The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) launched its programme on a damp Edinburgh morning with a line-up of films that ranges from an OTT, gunslinging comedy to a bloody, Edinburgh-set horror, from a documentary on Star Wars geekdom to a more high-brow conversation with a former Star Trek captain.
The launch comes later than in previous years with the Festival starting in just over two weeks.
Between 16 and 27 June, the EIFF will screen twenty-two world premieres, and twelve international premieres with a total of 133 features showing.
The Closing Night Gala will see the world premiere of British, tragi-comic buddy movie Third Star, by newcomer Hattie Dalton.
Among this year’s guests will be Sylvain Chomet director of the much-anticipated, Edinburgh-set animation The Illusionist – which had its world premiere earlier this year in Berlin.
Other guests include three of the EIFF's four Patrons: Sir Sean Connery, Tilda Swinton and Seamus McGarvey. Also in Edinburgh is Patrick Stewart (Star Trek's Captain Picard), who is this year’s chair of the Michael Powell Jury (for best new British feature), and the subject of the BAFTA In Scotland Interview.
Making it new
The brief media presentation, at Filmhouse Cinema 1, emphasised the EIFF’s spirit of discovery over celebrity hoopla.
"We're tremendously excited about the programme this year and especially about how many of our titles are brand new to the world festival circuit and the international industry,” said EIFF artistic director Hannah McGill.
However, the addition of the previously announced Edinburgh Festival Theatre as a venue for premieres is sure to up the fest’s glam factor.
“We're looking forward to welcoming an amazing array of guests, and to celebrating EIFF's 64th year by spreading our excitement about current and classic cinema," added McGill.
The Films
Highlights of EIFF 2010 include Ryan Piers Williams' The Dry Land; Werner Herzog's My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?; Floria Sigismondi's The Runaways and Chris D'Arienzo's Barry Munday; Rafi Pitts' The Hunter, Koji Wakamatsu's Caterpillar and Foreign Film Oscar-winner The Secret In Their Eyes by Juan José Campanella.
Steven Soderbergh is in the Document section with And Everything Is Going Fine, profiling Spalding Gray.
British Films
British films are well represented with much curiosity – at least among buffs in the bar after the media conference – in the previously trailed retrospective this year, which aims to shine a light on “forgotten” Brit flicks of the late Sixties and Seventies (see end for list of films).
Among the British Galas competing for the Michael Powell Award are seven World premieres: Paul Andrew Williams' Cherry Tree Lane; Huge by Ben Miller; Edward McHenry & Rory McHenry's stop-motion, comedy Jackboots On Whitehall; Nick Moran's The Kid; Viv Fongenie's Ollie Kepler’s Expanding Purple World; Pelican Blood by Karl Golden and Soulboy, a Seventies coming-of-age drama featuring the fashions and dance of the Wigan, Northern Soul scene.
British Galas also compete for the PPG Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film, which also includes Ashley Horner's brilliantlove; Nick Whitfield's Skeletons; and Bernard Rose’s Mr Nice, which stars Rhys Ifans as drug smuggler Howard Marks.
Rosebud
The Rosebud strand of films by first and second time directors encompasses 38 films, including Edinburgh director Morag McKinnon's Donkeys. It is one of four world premieres in the strand, the others being Nelofar Pazira's Act of Dishonour, Col Spector's Honeymooner, and Josh Hyde's Postales.
International Galas
Among other galas at the festival are Aaron Schneider's Get Low; Benoît Pétré's Thelma, Louise and Chantal; The Extra Man by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; The Good Heart by Dagur Kari; Bart Freundlich's The Rebound; Pascal Chaumeil's Heartbreaker. Previously announced Toy Story 3 (in 3D) and Robin Williams in World’s Greatest Dad provide comic relief.
Other World premieres are Ryan Denmark's Chase The Slut, Rona Mark's The Crab, Zach Clark's Vacation! (all EIFF alumni returning to the Festival); as well as Tomasz Thomson's Snowman’s Land, and The Red Machine by Stephanie Argy and Alec Boehm.
Director’s Showcase
The Director's Showcase, presenting work from established auteurs, includes Suzana Amaral's Hotel Atlantico, James Huth's absurd comedy Western Lucky Luke, Alain Gsponer's My Words, My Lies – My Love (Lila Lila), Jo Baier's Henry of Navarre (Henri IV) and 22 Bullets (L’Immortel) by Richard Berry.
Documentary highlights
World premieres in the non-fiction department include Superhero Me by Steve Sale, Out of the Ashes by Lucy Martens, Timothy Albone and Leslie Knott; and Jason Massot's Road to Las Vegas all from the UK, and Girl With Black Balloons by Corinne van der Borch.
Nicolas Philibert (Etre Et Avoir) returns to the EIFF with Nénette, a tender portrait of a long-lived, captive orangutan and also returning is Laura Poitras (My Country, My Country) with The Oath.
Other documentaries in the eighteen strong section include Mark Landsman's Thunder Soul; The People Vs George Lucas by Alexandre O Philippe and Jeffrey Blitz's Lucky.
Late Night
Cult late-night sections, Night Moves and Under the Radar boast a collective six World premieres including Miles Watt's Crimefighters and Wayne Thallon's A Spanking In Paradise both from the UK, and The Last Rites of Ransom Pride by Tiller Russell.
Other titles include Monsters by Gareth Edwards, Colm McCarthy's Edinburgh horror Outcast and John Michael McCarthy's Cigarette Girl.
Special Events
The Festival's keynote onstage interview, in association with Variety, will be with Oscar-winning producer Graham King (The Departed, The Aviator), who will also be presented at EIFF with the 2010 Variety UK Achievement in Film Award.
The cult Brothers Quay will World premiere their new animated short and also participate in an event about their internationally celebrated work.
Among the EIFF’s Special Screenings and Festival Events there’s a premiere of the first audio horror film HP Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror by Colin Edwards; a Making Of The Illusionish With Sylvain Chomet, performance event 50 Letters, and a night of literary, musical and filmic stimulation at Irregular.
Meanwhile, EIFF Patron Tilda Swinton and filmmaker Mark Cousins also announce their new initiative 8 ½ Foundation with a special event and screening for kids of all ages (including grown up ones).
After The Wave: Lost and Forgotten British Cinema 1967-1979
The strand includes three films from The Children's Film Foundation:
- Glitterball by Harley Cokliss
- Peter Smith's What Next?
- Powell & Pressburger's The Boy Who Turned Yellow (new print)
Other films include:
- Ken Russell's Savage Messiah
- Peter Watkins' Privilege
- Kevin Billington's The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (screening with a rare print of John Mackenzie's Made).
- Stephen Frears’ Gumshoe
- Horace Ove’s Pressure
- Mike Hodges’ Pulp
- Barney Platt-Mills’ Private Road
The filmmakers from the final four films will be in Edinburgh to take part in a special retrospective discussion event.
The EIFF also indulges in a bit of nostalgia with Maurice Hatton's Long Shot, filmed at EIFF 1977, which includes appearances by Stephen Frears, Wim Wenders, Alan Bennett, John Boorman and 'star' Charles Gormley.
EdinburghGuide.com will be providing coverage of the EIFF throughout the festival. Further details here on our Edinburgh Film Festival section