Spain will be the country focus at 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), and will see work by new and emerging Spanish filmmakers screen alongside that of the country’s best-known filmmakers with a range of industry and special events complementing the cinema program. The 73rd edition of EIFF runs from June 19 to 30, 2019.
CALIBRE[/caption]
After screening 121 new features, including 20 world premieres, from 48 countries across the globe, the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) announced the Award Winners for this year’s 72nd edition. Commenting on the incredibly high standard of entries at this year’s Festival and the outstanding quality of the submissions they were judging, the juries stressed that they had some tough decisions to make in choosing one winner in each category, giving Special Mentions to several films.
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR[/caption]
Edinburgh International Film Festival revealed further details of the much-anticipated Animation program scheduled to take place as part of this month’s 72nd edition of the Festival. Four programs of short animation highlighting the role of the medium in foreseeing issues affecting contemporary anxieties and passions will screen alongside the annual presentation of some of the hottest British animating talent in the McLaren Award screenings as well as a special retrospective of a unique talent in animated filmmaker Elizabeth Hobbs.
Taking place on Wednesday 27 June, ELIZABETH HOBBS – A RETROSPECTIVE OF ANIMATED WORK, running as part of Anim18, a celebration of British animation taking place across the UK, will pay tribute to the award-winning animator who has been making short films for over 17 years and is both a graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art and a recipient of EIFF’s McLaren Award. Screening will be THE FILING OF THE FANGS, LITTLE SKIPPER and THE TRUE STORY OF SAWNEY BEANE amongst a number of other charming stories by this wonderful indie animator.
Hobbs’ I’M OK will also compete in this year’s McLaren Award for Best British Animation, supported by the British Council, alongside Emily Scaife’s ATTRACTION; Chris Shepherd’s topical BREXICUTED; INVADERS, made by Daniel Prince; Jonathan Hodgson’s ROUGHHOUSE and THAT YORKSHIRE SOUND by Marcus Armitage amongst a host of other titles with the winner crowned by the Festival audience.
International Animation returns this year with a focus on female directors each bringing a unique perspective to very relevant debates taking place in the public consciousness of our day: short films screening includes Alison Snowden’s ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, Emily Ann Hoffman’s NEVADA and ICEBURGS from Eirini Vianelli.
Animation at EIFF is supported by creative communications consultancy, Emperor, who are celebrating their 15th anniversary in Edinburgh this year, with match funding provided by the Culture & Business Fund Scotland. Launched in April 2017, this program is run by independent charity Arts & Business Scotland to encourage closer collaboration between businesses and the cultural sector by match-funding business sponsorship of cultural projects pound for pound.
FILM FEST JUNIOR boasts two UK Premieres of animations VITELLO, in which a young boy goes in search of his father and ZOMBILLENIUM where a member of the undead must find his place at a monster theme park as well as an exclusive preview of PRINCESS EMMY, animated entertainment aimed at fans of princesses and horses. This year’s Family Gala is the long-awaited Disney-Pixar animation, INCREDIBLES 2.
Striking animated documentary WALL by director Cam Christiansen, written by and starring Sir David Hare will also screen as part of this year’s Focus on Canada country strand, supported by Telefilm Canada.
THE PARTING GLASS[/caption]
Artistic Director Mark Adams today unveiled details of the program for the upcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), taking place next month between 20 June to 1 July. This year the Festival will screen around 121 new features, including 21 world premieres, from 48 countries across the globe.
Highlights include the long-anticipated Disney-Pixar animation INCREDIBLES 2, Q&A and IN PERSON events with guests including the award-winning English writer and director David Hare, the much-loved Welsh comedian Rob Brydon and star of the compelling Gothic drama THE SECRET OF MARROWBONE, actor George MacKay, as well as the Opening and Closing Gala premieres of the previously announced PUZZLE and SWIMMING WITH MEN. This year’s People’s Gala will be the World Premiere of Stephen Moyer’s directorial debut, THE PARTING GLASS, starring Melissa Leo, Cynthia Nixon, Denis O’Hare, Anna Paquin (who also produces), Rhys Ifans and Ed Asner.
Mark Adams, EIFF Artistic Director, said: “EIFF prides itself on offering films and events that entertain, challenge, provoke, illuminate and excite and 2018 is no exception! From the best of up-and-coming British filmmakers to striking new cinema from around the world, we offer something for everyone: from rare access to filmmakers, live events to experience and the opportunity to see films that may never appear in the country again. We remain one of the world’s most venerable and acclaimed film festivals and are delighted to be able to offer audiences the chance to see some of the most exciting and innovative new film talent, in a setting steeped in history.”
This year’s BEST OF BRITISH strand includes exclusive world premieres of Simon Fellows’ thriller STEEL COUNTRY, featuring a captivating performance from Andrew Scott as Donald, a truck driver turned detective; comedy classic OLD BOYS starring Alex Lawther; the debut feature of writer-director Tom Beard, TWO FOR JOY, a powerful coming-of-age drama starring Samantha Morton and Billie Piper; oddball comedy-drama EATEN BY LIONS; striking debut from writer and director Adam Morse, LUCID, starring Billy Zane and Sadie Frost; Jamie Adams’ British comedy SONGBIRD, featuring Cobie Smulders and Haifaa al-Mansour’s MARY SHELLEY, with Elle Fanning taking on the role of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. Audiences can also look forward to a special screening of Mandie Fletcher’s delightfully fun rom-com PATRICK.
This year the AMERICAN DREAMS strand will offer audiences the chance to delve deep into some of the very best new films from American independent cinema including: UNICORN STORE, the directorial debut of Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson in which she stars alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Joan Cusack; the heart-warming HEARTS BEAT LOUD starring Nick Offerman; glossy noir thriller, TERMINAL, starring and produced by Margot Robbie; the engaging comedy HUMOR ME from Sam Hoffman, starring Jemaine Clement and Elliott Gould; IDEAL HOME in which Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan play a bickering gay couple who find themselves thrust into parenthood; 1980s set spy thriller starring Jon Hamm, THE NEGOTIATOR; and PAPILLON, starring Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek.
The EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES strand, supported by James and Morag Anderson, will feature a wonderful selection of new films that are powerfully visionary and passionate about storytelling. Notable features include touching drama NEVER LEAVE ME highlighting how young Syrian lives have been affected by war; freewheeling Euro romp TULIPANI: LOVE, HONOUR AND A BICYCLE; actor-turned-director Mélanie Laurent’s fourth feature DIVING, the thought-provoking WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY by writer-director Iram Haq; the wonderfully weird CHARLIE AND HANNAH’S GRAND NIGHT OUT; French ensemble comedy C’EST LA VIE! and the brooding and atmospheric drama THE SECRET OF MARROWBONE starring George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth and Matthew Stagg.
This year’s WORLD PERSPECTIVES strand offers audiences a fascinating snapshot of developing world-cinema themes and styles from talented filmmakers from around the world. Highlights include acclaimed epic Chinese drama AN ELEPHANT SITTING STILL; award-winning South American drama THE HEIRESSES; powerful political drama NO. 1 CHUNG YING STREET; GIRLS ALWAYS HAPPY, an unflinching but darkly funny tale of a Chinese mother and daughter and Brazilian comedy LOVELING. For lovers of the land down under there’s also raucous Aussie comedy FLAMMABLE CHILDREN (SWINGING SAFARI) starring native icons Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce; THE BUTTERFLY TREE starring Melissa George and Ben Elton’s THREE SUMMERS starring Robert Sheehan and set at an Australian folk music festival.
This year’s EIFF program features a diverse selection of new DOCUMENTARIES which reflect the ability of documentary film to inspire and challenge audiences. There is a strong musical theme that runs through this year’s films from WHITNEY, the much-anticipated documentary about the life and times of superstar Whitney Houston; GEORGE MICHAEL: FREEDOM – THE DIRECTOR’S CUT narrated by George Michael himself and ALMOST FASHIONABLE: A FILM ABOUT TRAVIS directed by Scottish lead-singer Fran Healy. Audiences will be inspired by the creativity of Orson Welles in Mark Cousins’ THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES; HAL, a film portrait of the acclaimed 1970s director Hal Ashby; LIFE AFTER FLASH, a fascinating exploration into the life of actor Sam J. Jones the topical POSTCARDS FROM THE 48% will also screen followed by a Q&A with director David Wilkinson, who travelled the UK to meet people from all sides of the BREXIT debate.
As the sun sets, audiences will be able to journey into the dark and often downright strange side of cinema, with a selection of genre-busting edge-of-your-seat gems including: the gloriously grisly psychosexual romp PIERCING starring Mia Wasikowska; the world premieres of Matthew Holness’ POSSUM and SOLIS staring Steven Ogg as an astronaut who finds himself trapped in an escape pod heading toward the sun; dark and bloody period drama THE MOST ASSASSINATED WOMAN IN THE WORLD and the futuristic WHITE CHAMBER starring Shauna Macdonald.
The country focus for the Festival’s 72nd edition will be Canada and is supported by Telefilm Canada. FOCUS ON CANADA will allow audiences to take a cinematic tour of the country and its culture, offering insight as well as entertainment, from filmmakers new and already established. Selected by EIFF’s 2018 Young programrs are also a range of titles that explore the experiences of First Nations youth including INDIAN HORSE in which a young boy becomes a star ice-hockey player and KAYAK TO KLEMTU where a determined young girl, played by the charismatic Ta’kaiya Blaney, sets off to kayak the Inside Passage in British Colombia. The strand will also showcase a number of shorts in SPOTLIGHT ON CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN SHORT FILMS, a powerful combination of short fiction, documentary and animated films that focus on the central social, political and ethical issues prevalent within contemporary Canada.
Audiences are also invited to attend a number of talks in the Festival’s free lecture stand, Reel Talk, including: INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES: FEMALE DIRECTORS IN AMERICAN CINEMA that will shine a spotlight on the acclaimed and ground-breaking female directors who shaped American cinema; Frank Cogliano and David Silkenat of the University of Edinburgh will record a live episode of their show Whiskey Rebellion, offering context for the history of paranoia in American politics and film, before answering questions from the audience in PARANOIA AND POLITICS IN AMERICAN FILM and FROM ROMERO TO GET OUT, OR: HOW HORROR HELPED WAKE ME UP TO THE AMERICAN NIGHTMARE which will explore the power and importance of the horror genre.
Audiences can look forward to four programs of short animation as part of the Festival’s dedicated ANIMATION strand, supported by Emperor and the Culture & Business Fund Scotland. The McLaren Award for Best New British Animation will return once again with two varied programs showcasing some of the most highly-anticipated new short animations from the UK and there will also be a special retrospective of unique talent Elizabeth Hobbs, the award-winning indie animator running as part of Anim18, a celebration of British animation taking place across the UK.
The world of experimental film is once again uncovered in the Festival’s ever-popular BLACK BOX strand. A selection of short and feature-length films that push the boundaries of visual communication will screen including the world premiere of PIG FILM, taking a look at the future of film, and a range of experimental short films from Canada that foreground the material properties of 16mm. Also, as part of this year’s FOCUS ON CANADA, the BLACK BOX strand will feature a special screening of short films by Joyce Wieland.
This year’s EIFF SHORTS will offer a thrilling showcase of the finest brand-new short films from across the globe including DREAM IMAGES; OPTICS; RESISTANT BODIES; SPECTRES; FIRECRACKER, celebrating the vibrant state of UK shorts; KALEIDOSCOPE drawn from the thriving Scottish short film scene and THE YOUNG & THE WILD, handpicked by the EIFF Young programrs. New in 2018 will be the inaugural NEW VISIONS program, introducing glowing new voices aged 14-25 from across Scotland to submit their newest works to EIFF’s newly developed short film competition for young people.
A number of special events will take place throughout the Festival including JAWS in Concert, a screening of Steven Spielberg’s seminal blockbuster with John Williams’ iconic score played live by the RSNO,a screening of the much-loved LOCAL HERO followed by a Q&A with writer director Bill Forsyth in conversation with Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh’s Artistic Director, David Greig as well as an early preview of the upcoming season of the popular BBC Alba series BANNAN. Prior to the Festival on 27 May audiences will also have the chance to experience the vampire underworld in EIFF PLAY: BLADE, an immersive cinema experience built around a screening of the trailblazing comic-book adaptation of BLADE, in partnership with Hidden Door andThe List, in collaboration with New Media Scotland, and supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown. Continuing RETROSPECTIVE LIVE! – MONTEREY POP, DA Pennebaker’s brilliant concert film, will be played as if it were a real live gig as part of Summerhall’s brand new 10-day series, Southern Exposure.
Specially selected to showcase the very best in world cinema for younger audiences and the young at heart, FILM FEST JUNIOR boasts two UK Premieres, VITELLO and ZOMBILLENIUM as well as an exclusive preview of PRINCESS EMMY. As previously announced, the Festival’s expanded youth strand, The Young & the Wild will offer a range of masterclasses offering careers advice for filmmakers aged 15-25 years old, along with events and screenings for schools, as part of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018 celebrations and supported by Baillie Gifford. The 2018 EIFF Young programrs, a group of 15-19 year olds who have curated their own shorts strand, The Young & the Wild, have also selected a number of films within this year’s program which are badged accordingly in the Festival brochure.
Anna and the Apocalypse[/caption]
In its 72nd year, Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has unveiled a rich selection of Scottish films, filmmakers, acting talent and films shot in Scotland as part of its 2018 Festival program. Opening with a spellbinding performance by acclaimed Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald in the highly regarded drama PUZZLE, this year’s program is set to showcase some of the very best features, shorts, documentaries, animations, exclusive events and talent from across the country.
EIFF Artistic Director Mark Adams said: “Edinburgh International Film Festival is renowned around the world for discovering and promoting the very best in international cinema and Scottish talent has always been at the heart of that. The Festival’s program always helps shine the light on to Scottish themes, performances and filmmakers, and I am thrilled that once again we can celebrate this high-level of craftsmanship in past and present Scottish work in our 72nd year.”
The Festival program will showcase a host of features filmed and set in Scotland, such as much-anticipated cult comedic horror/musical ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, which was largely shot in and around Glasgow. The thriller CALIBRE, set against the backdrop of Beecraigs Country Park acting as the beautiful Scottish Highlands, stars Scottish actor Jack Lowden (England is Mine, Dunkirk) and is director Matt Palmer’s debut feature. The film is also in the running for this year’s prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film.
EIFF audiences can look forward to Scottish produced pop-art drama MAKE ME UP by Glasgow-based video artist Rachel Maclean, the much-anticipated documentary WHITNEY, directed by Kevin Macdonald and ALMOST FASHIONABLE: A FILM ABOUT TRAVIS, a documentary directed by the front man of Scottish band Travis, Fran Healy. Fran and the other band members will be in attendance for the film’s World Premiere. Scottish director and former Michael Powell Award winner Kenny Glenaan’s DIRT ROAD TO LAFAYETTE, written by James Kelman, which follows a father and son’s journey from Scotland to North Alabama to visit their American/Scots relatives will also receive its World Premiere at the Festival.
Also in the program are a number of documentaries by Scottish filmmakers, including BECOMING ANIMAL (one of the latest features from the Scottish Documentary Institute). Ece Ger’s MEETING JIM about Jim Haynes, the man who co-founded the Traverse Theatre and was fundamental to the growth of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will also have its World Premiere in Edinburgh in June. Meanwhile, Edinburgh-based documentarian and EIFF Honorary Patron Mark Cousins, will be on hand to introduce two of his latest projects THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES and STORM IN MY HEART.
Scottish talent Shauna Macdonald can be seen on screen in horror, thriller WHITE CHAMBER, directed by Paul Raschid. Meanwhile, the work of Scottish actors Tommy Flanagan and EIFF Honorary Patron James Cosmo will be showcased, with Flanagan appearing in crime drama PAPILLON, produced by Joey McFarland, David Koplan, Ram Bergman and Roger Corbi, and Cosmo in Anthony Byrne’s IN DARKNESS alongside Natalie Dormer and Emily Ratajkowski.
Audiences can again look forward to a preview of the hit Gaelic TV show BANNAN, filmed on the beautiful island of Skye. The BBC Alba show follows a young woman returning to the island she had left when she was 18, and gently blends tones of soap opera, family drama and murder mystery. The Festival will allow audiences to catch the first three episodes of the fifth series, followed by a Q&A.
Taking a step back in time, EIFF will screen LONG SHOT by Maurice Hatton, which was filmed during the 1977 edition of the Festival and special event Behind the Curtain: Women & EIFF will be hosted by former EIFF Director Lynda Myles, who was the first female director of a film festival anywhere in the world, and Rachel Hosker, Archives Manager and Deputy Head of Special Collections at the University of Edinburgh.
A selection of Scottish-linked animations are confirmed for this year’s program including Dorte Bengtson’s family film VITELLO, written by Kim Fupz Aakeson and produced by Anders Berthelsen and former EIFF chair Bob Last, who also produced the 2010 Oscar-Nominated animation THE ILLUSIONIST, featuring Doon Mackichan in the role of Mother. A sneak preview of Red Kite’s animated feature PRINCESS EMMY, co-produced by the award-winning Scottish animation studio and voiced by a host of Scottish actors, including John Hannah, will also screen. Animator Elizabeth Hobbs will be in Edinburgh to present a screening of her short animations. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, Hobbs has a long history with EIFF and will present Elizabeth Hobbs: A Retrospective of Animated Work.
Local cycling legend David Millar will be on hand to present Finlay Pretsell’s, TIME TRIAL, followed by an extended Q&A with Millar and TV presenter Ned Boulting. Scottish director, Bill Forsyth will also introduce a screening of his classic film, LOCAL HERO, and participate in an extended Q&A with Royal Lyceum Theatre Artistic Director David Greig.
There will also be numerous Scottish shorts for audience members to enjoy including BLUE CHRISTMAS by Scottish director Charlotte Wells, Tom Chick’s MONUMENT: PARTS ONE AND TWO, Anna Stoltzmann’s MY HEAD ON THE MOUNTAIN, Evi Tsiligaridou’s THESE ARE MY HANDS and Francesco Rufini’s DOGMA. The Scottish Documentary Institute’s short film program Bridging the Gap – Love will also screen. Furthermore, there are shorts from the Scottish Film Talent Network (SFTN), which is supported by National Lottery funding from Creative Scotland and BFI NETWORK. SFTN forms the Scottish element of the BFI NETWORK, designed to discover, nurture and advance new and emerging filmmaking talent and is a consortium made up of the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), DigiCult and Hopscotch Films. The shorts this year include 12 POINT KILL, BUNNY, I WAS HERE, LIFT SHARE, MY LONELINESS IS KILLING ME, NONE OF THE ABOVE and TOMORROW MIGHT BE THE DAY. SFTN short animation WIDDERSHINS will also screen as part of The McLaren Award: New British Animation 1 alongside LAUNDROMAT, a graduate film from Edinburgh College of Art’s Bafta winning Animation course, directed by Madeleine Sayers.
The hotly-anticipated British comedy Swimming with Men will close the 72nd edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Sunday July 1st . Directed by BAFTA nominated Oliver Parker (Dorian Gray, An Ideal Husband) and starring Rob Brydon, Adeel Akhtar, Jim Carter, Rupert Graves, Daniel Mays, Charlotte Riley, Thomas Turgoose with Jane Horrocks and Nathaniel Parker, Swimming with Men is set to be a feel-good summer hit.
Faced with a full-blown mid-life crisis, accountant Eric (Brydon) joins an all-male group of synchronised swimmers and discovers that making patterns in a pool can, for a couple of hours at least, give him escapism from the bumps in his work and marriage. Initially keeping their personal lives in the locker, the ramshackle squad and coach Susan slowly begin to reveal their inner lives, as well as their paunches. But can they get their routines, not to mention their lives, in sync as they embark on an unlikely journey to Milan to compete in the World Championship?
Mark Adams, Artistic Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival commented: “Swimming with Men is a classic British comedy delight packed with a series of quite wonderful performances. It is the perfect film to wrap up a Festival that prides itself on celebrating all that is great about British filmmaking.”
Director Oliver Parker added: “It’s such an honour and a real pleasure to be having our UK premiere as the closing film at Edinburgh International Film Festival. I can’t think of a better place for our intrepid swimmers to take the plunge.”
Following its UK premiere at the Festival, distributor Vertigo Releasing will be releasing Swimming with Men on July 6th, 2018.
The 72nd edition of EIFF runs from June 20 – July 1, 2018.
The highly regarded drama Puzzle, featuring a spellbinding performance by acclaimed Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald, will open the 72nd edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Wednesday June 20th.
Puzzle is the closely observed portrait of Agnes, who has reached her early 40s without ever venturing far from home, family or the tight-knit immigrant community in which she was raised by her widowed father. That begins to change in a quietly dramatic fashion when Agnes receives a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift and experiences the heady thrill of not only doing something she enjoys, but being very, very good at it.
After years of concerning herself exclusively with the needs and wants of her husband Louie and sons Ziggy and Gabe, Agnes has found something that she wants to do. Stepping out of her domestic bubble to pursue her new hobby, Agnes meets Robert, a wealthy, reclusive inventor who immediately recognizes her talent and recruits her as his partner for an upcoming world jigsaw tournament. Each day she spends out in the world, puzzling and conversing with Robert, takes Agnes further along on the road to a new understanding of herself and her strengths. With that understanding come new insights and an assertiveness that finds her speaking out on her own behalf and pushing back against the assumptions and routines that have until now defined her role in her family. Ultimately, Agnes will decide for herself what comes next.
Friend of EIFF, Kelly Macdonald plays Agnes whilst the legendary Irrfan Khan takes on the role of charismatic puzzle master Robert, both leading a stellar ensemble cast in this life-affirming film directed by Marc Turtletaub. The film is set to be released in the UK by Sony Pictures Releasing this Summer.
Mark Adams, Artistic Director of Edinburgh International Film Festival commented: “We are thrilled to be able to celebrate the undeniable talent of Kelly Macdonald in this wonderfully enjoyable and uplifting film. It is a subtle and impressive new film that succeeds on all levels.”
Director Marc Turtletaub added: “It’s a great honor to be invited to have Puzzle open Edinburgh International Film Festival 2018. This world class Festival has been a personal favorite for a long time – and being able to showcase Kelly’s performance here makes it even more rewarding.”
The 72nd edition of EIFF runs from June 20 to July 1, 2018.
China Syndrome[/caption]
Inspired by current affairs in Trump-era America, the 2018 Retrospective program of the Edinburgh International Film Festival is titled Time of the Signs: Chasing the American Zeitgeist. This year’s line-up will focus primarily on U.S. cinema from the 1980s through three strands which explore the evolution of American culture today: American Woman: Female Directors in American Cinema; American Exposé: The Media in Mainstream American Cinema; and The American Nightmare: Horror in Mainstream American Cinema. A special Retrospective LIVE! screening of the rarely-seen concert film, Monterey Pop, will also feature as part of Summerhall’s Southern Exposure Festival.
EIFF Senior Programmer, Niall Greig Fulton said: “In light of recent events on the other side of the Atlantic, Time of the Signs is designed to reflect important cultural issues in America today through the cinema of the country’s past.”
God’s Own Country[/caption]
The Edinburgh International Film Festival today announced the Award Winners for this year’s 71st edition, with the winner of the prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film going to British filmmaker Francis Lee’s directorial debut, God’s Own Country, which received its UK Premiere at the Festival. The Michael Powell Award honors imagination and creativity in British filmmaking.
The Michael Powell Jury said: “We present the Michael Powell Award to God’s Own Country, directed by Francis Lee, a film with a singularity of storytelling and consistency of vision. Assured direction with raw and endearing performances result in a film that has an authenticity that is both tender and brutal, a juxtaposition of landscape and emotion, which explores the question of what it means to be a man.”
Francis Lee said: “I am thrilled with this honor for God’s Own Country, especially when you consider the British films that have won before. After premiering at Sundance and Berlin it has been wonderful to see how the film has created a real resonance with people and that is why the Michael Powell Award feels so brilliant.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1YAhyU6-tA
The award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film went jointly to actresses Emily Beecham for her role in Daphne and Anne Reid for her roles in Kaleidoscope and Romans, and was also selected by the Michael Powell jurors.
The Michael Powell Jury said: “In the category of Best Performance in a British Feature Film, the Michael Powell Jury recognizes two actors, Emily Beecham and Anne Reid, portraying fascinating, complex and flawed characters who didn’t strive for your affection but commanded your attention – real in the best sense of the word.”
The award for Best International Feature Film went to Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov’s Glory, which received its UK Premiere at this year’s Festival.
The International Jury said: “Deftly acted, beautifully photographed and directed, we loved this film. The subtlety of the performances and the story-telling was defined with such a lightness of touch which led to the immoral and moral choices having a heavy impact on this Jury.”
Petar Valchanov said: “It is a great honor for us to receive this award from Edinburgh International Film Festival, which has been preserving the traditions of good cinema the longest and carrying them over the generations. This award is a recognition not only for us, but also for Bulgarian cinema, which is currently on the rise again. Thank you for being there!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fmm7i05z88
The award for Best Documentary Feature Film went to Chico Pereira’s contemplative Donkeyote, which studied Pereira’s uncle whose wonderful spirit of adventure belies all of his 73 years. Special mention was given to Thomas Riedelsheimer’s Leaning Into The Wind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ8j7WRE63A
Chico Pereira said: “On behalf of the entire Donkeyote team I’d like to say thank you so much for this recognition. For some of us who live or lived in Edinburgh, it holds an extra special meaning: our formative cinema experiences have been with EIFF, and just to return for our UK premiere is an honor in itself. I dedicate this also to my family, and in particular Manolo and Gorrión who teach us how to be truly modern and to enjoy life.”
The award for Best Short Film went to The Full Story, directed by Daisy Jacobs, with Kevin Pickering’s Close to the Bone and Gordon Napier’s 1745 receiving a special mention from the jurors.
Daisy Jacob’s said: “It is an honor to receive the Best Short Film Award from such a prestigious Festival, we are delighted.”
Voted for by the Festival audience, the McLaren Award for Best British Animation, this year went to Paloma Baeza’s Poles Apart.
The winner of this year’s EIFF Works in Progress and recipient of the £2,500 award is Piano to Zanskar by Michal Sulima.
Michal Sulima said: “We are delighted to have been selected for the EIFF Works in Progress award this year. It was a real privilege to be part of the showcase and to pitch our documentary to an audience full of industry professionals, which resulted in a number of meetings and expressions of interest. It’s only fair to say that we were heartily impressed by the quality of all the films presented, so the award comes to us as a great surprise! Given that our film has been entirely self-funded, it will go a long way towards helping us reach completion. We’re very grateful to the wonderful team at the EIFF for giving us this opportunity.”
England is Mine[/caption]
England is Mine, about the early life of singer Morrissey, will close the 71st edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Sunday July 2nd, 2017 at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh.
England is Mine takes audiences back to 1970s Manchester, where Steven Morrissey (Jack Lowden – Dunkirk, A United Kingdom, ’71), an introverted, uncompromising teenager, finds himself frustrated with his working-class existence.
With dreams of a successful music career being dampened by his run-of-the-mill job at the local tax office, Steven finds solace in the city’s underground gig scene where he meets Linder Sterling ( Jessica Brown Findlay – Downton Abbey, The Riot Club) – an intelligent, self-assured artist – who encourages him to make his ideas of superstardom a reality.
Culminating in his first meeting with Johnny Marr, England is Mine, is a feature length biopic based on the early life of Morrissey, the outspoken former lead singer of seminal British band The Smiths. The film is directed by Academy Award® and BAFTA Award nominee Mark Gill (The Voorman Problem). God’s Own Country[/caption]
Francis Lee’s debut feature God’s Own Country will open the 71st edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 21, 2017.
Shot entirely on location in West Yorkshire, God’s Own Country is a contemporary tale of self-discovery and emotional-awakening set on the sheep farming hills of rural Northern England.
Johnny Saxby (Josh O’Connor) works long hours on his family’s remote farm in the north of England. He numbs the daily frustration of his lonely existence with nightly binge-drinking at the local pub and casual sex. But when a handsome Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) arrives to take up temporary work on the family farm, Johnny suddenly finds himself having to deal with emotions he has never felt before. As they begin working closely together during lambing season, an intense relationship starts to form which could change Johnny’s life forever.
Yorkshire-born director Francis Lee commented: “It’s a great privilege that God’s Own Country has been selected as the Opening Night film of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. After the incredible critical and audience responses to the film in both Sundance and Berlin earlier in the year, I’m thrilled to bring God’s Own Country to the UK for the first time.”
HIGHLANDER[/caption]
Edinburgh International Film Festival will present a special 30th anniversary screening of the newly 4K restored HIGHLANDER, as part of the celebrations marking EIFF’s 70th edition.
Its interweaving storyline may well flit around from New York of the 1980s to World War II, but it has its dramatic origins in the 16th century Scottish Highlands where Connor MacLeod (Christophe Lambert) first discovers he is not like other men. After doing battle with a rival clan he is stabbed by a strange mercenary fighter called the Kurgan (Clancy Brown), but finds that he cannot die. Befriended and trained by the charismatic Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), he finds out he is part of a group of immortals who must do battle until there is only one left alive.
Clancy Brown is acclaimed as a cult icon thanks to his mesmeric and maniacal performance as the Kurgan whilst Christophe Lambert is soulful and heroic as Connor, and Sean Connery quite sublime as the foppish yet skillful Ramirez.
Clancy Brown commented: “It’s taken a while, but I swore to myself that I would return again to Scotland after filming 30 years ago where I first learned of Robert the Bruce, James Macpherson, The Fortingall Yew and, most blissfully, single-malt scotch whisky.”
Restored by Deluxe London, the restoration of is based on a 4K scan of the original camera negative, followed by a full 4K workflow, with the approval of director Russell Mulcahy.
Here is the original trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSZ0gxh2ZKQ