Borders charity Alchemy Film & Arts have announced that their annual film festival is to relocate to Galashiels in spring 2027.
Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, the UK’s biggest showcase of experimental film, has taken place in Hawick since its first edition in 2010.
Since it first launched, Alchemy has grown its international profile substantially, welcoming hundreds of industry professionals to the Scottish Borders each year and inviting regional and national audiences to ‘embrace the strange’.
In recent years, under directors Rachael Disbury and Michael Pattison, Alchemy has also expanded into a year-round organisation that delivers award-winning community filmmaking projects and an artist residency programme that produces films that tour internationally.
But its successes, which include a significant uplift in core multi-year funding support from Screen Scotland last year, have put increasing strain on its flagship festival, with the need for better infrastructure and a bigger cinema venue being cited as one of the key drivers for relocating.
Announcing the move to Galashiels, Alchemy also revealed a new five-year partnership
with Merlin Cinemas, the independent chain that operates the town’s historic four-screen Pavilion cinema.
In a joint statement, Alchemy Directors Rachael Disbury and Michael Pattison told press: “At Alchemy we’re always thinking long-term, asking how we can keep challenging ourselves and ensure our offering is of the highest quality.
“Being more centrally located within the Scottish Borders, situated on a trainline and
with improved transport links to the Central Belt, will allow for a wider range and an even greater number of people to access the UK’s festival of experimental film while ensuring we’re staying true to our roots as a Borders organisation.”
Craig May, Merlin Cinemas Director, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be partnering with Alchemy Film & Arts and welcoming their fantastic festival to the Pavilion in Galashiels. Since taking over the cinema, we’ve been keen to build on its place at the heart of the community, and this partnership is a really exciting opportunity to do just that.”
Sambrooke Scott, Head of Audience Development at Screen Scotland, said: “Under the caring stewardship of Rachael Disbury and Michael Pattison, Alchemy has grown in myriad ways; deepening its connection to their community, broadening the scope of festival and year-round activity, and bringing more people and artists together to celebrate film in all its forms. This growth has created a lasting legacy in Hawick and created new creative works from and about the community that will resonate for years to come.“
The move to Galashiels represents a new chapter that will bring exciting cultural and economic benefits to the town and continue Alchemy's growth, increase its impact across the Scottish Borders, and extend its reach through new connections to communities across Scotland.”
Alchemy’slongstanding partnership with Live Borders, which operates the festival’s current venues in Hawick, will continue, with several events takingplace at the trust’s Galashiels sites expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks. Other festival venues will include MacArts and Little Art Hub.
The seventeenth edition of Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival takes place in Galashiels 29 April–2 May 2027.
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Image: Credit Sanne Gault