The Belmont Picturehouse is an arts cinema on Belmont Street, Aberdeen, Scotland which shows films that generally would not be shown in a chain cinema. It is part of the Picturehouse Cinemas network of arthouse cinemas.
It predominantly shows foreign-language, unusual, independent films and documentaries but also does show mainstream films.
The cinema is run much like a charity with a Friends of the Belmont scheme, education programmes and a large number of special showings for local film groups, as well as films for special events, schools or business hires.
It was originally built as a Trades Hall in 1896, became the Coliseum Cinema in 1910, then the New Kinema in 1921. Was finally renamed the Belmont in 1935, which it remained until closing in 1952, and was used as a warehouse until reopening in 2000 with three screens.
The Cinema is the property of Aberdeen City Council. After some turmoil and uncertainty, the lease for exploitation on the Belmont Picturehouse to City Screen (Aberdeen) Ltd has been extended on April 2011 for a further 10 years.[1]