Since its founding in 1930, the Edinburgh Film Guild has organised and presented programmes of films not normally shown in mainstream cinemas. The Guild has a long history of organising film festivals, screenings, and educational events, and has played a vital role in bringing cinema of all genres to the people of Edinburgh and the surrounding area. The Guild is run entirely by volunteers. It will be the Guild’s 100th Anniversary in 2030.
Education
The Guild is committed to film education and we have supported many educational initiatives over the years. We have held innumerable mini-seasons, introduced by experts and followed by post-film discussions. We have also held or facilitated a wide range of short courses. These have included many of the University of Edinburgh’s Film and Media in-person short courses, some of which are taught by Guild members.
History
The Edinburgh Film Guild is one of the oldest continuously running film societies in the world. The first General Meeting of the Guild was held on 27 October 1930. John Grierson (pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker) wrote about the development of the Guild two decades after it was established, “The old London Film Society was the first to break from somewhat exclusive attention to the avant-garde… But it was the Edinburgh Film Guild which completed the movement – as the London Film Society did not – and saw the infinite variety of a Film Society’s obligations to all categories of the medium”.
The efforts of the early generations of Guild members helped cinema to be recognised as an art form. They also established the physical and economic foundations of the Guild, helping succeeding generations of programmers to present “the infinite variety…of the medium” to new generations of audience members. Here are a few examples of Guild programmes throughout the years: Guild 2nd Season 1931-1932, / Guild Season: 1946-1947, / Guild 30th Anniversary Season: 1959-1960 / Guild 40th Anniversary Season: 1969-1970, / Guild 60th Season: 1989-1990, / Guild Season: 2023-2024
The Early Years
See: ‘Twenty-one Years of Cinema‘, published in 1951. This Twenty-First Anniversary Retrospective offers an invaluable overview of the Edinburgh Film Guild’s activities from 1930 to 1950 – including a comprehensive listing of all screenings, locations, exhibitions, discussions and lectures held during the period.
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Our predecessors at the Edinburgh Film Guild established the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 1947, first called the International Festival of Documentary Films. Over the years, the Festival expanded to include feature films and experimental films as well as documentaries. The Guild “continued to be responsible for [the Festival’s] existence until the 1970s when the size of the annual event made its organisation on a voluntary basis impractical (Guild Programme 1986-1987).” The 31st Festival of 1977 was the last to be registered at the Edinburgh Film Guild’s Film House address, then 3 Randolph Crescent EH3 7TJ. In 1978 the registered office transferred to the newly opened Filmhouse at 88 Lothian Road. The Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the UK.
Filmhouse
The Guild was one of the key partners in establishing Filmhouse in 1978. As part of this, the Guild invested in the purchase and development of the building at 88 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9B. Film House, the name of various Guild premises since the 1940s, would eventually be recycled to become Filmhouse. But, mounting debt, amongst other factors, led to the abrupt closure of Filmhouse in October 2022. However, Filmhouse did become the regional film theatre that Guild members had envisioned, running successfully for over 40 years as a unique Edinburgh venue, showcasing the full range of independent, arthouse and cultural cinema.
Institut français d’Écosse (French Institute of Scotland)
The Guild entered into a formal partnership with the Institut français d’Ecosse in 2021 and has held a number film seasons at the Institut since. Recent programmes > Our Screenings 2022-2023 > Our Screenings 2023-2024.
The Guild and the Film Society movement
For an excellent overview of the early days of the film society movement, the establishment of the Guild, and the pivotal contribution to Scottish film culture of Forsyth Hardy (co-founder of the Guild and the Festival) see ’A bit of History: Philip French on the Edinburgh Film Guild at the time of its 75th anniversary in 2004’ It was written by the much-loved ‘Observer’ film critic Philip French (1933–2015) who was a great friend to the Guild.
90th Anniversary: Civic Reception
The City of Edinburgh Councillor Gillian Gloyer spoke in 2019 about the Edinburgh Film Guild’s contribution to the city’s cultural life over nine decades. The Lord Provost and other councillors agreed to hold a civic reception to mark the Guild’s 90th Season. (See: Council to throw a spotlight on the Edinburgh Film Guild, By Phyllis Stephen, The Edinburgh Reporter, 25 October 2019)
Formal Objectives and Status
“To encourage the study and advancement of the Art of the film, to foster public appreciation and study of it and to endeavour to increase public interest in the progressive applications of film.” (The Guild Memorandum of Association, March 1953)
The Edinburgh Film Guild is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in Scotland.
Registered Company Number SC029406
Registered Charity Number SC041851