With a dozen events happening on any given day, it’s all too easy for as good a thing as St Andrew Square’s annual weekend of free cinema screenings to pass you by.
I know that for a fact as I’ve somehow managed to live in Edinburgh for years without ever coming across it, but there I was with a free afternoon (this is something of a slow week for mainstream releases outside of Spielberg’s enjoyable new offering, Disclosure Day).
As luck would have it, I spotted a double bill of last year’s Wicked: For Good and Back to the Future (a film which surely needs no introduction) and raced out the house to try and get to the Square in time. Bounding down the city streets like a unwittingly tardy Marty McFly, I lamented my severe lack of skateboard prowess and found myself wishing (not for the first time) for an avid Mountain Dew fan to let me hitch a ride on the back of his pickup truck while listening to Huey Lewis and the News.
Luckily, I arrived just in time to snag a seat on one of the festival’s many deckchairs, laid out in multicoloured rows for anyone who can find a space. At times, it felt a little like trying to claim a sun-lounger while going on holiday – hopes of getting the perfect chair thoroughly dashed at the sight of a blanket, bag or water bottle holding space for its owner to come back, but there seemed to be enough to go around for those who wanted them.
Those deckchairs really seemed like the place to be at first, but when the whole park filled up for the second feature and the techies cranked up the speakers, I did feel like I was at a heavy metal concert, slightly dreading every rev of the DeLorean for fear of tinnitus. I recommend pitching up on the grass with a picnic blanket and some good snacks. Alcohol is not permitted, owing to licensing restrictions. Decide for yourself which was the best film – Back to the Future Part II or Part III (some would say there’s no clear winner, but I, like The Beach Boys before me, Know There’s An Answer).
The screen isn’t going to have anyone switching over from the IMAX format, but as completely free (and I stress completely free – you don’t even need to pop in your email and book an Eventbrite ticket) film screenings go, it’s more than up to snuff.
The sound system works excellently too – perhaps, as I mentioned, it’s a little too good at what it does. Both screenings battled their fair share of wind and rain (amidst the baffling long stretches of sun that you’ve come to expect from the ever-unpredictable Edinburgh weather) and yet I never missed a line of dialogue.
Even if I had, all films at Square Cinema (which is now in its fifteenth year) are quite rightly subtitled to ensure accessibility for all.
At heart, any good festival really ought to be about bringing people together, and the later screening of Back to the Future seemed to do exactly that, wonderfully so. I first saw the film at another festival many, many years ago and I relished in the chance to enjoy it with a festival crowd a second time.
The audience were better in their etiquette than most crowds I run into at the cinema proper – all there to enjoy the film rather than to spend two hours nattering away about things that had nothing to do with Hill Valley, life preservers or large piles of strategically placed manure.
The film’s something of an oldie now (it celebrated its 40th anniversary last year) but wherever you come from, it’s a classic. I’ve seen it two or three times in the past year (Doc and Marty made a triumphant return with a cinema re-release last November) but I’d never enjoyed it quite as I did on Saturday night. The crowd laughed, sang (I joined in – the soundtrack’s excellent) and, best of all, whooped and cheered when a certain someone got his long-awaited comeuppance. All round, an excellent atmosphere and a great place to watch an old favourite.
While I made like a tree and got out of there as soon as the credits rolled, sadly missing Paul Thomas Anderson’s recent Best Picture winner One Battle After Another, I definitely plan on coming back for a second helping tomorrow, and I encourage you to join in with the moviegoing fun, too.
Sunday’s Showtimes
11:00 – Lilo and Stitch (2025) – A live-action remake of the Noughties Disney classic, this was one of 2025’s top-grossing films. (U)
13:00 – How to Train Your Dragon (2025) – A live-action remake of the first film in Dreamworks’ extremely popular trilogy. Gerard Butler returns as Stoic, leader of the vikings on the isle of Berk. (PG)
15:20 – Labyrinth (1986) – The late, great David Bowie steals a baby, berates his goblin comrades and dances around in trousers at least three sizes too tight for him as this cult classic turns forty this year. Gentle Ludo will win your heart. (PG)
17:15 – F1 (2025) – Brad Pitt and Damson Idris are fast and/or furious in this Best Picture nominee based on the global phenomenon. (12)
20:10 – Bridesmaids (2011) – Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy head up a menagerie of ‘maids trying to see Maya Rudolph’s wedding go off without a hitch. This much-loved comedy is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary. (15)
For full details, including this year’s full listings go to Square Cinema. (Film titles and times may be subject to change).
