Clark Contracts has begun work on refurbishing the Edinburgh Filmhouse which closed just over two years ago amid rising costs and a decline in audiences following the pandemic.

The contractor has been appointed to deliver the project with the aim of allowing cinemagoers to return in the summer,.

As part of the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), it closed when the business went into administration, leading also to the closure of the Belmont Cinema in Aberdeen. More than 100 staff – including 20 at the Belmont – were made redundant.

A fund-raising campaign to reopen the Filmhouse, led by Open the Doors, drew support from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund, the city council, the Screen Scotland/Creative Scotland and the campaign group’s crowdfunder.

A 25-year lease was signed last summer to reopen it as a stand alone entity and once functioning it will create 40 jobs.

Filmhouse moved into the converted church building in Lothian Road in 1979 and it later became a key venue for the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

In March 2020, just as the pandemic struck, the CMI announced an ambitious £50 million plan to build a landmark new home for Edinburgh Filmhouse in Festival Square between the Sheraton Hotel and Usher Hall.

Works are now under way to upgrade the cinema screens, add new seating, enhance leg room and improve sightlines. A fourth screen is being introduced.

The refurbishment will include improvements to the accessibility of the Category B listed building, with the formation of ground level access into screen 2, along with better acoustics and improved heating and ventilation.

Ginnie Atkinson, chair of Filmhouse, said: “It is exciting to see the plans on paper become a reality with changes happening on a daily basis. We are looking forward to opening again in the summer.”

Gerry Cummins, director at Clark Contracts, added: “We are excited to be delivering this project to bring the Filmhouse Cinema back to life, we look forward to working with Filmhouse and the design team to deliver the project which will provide a great facility for the public.”