Filmhouse is committed to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion:
Equality – staff, working partners and audiences treated equally regardless of membership of minority group
Diversity – celebrate, respect and value difference
Inclusion – bring people together whether as artists, arts organisations, audiences or communities
Visiting Filmhouse
Our main entrance and Box Office are both on the ground floor which is accessible via a ramped, electronically assisted entrance door from Lothian Road. One of our accessible toilets is also at this level, and there is a ramp to the Café Bar. The seats in the Café Bar are not fixed and can be moved. Cinema 1 is on the first floor of Filmhouse and is accessible via passenger lift, while Cinemas 2 and 3 as well as a second accessible toilet are accessible via platform lift.
The below video is a walk through of our building and facilities, and its purpose is to allow you as a customer to understand the journey prior to visiting so that you feel comfortable attending. This video includes subtitles and BSL interpretation.
Watch our Building Tour Video
Wheelchair spaces in the cinemas
Please book your wheelchair seat in advance to avoid disappointment. This will help us allocate adjoining seats for any companions. We’ll make every effort to accommodate customers who have not made a prior booking. If you need any further information or assistance, please speak to the box office manager on duty.
• Cinema 1 has two wheelchair spaces at the front of the cinema
• Cinema 2 has one wheelchair space at the back of the cinema
• Cinema 3 has one wheelchair space at the back of the cinema
Filmhouse screenings have unassigned seating, but if you need to reserve a specific seat, such as an aisle seat, or a place in the back or front row, please call 0131 228 2688 to arrange this in advance.
Accessible toilet facilities
We have two accessible toilet facilities, one on the ground floor, and one by Cinema 2, which is accessible via platform lift.
Accessible screenings
In all three screens we’re now able to provide audio description (if available, via infra-red headsets) for those who are blind and partially-sighted. We’re also able to show, whenever the necessary files are available, on-screen captions for customers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Audio Description is a service for partially sighted or blind people. While the film's main soundtrack plays through the cinema speakers in the usual manner, users listen to a specially recorded narrator detailing what's happening on the screen at selected breaks during the film's dialogue, through a set of headphones. The headphones are personal and the user is still able to hear the film's sound through the cinema surround sound speakers.
The AD headsets are available to collect when you pick up your tickets prior to the film screening. We can offer infrared neck loops which pair with customers’ own hearing aids, as well as in-ear headsets which may be used by anyone. Please collect and return your headset to the box office on the ground floor.
Captioned Screenings offer a service for our deaf and hard of hearing customers that displays additional auditory information on the screen. As well as showing the dialogue, Descriptive Subtitles provide information on other significant sounds. For example: when something is being sung; when a phone rings; when a door slams. This extra information allows customers using the subtitles to access the film more fully.
These screenings are dependent on the availability of the materials provided to us by the film distribution companies.
Accessible customers and our booking process
If you specifically require tickets for the wheelchair spaces available in our cinemas, you can buy tickets for these spaces by contacting Box Office on 0131 228 2688.
Alternatively please get in touch with us by email at [email protected], leaving your contact details and the name, date and time of the show you wish to see. We will then contact you for you to make your booking.
If you require a companion to facilitate your visit to the cinema, we offer free places. These tickets can be booked when you buy your own ticket. We participate in the CEA card scheme where you can get a free ticket for your companion at any participating cinema in the UK. For further information on the CEA card, please visit www.ceacard.co.uk
Disabled parking
Parking for Blue Badge holders is available on Grindlay Street and Cambridge Street.
Pay and display parking is available on Castle Terrace, King’s Stables Road, Spittal Street and Lady Lawson Street.
Guide dogs and hearing dogs
We welcome guide dogs and hearing dogs at Filmhouse and can accommodate them in the cinemas. Please book your ticket in advance so that we can allocate the most appropriate seating. We would be happy to provide drinking water for your guide or hearing dog.
Parents, carers and guardians
All our public areas are accessible by lift for visitors using pushchairs and prams, and Baby Change facilities are available in the accessible toilets by the Café Bar and by Cinema 2, as well as in the Ladies toilets by Cinema 1. We can provide storage for buggies and prams during performances for some screenings. Please note under 18s are not allowed in the Café Bar after 10.30pm. It is Filmhouse policy not to allow any children under the age of 3 years old to any screening, with the exception of Filmhouse Junior screenings, films which are specifically for children, and For Crying Out Loud (Carer and Baby) screenings.
BSL Supported Screenings
We have monthly BSL supported screenings at Filmhouse. There will be a BSL interpreter present in the foyer to answer any questions and all screenings will be captioned. Find out more about the BSL-Supported Screenings:
If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] or call us on Tel. 0131 228 6382.
Filmhouse Café Bar Assistance
Filmhouse Café Bar staff are happy to assist customers with any access requirements and are able to supply detailed allergy and ingredient information to customers.
More information
If you would like to receive a monthly plain text email newsletter with information on all audio-described and captioned or subtitled screenings at Filmhouse, please contact [email protected] or Tel. 0131 228 6382.
Large print and Braille copies of our monthly brochure are available at the Box Office on request, or can be posted out to you free of charge. Please contact the Filmhouse Administration on Tel. 0131 228 6382 or [email protected] if you, or someone you know, would like to be added to one of these mailing lists.