Perfect Sense
David Hare calls it "Britain's most interesting and influential film festival". For 65 years, the Edinburgh International Film Festival has been championing the art of the motion picture, initially specialising in documentaries and gradually broadening out into the broad church it is today.
With new artistic director James Mullighan in charge, the 10-day, 100-movie programme takes place at venues throughout the city, in particular the Filmhouse on Lothian Road, in celebration of this most democratic of artforms. If you love talking about film as much as watching it, you'll want to hang out at the new Festivahouse@Teviot, a special home for cultural debates and movie-related events.
This year there is a special season of British movies. It includes the world premiere of David Hare's political thriller Page Eight, starring Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon and Ralph Fiennes, and the UK premiere of David Mackenzie's sci-fi thriller Perfect Sense, starring Scottish favourites Ewan McGregor and Ewan Bremner. Let Us Be Golden is another of the exciting British films who will make its international debut at the festival this year. Looking to further shores,you can see several films, including Mad Max, with live music in place of the original scorem, as well as join in industry events with a range of Masterclasses, exploring different areas of cinema.
Whether you work your way through one of the programme's thematic strands, take a chance on a first-time director or head for the heavy Hollywood hitters, you'll understand why the festival is proud of its "film for all" remit.
