Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival is moving to Galashiels
After 16 years of taking place in Hawick in the Borders, Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival is moving up the road to Galashiels from next year
“What a great festival! Bit of a mission to get here, though”. It's a thought that’s probably gone through the head of many a visitor to the Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival. This forward-thinking, community-minded festival championing experimental film and artists’ moving image was founded in Hawick in the Borders in 2010 and has taken place there ever since. The festival's main hub is a great cinema, The Heart of Hawick, and the town itself is rich in character and history, but it’s always been a tricky place to travel to, especially by public transport. From next year’s edition, it’ll be substantially easier to attend, however, as it’s moving 20 miles north to another historic town in the Borders: Galashiels.
Alchemy Film & Arts, the cultural organisation behind the festival, says it’s a case of “new venue, same us”. Alchemy’s directors, Rachael Disbury and Michael Pattison, say the move will help the festival extend and strengthen its commitments to building audiences for experimental cinema, and allow it to continue working within the unique fabric of the Scottish Borders in a way that’s inclusive, accessible and forward-thinking.
“At Alchemy we’re always thinking long-term, asking how we can keep challenging ourselves and ensure our offering is of the highest quality,” says Disbury and Pattison in a statement. Key to the move is Galashiels’ more convenient location and travel infrastructure. “Being more centrally located within the Scottish Borders, situated on a railway line and with improved transport links, 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 stay true to our roots as a Borders organisation,” say Disbury and Pattison. The travel times speak for themselves. The train from Edinburgh to Gala takes 55 minutes, while the bus from Edinburgh to Hawick takes over two hours.
The new hub and screening space for the festival will be Gala’s four-screen Pavilion Cinema, which is part of the Merlin Cinemas chain. “We’re absolutely delighted to be partnering with Alchemy Film & Arts and welcoming their fantastic festival to the Pavilion,” says Craig May, Merlin Cinemas Director. “Since [Merlin took] 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.”
The Skinny have long been fans of Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival – read our report, titled Solidarity and Escape, from last year’s lively and edifying edition. We’re looking forward to experiencing this new chapter at the 17th edition, which takes place in Galashiels next spring. While we’ll miss the superior charity shops of Hawick High Street and the delicious food at the Punjabi Grill and Damascus Drum, and the sandwiches from the excellent Hawick butcher's Robbie Pringle, we won’t miss the bone-rattling journey on the X95 bus.
The 17th edition of Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival takes place in Galashiels, 29 Apr to 2 May 2027
alchemyfilmandarts.org.uk
Jamie Dunn is a trustee of Alchemy Film & Arts, the charity which runs the Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival