogers of Cinetopia, started a petition to save the organisations – and Aberdeen’s Belmont. It has been signed by more than 22,000 people.

The EIFF and two independent cinemas suddenly ceased trading earlier this month after the charity behind them – Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) – went into administration, after being hit by reduced audiences due to the pandemic, rising energy bills and the cost of living crisis.

Filmmaker and long-term Edinburgh resident Cousins said: “The campaign will bring together interested people across the city and further afield to lobby, monitor developments, advocate, share information, ensure transparency and fundraise. Creative responses to such crises are important, too. I want to keep the flame alive, to express the love of Filmhouse and EIFF and their loss – our shock, grief and anger – by projecting images of Scottish and International films, classics and new movies.

“James Stewart’s It’s A Wonderful Life was a Christmas hit each year in Filmhouse, and a movie about the huge loss if someone or something isn’t there.”

Sng said: “Cinemas have provided me with extraordinary experiences since I was four years old. They are a doorway of perception to explore the human condition.

“It’s vital that independent cinemas such as Filmhouse exist to provide us with the opportunity to experience films this way.”

Rod White, head of programming at Filmhouse, said: “The notable silver lining to the dark cloud of CMI’s demise and Filmhouse’s closure has been the outpouring of love for the cinema and EIFF, and the clear determination of an awful lot of people to do something about it.

“And now that support is entirely visible right across town with Mark’s inspired, and wholly apt, initiative.”

Kristy Matheson, creative director of the EIFF said: “Independent cinemas bring light and joy to local communities.

“They are space for us to be together, commune with great directors, be energised by new voices and take comfort in knowing that no matter what the day has thrown, you can take yourself to the cinema to journey someplace new and emerge with your emotional tank refuelled.”