Alchemy Film & Arts

What Alchemy Film & Arts does

Alchemy Film & Arts is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO, charity number SC042142) headquartered in Hawick in the Scottish Borders, founded at least as far back as 2010 with the launch of its annual festival. The organisation operates a multi-programme portfolio centered on experimental film and artists' moving image, delivered through three core strands: the annual Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival (the UK's festival of experimental film, running its 16th edition in 2026), Film Town (an award-winning year-round community filmmaking and creative learning programme), and The Teviot, the Flag and the Rich, Rich Soil (Scotland's only film-specific artist residencies programme, supporting long-form practice-led research). Supporting initiatives include the Oor Ain Film Archive (heritage preservation of Hawick and Scottish Borders film heritage), Hawick in Common (a 2023-2025 heritage project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund), Film Club (free monthly meet-ups for 16-30 year olds), Branching Out (a partnership with Borders Additional Needs Group for young people with additional support needs), and a co-designed arcade videogame titled "To the City: A Neurodivergent Adventure."

The organisation is staffed by a small core team led by Directors Rachael Disbury and Michael Pattison, supplemented by freelancers, artists in residence, and a Board of Trustees, with notable diversity credentials (40% staff/Board POC, 80% LGBTQIA+). Technology use is primarily focused on film production, archival digitisation, and the bespoke arcade-style videogame unit, rather than commercial software or AI platforms. Revenue is dominated by grant funding from public bodies (Creative Scotland, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, BFI, Screen Scotland, Scottish Borders LAG, William Grant Foundation, South of Scotland Enterprise, Youth Music Initiative), supplemented by festival ticket sales, donations (charity number SC042142), and merchandise/music releases from residency outputs. The customer base spans four primary segments: experimental filmmakers and artists (residency and exhibition users), young people and marginalised community groups in the Scottish Borders (Film Town participants), festival audiences for experimental cinema, and institutional funders.

The go-to-market combines event-driven acquisition through the April/May festival, community-led engagement via Film Town partnerships with organisations such as Borders Additional Needs Group, Border Women's Aid, schools, and youth groups, and direct-to-consumer outreach through newsletters and social media. Distribution includes regional festival screenings, year-round Film Town workshops, touring exhibitions (e.g., "To the City" touring nationally to events including Comic Con Scotland and Discovery Film Festival Dundee), and a digital archive (Oor Ain Film Archive). The organisation has earned recognition including the SURF Award for Best Practice in Creative Regeneration (2022), Margaret Tait Commission via LUX Scotland (2023), international premieres at IFF Rotterdam, and Living Wage / Living Hours accreditations.

Name

Alchemy Film & Arts

Legal name

Alchemy Film & Arts

Website

https://alchemyfilmandarts.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alchemy Film & Arts is a Hawick-based Scottish charity operating the UK's festival of experimental film, an award-winning community filmmaking programme (Film Town), and Scotland's only film-specific artist residencies programme, serving experimental filmmakers, marginalised community groups, and festival audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film festival and community arts programming

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Museums (712110), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Documentaries (MPADADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Arts & Performance (Film, Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound) (EDAMAAAJ), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Arts & Culture Appreciation (Art History, Film Appreciation, Music Appreciation) (EDAAAGAO)

Keywords

• Experimental film festival
• Community filmmaking
• Artist residencies
• Film archive preservation
• Arts charity programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottish Borders

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary revenue stream from arts councils and lottery funding including Creative Scotland Regular Funding, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Scottish Borders LAG, BFI, William Grant Foundation, and other institutional funders supporting festival, residencies, and community programmes.
2. Festival Ticket Sales: Revenue from festival screenings and events, with many community-focused events offered free to maintain accessibility.
3. Music and Merchandise Sales: Sale of music releases and creative works produced during residencies, such as Miwa Nagato-Apthorp's Noren EP available on vinyl, CD, and digital formats.
4. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations supported by SC042142 registration, with ongoing fundraising activities and supporter engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Alchemy Film & Arts is a Scottish Borders-based arts charity that delivers an annual experimental film and artists' moving image festival in Hawick, a year-round community filmmaking and creative learning programme (Film Town), and Scotland's only film-specific long-form artist residencies programme. It also operates a screen heritage archive (Oor Ain), multi-year heritage projects, and produces co-created films, music releases, and an interactive videogame developed with neurodivergent participants.

Product overview

Alchemy Film & Arts is a Scottish Borders-based arts organization operating a multi-programme portfolio centered on experimental film and artists' moving image. The organization delivers its work through three core strands: the annual Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival (the UK's festival of experimental film); Film Town, an award-winning year-round community filmmaking and skills development programme; and The Teviot, the Flag and the Rich, Rich Soil, Scotland's only film-specific artist residencies programme. Supporting initiatives include the Oor Ain Film Archive (heritage preservation), Hawick in Common (heritage project 2023-25), and various community projects including Film Club, Branching Out, and the co-designed videogame To the City: A Neurodivergent Adventure. The organization also produces records and publications through its residency programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Film Town: Award-winning year-round programme of community filmmaking, skills development and creative learning.
• Hawick in Common
• Oor Ain Film Archive
• Opportunities
• Policies

Products and services

• Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival Annual ticketed event and the UK's festival of experimental film and artists' moving image, held in Hawick each spring. Features cinema screenings, moving-image exhibitions, live performances, and ceilidh events across venues including Heart of Hawick, Town Hall, Heritage Hub, and Borders Textile Towerhouse. Accessible pricing with many community-focused events offered free.
• Film Town Award-winning year-round programme of community engagement, skills development and creative learning. Places inclusion, equity and social justice at its centre through collaboration, partnerships and critical practice with Borders Additional Needs Group, Border Women's Aid, schools, and youth groups. Free to participants and recognised by SURF Award for Best Practice in Creative Regeneration (2022).
• The Teviot, the Flag and the Rich, Rich Soil (Residencies Programme) Scotland's only film-specific residencies programme, supporting the generation of new knowledge through long-term (6+ months) practice-led research and multidisciplinary partnerships exploring the borders, boundaries and lines of Hawick and the Scottish Borders. Outputs tour internationally and feed a permanent mediatheque launching spring 2026.
• Oor Ain Film Archive Film preservation and screen heritage project celebrating Hawick and Scottish Borders communities on film. Preserves archival footage including Hawick Pictorials and Common Riding films, with restored films and community archives accessible online. Features historical archive partner content (e.g., Hawick Pictorials 1965-1980).
• Hawick in Common Two-year creative project (2023-25) exploring the histories, cultures and heritages of Hawick, funded primarily by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and supported by Scottish Borders LAG. Includes community filmmaking, mentorship programme, feature film production (Rum An Milk about Hawick Common Riding), and the interactive exhibition Out of Office.
• Film Club Free monthly meet-up for people aged 16-30 to watch, make and chat about films, part of the Film Town community programme. Food, drink and travel support within Scottish Borders is provided to participants.
• Branching Out Ongoing partnership project with Borders Additional Needs Group (BANG) delivering community filmmaking focused on nature, creating films and interactive installations with young people aged 14-21 with additional support needs. Established since 2020 as a long-term Film Town programme.
• To the City: A Neurodivergent Adventure Arcade-style videogame co-designed with Borders Additional Needs Group (BANG) exploring participants' lived experience of neurodiversity, designed as an RPG across five levels with in-game anxiety indicators and portable machine design. Available for free loan from Alchemy offices and tours to events including Comic Con Scotland, Discovery Film Festival Dundee, and Narture Rise Festival.
• Noren Debut EP record by musician in residence Miwa Nagato-Apthorp, drawing on Scottish and Japanese folk traditions. Released as vinyl, CD, and digital formats. Won Best Acoustic at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (2025).
• Rum An Milk Feature-length portrait film of Hawick Common Riding and the town-wide labours that underpin the centuries-old annual tradition, directed by Mark Lyken and produced as part of the Hawick in Common project (2023-25).
• Out of Office Interactive exhibition reimagining late capitalism and climate collapse, co-designed by Film Club attendees aged 16-30 as part of the festival and Hawick in Common project.
• Waterwheel Permanent multi-channel film installation by Andy Mackinnon reanimating the Victorian mill wheel beneath the café bar in Heart of Hawick's Tower Mill. A year-round residency output housed in a Live Borders partner venue.
• Moving Images (Solar-Powered Cinema Caravan) Solar-powered cinema inside a converted 1980s caravan initiated by Kerry Jones, hosting experimental film screenings and workshops touring across the South of Scotland. A residency output of the Teviot programme.

Quantifiable outcome

• SURF Award for Best Practice in Creative Regeneration (2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Woodlands Community Development TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Seasonal chef engagement for Miwa Nagato-Apthorp residency activities, exploring connection between food, community and environment.
• Border Women's AidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration with service users on filmmaking workshops producing films exploring domestic abuse experiences including 'Breaking the Silence' (animated film) and 'The Little Things' (interpretation of testimonies). Projects part of Film Town community engagement programme.
• Live BorderscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2021Local authority cultural partner providing venues including Tower Mill at Heart of Hawick where permanent film installation 'Waterwheel' by Andy Mackinnon is housed. Festival venues include Live Borders facilities.
• Borders Additional Needs Group (BANG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Long-term partnership since 2020 delivering community filmmaking with Branching Out programme (14-21 year olds with additional support needs). Collaborative projects include experimental films, autism awareness campaign, sensory hub installation, and co-designed videogame 'To the City: A Neurodivergent Adventure'. Partnership supports Film Town programme delivery.
• Culture CollectivemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partnership contributing to sector resources including 'Our Voices: A Diverse Artists' Guide'. Staff member serves on Creative Scotland's EDI Advisory Team.
• Interest LinkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional volunteer befriending service for vulnerable adults; partner on filmmaking projects including Bears, Bengals & Big Bad Barry.
• Scottish Borders Council Learning Disabilities ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on disability engagement work alongside Borders Additional Needs Group.
• Square EyesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Square Eyes for presentation of Lawrence Abu Hamdan's 'The Diary of a Sky' at festival.
• University of EdinburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for Excerpts On Extraction programme, delivered with University of Edinburgh Romance Studies Department.
• Scottish Graduate School for Arts and HumanitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding and academic partnership supporting Excerpts On Extraction programme at festival.
• Deveron ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organization in Huntly; former employer of Director Rachael Disbury; shares community arts practice approach.

Scale indicators5 records

Market position

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alchemyfilmarts
• Facebookfacebook.com/alchemyfilmandarts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alchemy Film & Arts