Edinburgh International Film Festival

The Edinburgh International Film Festival or EIFF has moved its date and will now take place in June. This year's festival is from the 18 - 29 June.

Established in 1947, it is the longest continually running film festival in the world. The EIFF has presented some of cinema's most important and exciting moments, showcasing Global, International and UK premieres and playing host to the world's greatest filmmakers.

History

When it was started by the Edinburgh Film Guild (the oldest continually running Film Society in the world) it was only for documentaries. At the time there were only a couple of other Film Festivals in the world (Cannes and Venice). The festival shows a range of films from around the world and screens not only feature length films and documentaries, but also shorts, animations and music videos. The Grand Jury awards "The Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film" while the audience can vote for the "Standard Life Audience Award" and a panel judges the "Skillset New Directors Award." There are also several awards given to short films. All films shown are U.K. premieres although many are also European or International Premieres.

The Artistic Director since September 2006 is Hannah McGill, previously a film critic and cinema columnist for The Herald newspaper. Ginnie Atikinson is the long serving Managing Director. Sir Sean Connery and Tilda Swinton are the film festivals honorary patrons. Robert Carlyle has also become a patron after being invited by Swinton and Connery at the closure of 2008's festival.

Shane Danielson, the previous Artistic director programmed the festival between 2002 and 2006

Venues

The venues are the Filmhouse, Cameo, Fountainpark Cineworld and The Dominion. Some of the events are run in The Sheraton Hotel. In Glasgow the Glasgow Film Theatre and Renfrew St Cineworld also participate. As of 2004 there are proposals for a new Filmhouse to be built, entitled Sean Connery Filmhouse, designed by architect Richard Murphy. It would be near to the existing one, have a greater capacity and be home to the festival. The current location favoured by Filmhouse is Festival Square in front of the Sheraton Hotel.

Film Categories

* Gala - All have a well known actor or director attached to them
* British Gala - From a known British actor or director
* Rosebud - Films from first or second time directors
* Directors' Showcase - Highlights films from important directors
* Night Moves - Horror and action films either from countries whose mainstream films are given little world wide release, or from independent filmmakers
* Document - Both feature length and short documentaries
* Retrospective - Films from an important director that many people have not seen on the cinema screen
* Black Box - Abstract and artistic films
* Mirrorball - Music videos, Music-related documentaries
* In-Person - Interviews with important figures from the cinema industry

2007 Festival

The 2007 EIFF ran between 15th and 26th August 2007. It was the 61st Anniversary of the EIFF.

* Opening Film - Hallam Foe
* Closing Film - Two Days in Paris

In Person

* John Waters
* Tilda Swinton
* Bob Hoskins
* Samantha Morton
* Mike Leigh
* Chris Cooper
* Stephen Frears
* Julie Delpy
* Stellan Skarsgard

The programme also featured a crop of the best in writing talent:

* Irvine Welsh
* William Nicholson
* Christopher Hampton
* Judd Apatow
* Paul Laverty

Retrospectives

* Anita Loos

pecial Events

Various special events took place. These special stand-alone movie experiences, sessions designed to fully explore the content of our programme.

External links

* [http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/ Official Site]
* [http://www.edinburghguide.com/festival/edinburghfilmfestival EdinburghGuide.com] EIFF news, reviews, and photos.
* [http://www.festmag.co.uk/ "Fest Magazine Online"] - Free and independent review guide to the Edinburgh Festivals
* [http://www.threeweeks.co.uk/ ThreeWeeks] the complete guide to the Edinburgh Festival
* [http://www.ukhotmovies.com/film-festivals/edinburgh-film-festival/information.html UKHotMovies.com - Edinburgh International Film Festival: Past, Present and Future]
* [http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh/ Eye For Film - Reviews, news and diary from EIFF 1999-2008]
* [http://www.iofilm.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh iofilm - Coverage from 1998 to 2005]
* [http://www.filmhousecinema.com/ Filmhouse Cinema Official Site]