Edinburgh International Film Festival
words Claire RitchieThe most radical shake-up of the Edinburgh festival circuit in the last 60 years happens this month. The Edinburgh International Film Festival - traditionally unspooling in the last two weeks of August - takes up its new residency in June, dramatically splitting from its festival brethren in a move that could be its making or breaking.
Despite being the second-largest film festival in the UK (with all the glitz and glamour that such a position brings) it has always been in the shadows of its cousins: the wackier, zanier Fringe; the more uptight International Festival and the bookish Book Festival. Now, by changing dates and also benefitting from a massive injection of funds from the UK Film Council (amounting to £1.88m over three years) EIFF is set to strike out on its own and carve its own destiny away from the August festival mayhem.
This financial input has been given in order to push forward innovative and creative programming, to cement EIFF's status as the ‘cool kid' on the European film festival block - creating a ‘Sundance Europe', if you will. The focus will be on attracting the newest cutting-edge talent, unveiling the films you'll be talking about next year and offering a home to the world's most dynamic film makers.
Oh, and if you're thinking it'll be scruffy no-name directors straight out of film school, the festival assures us that there will be a fair amount of glitz and glamour too, to complement the festival's new-found prominence. Stars Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Rhys Murphy are all expected to attend the opening gala of The Edge of Love, a new film by John Maybury about the complicated love life of poet Dylan Thomas.
Other highlights will include two compelling new documentaries which are premiering at the festival, harking back to its 1940s roots as a documentary-based film festival aimed at expanding minds and inspiring us with knowledge. Man on Wire is the dramatic story of Philippe Petit's daring - and illegal - plan to walk the high-wire between New York ‘s Twin Towers, while Pageant is the story of 52 ordinary gentlemen who go to extraordinary lengths attempting to be crowned the 34th Miss Gay America. Two such different films it is hard to imagine, but both will feel right at home in EIFF's all-embracing arms.
EIFF already seems to be aping its US cousin, attracting not only critical praise from cineastes and trendsetters, but also the film stars that will surely bring it the attention it deserves. Coming hot on the heels of Cannes, which glitzes up the south of France at the end of May each year, the EIFF will be looking to capitalise on the number of Hollywood stars lingering in Europe after they've dusted the sand off their feet and recovered from the champagne hangover.
It's obvious that EIFF has lofty aspirations, but can it stand on its own two feet and fulfil its potential or will breaking away from the main August festival pack and the resultant lack of festival-goers mean empty screens and a loss of atmosphere? The festival argues that this also means there will be more (and cheaper) hotel rooms and conference facilities available, more press coverage at their disposal and, hopefully, more open minds available to tap into. It's a massive challenge but the old adage of ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained' seems appropriate here. There's always the chance that without the fertile atmosphere of the August festivals, EIFF will wither and die, but if it can escape from the shadows of its suffocating siblings then perhaps in years to come Sundance will be referred to as ‘the Edinburgh of the USA'...
EIFF runs from 18-29 June and will host, amongst others, 15 world premieres including the opening night gala, The Edge of Love. For further information, www.edfilmfest.org.uk