Edinburgh International Film Festival

On Walter Hill, Renegade Poet of Action Cinema

Michael Pattison — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 18:46:16 GMT

Man walks into a bar, gets into a brawl, wins and walks out. The end. One of the key reasons why Walter Hill’s movies have aged so well is because they don’t waste any time getting down to business. They’re as brutal as they are streamlined, and the unnerving rapidity with which their tales unfold becomes the punchline rather than the setup. And boy, what a punch!

Hill, whose first seven features were honored by an "early years" retrospective at the 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival last week, is one of those directors both highly respected across the film industry and yet still somehow neglected. He owes this partly to the fact that when it comes to genre filmmaking, critical praise more often than not comes with the obligatory disclaimer that he’s a “great action director” or similar. Hill makes adventures, policiers, westerns—hardly the kind of fluff to which a true auteur would lower himself.

In the 1960s, Hill wrote nuts-and-bolts action thrillers when Hollywood was still coming to terms with its post-Production Code possibilities. When he came to direct his own films, the industry had changed for good. In an interview with The Guardian last year, Hill said, “Suddenly the action film was more adult. Somehow they were not as corny and as B-picture-ish as they had been in the 1950s. You could make crime movies without any cops, with criminals as protagonists. They were darker, less melodramatic, less held back by the censors, and more influenced by Europe as well.”

READ MORE: Ewan McGregor on Jesus, 'Star Wars,' 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Trainspotting 2'

But while Hill helped usher in a new era of verisimilitude, there remains something charmingly old-fashioned about the choreographed violence of his early films—later works too, for that matter—and their running times are more like those of B-movies than the self-important epics of serious artists. If Hill did himself a disservice by making films that clock in at 90 minutes or less, it’s our fault alone: at a time when too much is being invested into supposedly superior long-form modes of storytelling, here is a filmmaker strongly averse to narrative baggage.

The polar opposite of today’s festival-bound writer-director who specializes in dialogue-free miserablism, Hill strips things to a no-frills, let’s-get-on-with-it palette and proceeds accordingly. In this respect, his films are like Chaney, the lean and unassuming drifter in Hill’s directorial debut “Hard Times” (1975). Played by Charles Bronson, Chaney arrives in Depression Era Louisiana and seeks a small fortune with gambling addict Speed (James Coburn) by competing in bare-knuckle boxing matches. Coming, going and stripping to his waist in order to best foes in between, he’s a one-man primer for Hill’s filmmaking sensibilities as a whole. In his first fight, he knocks a man out with one punch. No energy is wasted; every thump hits. Along the way, rivals become admirers.

Proficiency’s the name of the game, here. As Bruce Dern tells Ryan O’Neal in Hill’s second feature “The Driver” (1978), “I respect a man who’s good at what he does.” And O’Neal’s character, a getaway man-for-hire, is very good indeed. Harking back to Melville’s “Le Samouraï” (1967)—which itself paid homage to American noir—Hill channels the thrills of a cops-and-robbers yarn into a film of stark minimalism. Trading in ciphers—no characters are named beyond their socioeconomic function (Dern plays The Detective, poker-faced Isabelle Adjani is The Player, and so on)—the film also ups the ante when it comes to realistic, visceral action.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Review: 'Legend of Barney Thomson' Serves Sweeney Todd-Style Slice of Glasgow Life

Two key tensions drive Hill’s films. The first is that between a basic, almost gimmicky premise and the moral conundrums contained within it. Hill, speaking with The Skinny recently, outlines why he views his movies as variations on the western: “The narratives tend to be simple but the dilemmas tend to be rather complicated. The character reactions to the dilemmas tend to be at one level rather stoical, but at the same time there’s a difficult moral choice.”

The second tension is that between Hill’s singular vision and the fact that his works are commonly co-written, the result of a collaborative rather than a totalitarian model. This is to varying degrees true of every director, of course, but it seems to be especially heightened for a genre filmmaker working under conditions that blur the line between artistry, craftsmanship, technical contribution and financial input. (Many of Hill’s contributions to projects by other directors, including an assistant directing gig on “Bullitt”, have gone uncredited.)

It’s no coincidence that teamwork and togetherness are recurrent themes in Hill’s work. In his third feature, “The Warriors” (1979), a New York gang must stick together to navigate their way home after being framed for the murder of another gang leader—and brave a succession of skirmishes with foes, each with its distinctive dress code. The film’s hokey comic-book feel is offset by the dreadful consequences of the violence depicted and the increasingly grueling sense of a nocturnal odyssey through the urban nightmare of 1970s NYC.

READ MORE: '45 Years' Leads Edinburgh Film Fest Winners

Extending the ensemble feel of “The Warriors”, “The Long Riders” (1980) famously features four real-life sets of actor siblings (James and Stacy Keach; David, Keith and Robert Carradine; Dennis and Randy Quaid; Christopher and Nicholas Guest) as on-screen brothers who comprise the James-Younger Gang, led by Jesse James (James Keach) and Cole Younger (David Carradine). Speaking of the film in a 1980 issue of Film Comment, Hill remarked: “These were big, reckless, high-spirited guys that were unaware of the ripples they caused.” Suitably, the bursts of violence that punctuate the film counter its adventure-like, rollicking narrative.

With its promotion of a collective cast of characters rather than a single lead protagonist, “The Long Riders” paved way to “Southern Comfort” (1981), in which Hill transfers the gang-on-the-run premise of “The Warriors” to the Louisiana bayou, swapping juvenile delinquents for a group of National Guard recruits—whose routine overnight excursion into the woods turns into a terrifying nightmare when they incur the wrath of local Cajun hunters. Though the men try to pool their resources together in a fight for survival, some are better at teaming up than others—and those who are less so are offed accordingly.

Hill downsized to a two-hander for “48 Hrs” (1982), which like “Hard Times” before it throws two unlikely partners together. Nick Nolte plays a cynical, overworked cop and Eddie Murphy is the convict who’s temporarily released to help him find an old associate, who has just escaped from a chain gang. It’s by now a classic case of the buddy movie, based on friction rather than banter. Like “Hard Times” and “Southern Comfort”, it’s still refreshing to see solidarity depicted with nuance, less as some nebulous utopia than a thing of absolute need — something acknowledged only when external action compels characters to do so.

Coordination and cooperation go a long way with Hill. That his films are so consistently paced — and trimmed — might have something to do with his most frequent teammate, editor Freeman A. Davies, who notched up no less than 19 credits under the director, including his television works, "Deadwood" and "Broken Trail." A large part of what makes “The Long Riders” and “Southern Comfort” so evocative of time and place, meanwhile, is Ry Cooder’s soundtrack. Cooder worked on seven of Hill’s films, including his tonally curious seventh feature, “Streets of Fire” (1984), an ostensibly dubious blend of “anytime, anywhere” biker-gang sci-fi and rock’n’roll nostalgia that’s shoehorned into a romantic, smalltown post-apocalyptic action film.

Starring Michael Paré in a snarling Robert Mitchum pastiche alongside Rick Moranis, Willem Dafoe, Diane Lane and Amy Madigan, “Streets of Fire” plays out today as an overlooked prototype of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” (a hero returns to save his imperiled home city; the climactic stand-off between outlaws and the police force)—though it’s far less dark and a lot more fun. That any of the film works at all, in fact, is testament to Hill’s directorial prowess—as a filmmaker with a vision as singular as the best of them, and as a true leader in a collaborative medium.

'45 Years' Leads Edinburgh Film Fest Winners

Ryan Lattanzio — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 15:30:11 GMT

Charlotte Rampling also scooped up a Best Performance award for the film, shared with James Cosmo for his performance in redemption drama "The Pyramid Texts." Earlier this year, Rampling won a Silver Bear for her portrayal of a woman in the middle of preparing for her 45th wedding anniversary when the body of her husband's past girlfriend, who died 50 years ago in a fatal accident in the Swiss Alps and was perhaps his great love, is found.

"Diary of a Teenage Girl," sure to pick up American awards steam when Fox Searchlight releases this Summer, nabbed Best International Feature at Edinburgh, which announces its Audience Award winner on Sunday (nominees are here). Another Sundance premiere, "The Wolfpack," won Best Documentary. Here's the full list of winners:

Best British Feature: "45 Years," dir. Andrew Haigh

Best Performance: James Cosmo ("The Pyramid Texts") and Charlotte Rampling ("45 Years")

Best International Feature: "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"

Best Documentary: "The Wolfpack," dir. Crystal Moselle

Best Short Film: "Scrapbook," dir. Mike Hoolboom

McLaren Award for New British Animation: "Stems," dir. Ainslie Henderson

Student Critics Jury Award: "Black Mountain Poets," dir. Jamie Adams

WATCH: The Trailer for '45 Years,' Starring Charlotte Rampling, Will Break You

'45 Years' and 'The Wolfpack' Win Big at the 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival

Kaeli Van Cott — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 14:25:33 GMT

READ MORE: Berlin: Andrew Haigh on Surprising With '45 Years' and the Future of 'Looking'

The 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival announced its 2015 winners earlier today at the EIFF Awards Ceremony, bestowing honors to Sundance favorite "The Wolfpack," Andrew Haigh's acclaimed "45 Years" and more. The winners were selected by the Michael Powell Jury, which included Los Angeles Times Film Critic Kenneth Turan, actor and director Karen Gillan and actor Ian Hart.

Read on below for the winners:

The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film:
"45 Years" - Director: Andrew Haigh

The Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film:
James Cosmo in "The Pyramid Texts"
Charlotte Rampling in "45 Years"

The Award for Best International Feature Film:
"Diary of a Teenage Girl"- Director: Marielle Heller

The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film:
"The Wolfpack" - Director: Crystal Moselle

The Award for Best Short Film:
"Scrapbook" - Director: Mike Hoolboom

The McLaren Award for Best New British Animation, supported by the British Council:
"Stems" - Director: Ainslie Henderson

The Student Critics Jury Award:
"Black Mountain Poets" - Director: Jamie Adams

READ MORE: Sundance: The Crazy Five-Year Story Behind 'The Wolfpack'

Ewan McGregor on Jesus, 'Star Wars,' 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Trainspotting 2'

Michael Pattison — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 11:40:00 GMT

Ewan McGregor is a busy man. In addition to making his Broadway debut in Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing” last year, the actor shot three films: the upcoming John le Carré adaptation “Our Kind of Traitor,” Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic “Miles Ahead,” and “Last Days in the Desert,” in which he plays both Jesus and Satan.

Directed by Colombian veteran Rodrigo García, Sundance debutant “Last Days in the Desert” received its UK premiere at the 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival on Father’s Day—an inspired programming choice given the familial theme of the film, which sees Jesus journeying alone across a desert in search of God, tormented all along by His cunning counterpart Lucifer, who He imagines is following him.

Interviewed on stage by his fellow Scot, the radio and TV presenter Edith Bowman, for a generous 90 minutes at Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre, McGregor—a dad of four—explained how the script’s beautifully written, poetic descriptions first got him on board, having met its director on holiday.

“I don’t even think [Rodrigo] even mentioned that he had a script that he wanted me to read. But when I got back, I got an email from his producer saying, ‘Rodrigo’s embarrassed, because you met him socially, to present you with the script, but we want to present you with the script.’ And there was some talk about it being a dangerous project, and that I wouldn’t want to do it anyway. Which is a bit of a red rag to a bull: ‘Oh really? I want to do it!’”

Though “Last Days” also boasts the presence of Ciarán Hinds and Tye Sheridan, McGregor spends much of it alone. In screen-time, it’s a far cry from his cameo last year in “A Million Ways to Die in the West.” As noted in the talk, McGregor is as comfortable leading a film as he is when supporting others. Such professional diversity—assisted, no doubt, by the infectious humility with which he carries himself—has helped him add a formidable list of directors to his CV.

To name just a few, McGregor has worked with Woody Allen (“Cassandra’s Dream”), Roman Polanski (“The Ghost Writer”), Ridley Scott (“Black Hawk Down”), Steven Soderbergh (“Haywire”), Peter Greenaway (“The Pillow Book”) and of course Danny Boyle, with whom he’s made four features, including his breakthrough role as Mark Renton, a heroin addict, in “Trainspotting” (1996).

“He works in a way that makes a great deal of sense,” McGregor said of Boyle. “With ‘Shallow Grave’ [1994] we went up to Edinburgh and lived in a flat together for a week. We rehearsed as if we were going to do it on the stage, really. They had all the locations and marked them out on the floor. When we came on set, we would then re-rehearse the scene alone, and if something didn’t quite work we would change it.

“But it’s very often not done that way,” the actor continued. “Producers assume that rehearsing on set is wasting time. They think you should be setting up lights. They don’t understand that you’re going to waste time that way. How can you decide the shot if you don’t know what the scene’s going to be?”

McGregor and Boyle famously fell out around the time the latter made “The Beach” (2000). But recent interviews with both have helped dampen any hard feelings, and rumors concerning a much-awaited follow-up to “Trainspotting” have subsequently increased.

“For quite a long time I didn’t want to do it,” McGregor said. “But then three or four years ago I felt differently about it. There was an unfortunate ending to my work with Danny and I’ve always missed him, missed working with him and missed the connection that we had and the work that we might have done together. But all of that’s in the past now and water under the bridge. I’ve spent time with Danny and seen him many times since. All is good. So I don’t know. I’ve never seen a script. I don’t know if it’s happening or not happening. But he knows that I would be up for it.”

It isn’t the only sequel McGregor would be interested in. Asked on his thoughts about J.J. Abrams’ eagerly anticipated “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” McGregor—who played a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the franchise’s 1999-2005 prequels—induced laughter: “I’m excited about it as much as anyone else. I saw the trailer and it looks like he absolutely nailed it and it feels right. But I’m not sure about the [crossguard] lightsaber. If you fight with a lightsaber properly you don’t need one.”

Would McGregor return to the role, if asked? “I’ll say it publicly, here, now. I’d be happy to do the story between Episode 3, that I finished in, and Episode 4 that Alec Guinness started in. I think that would be good. Disney should definitely do that.” McGregor’s tone suggested he was half-quipping, aware that it wouldn’t be his first involvement with the studio should such a sequel be proposed. Currently in production and due for a 2017 release, Bill Condon’s live-action remake of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) will feature the Crieff-born actor as Lumiere, the Beast’s servant and singing candelabra.

It’s fourteen years since McGregor starred and sang in Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge!”, and he found the process this time around terrifying. “I’d forgotten how scary it is. You’re standing alone, and behind this glass there’s forty people. That was quite tricky. After that I went away and really got to work on my French accent.”

Edinburgh Review: 'Legend of Barney Thomson' Serves Sweeney Todd-Style Slice of Glasgow Life

Demetrios Matheou — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 19:00:00 GMT

Robert Carlyle is a patron of the Edinburgh Film Festival, so it’s apt that his debut feature as a director should open this year’s festival in Scotland's capital. Beyond the boon of a film by a local hero, with a local setting, it’s also an opener with broad audience appeal that many have felt the fest has, of late, lacked.

I’ve been wondering what had happened to Carlyle; unless you’ve been watching "Stargate Universe" or "Once Upon A Time" on US television, you’d think that the great Scottish actor with his own special brand of febrile intensity and menace had hung up his hat. Well, he’s back on the big screen, on both sides of the camera for the first time. And his absence from the front line seems to have brought his mellow side to the fore; if "mellow" is a macabre comedy whose villain is named the Body Parts Killer.

Carlyle is Barney, a barber in the rough and ready East End of Glasgow. As he tells us himself, he’s a dull chap, lacking in charm, his life rooted in mediocrity. “Every barber has his quirk – except me,” he declares. His fellow barbers are more blunt, describing their colleague as a “haunted tree”. His mother, aging good-time girl Cemolina (Emma Thompson), brutally declares that she’s never seen the point of him.

At first, it’s tempting to think that Barney’s grey veneer is the perfect cover for the serial killer blithely sending body parts to the families of his victims; a Scottish Sweeney Todd, if you will. The reality is more amusing, as an accidental killing makes this big-time loser the number one suspect of the Cockney copper in charge of the case (Ray Winstone). Turning to his mother for help, Barney gets a lot more than he bargained for.

READ MORE: Ambitious Edinburgh Film Fest Reveals 2015 Program

Based on the novel "The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson" by Douglas Lindsay, this is very funny, often enjoyably twisted (an early jaw-dropping shot of a penis arriving in the post is gloriously trumped later in the film), with occasional shards of pathos hinting at the grim reality of its social milieu.

But it also veers towards heavy-handedness, particularly as it deals with a local oddball who thinks he knows Barney’s secret, and the squabbling between detectives under pressure to catch the killer; of these, Tom Courtenay is underused as the police chief, and Ashley Jensen woefully miscast, trying far too hard to match Winstone’s career-honed and probably innate proficiency with expletives. Nor does Carlyle exercise as much control as he might over pacing, a fact that isn’t helped by an overly intrusive soundtrack.

That the film is ultimately so enjoyable comes down to the script, the director’s evocative but un-oppressive feel for his locations – Carlyle and cinematographer Fabian Wagner give a heightened, almost fable like sheen to this world of pubs, social clubs, dog tracks and tenements – and for the skill of the lead performances.

Cemolina is a throwback to some of the comic characters of Thompson’s early career, in which she was largely viewed as a comedienne. With makeup creating a horror show of fake tan and wrinkles, the actress is hilarious as the bouffant-haired, foul-mouthed harridan who treats her son like a doormat and is worryingly unfazed when he brings his troubles to her door. A scene in which fur-coated mum, son and black-bagged corpse are squeezed into an elevator, as she attempts to get some Tic Tacs into her mouth, is a highlight, though every time Thompson opens her mouth is a treat.

In a sort of reverse casting, the man who has played some of the edgiest and scariest characters of recent years, not least Begbie in "Trainspotting," is really quite endearing as the innocent who only wants to continue with his mundane life.

Carlyle's decision not to have his cast dilute their accents, neither Cockney nor Glaswegian, will be a challenge for some (will this go the way of some of Ken Loach’s films, adopting English subtitles?). But if you can tune in, the language and delivery are often a joy, not least when Barney, eager to dispose of some unwanted limbs in someone else’s kitchen, bemoans to his mum, “His freezer’s too wee.”

Ambitious Edinburgh Film Fest Reveals 2015 Program, From 'Amy' to 'Inside Out'

Ryan Lattanzio — Thu, 28 May 2015 17:40:21 GMT

The reinvented Edinburgh Film Festival, under new artistic director and taste-making film critic Mark Adams, unveiled its 69th lineup. From June 17 to 28, the festival will present 164 films from 36 countries. Among the program are 24 world premieres, and guest appearances from Ewan McGregor, Jane Seymour, Malcolm McDowell and Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To, and a conversation with EIFF honoree Seamus McGarvey and Oscar-winning DP Haskell Wexler.

Highlights include the UK premiere of Asif Kapadia's rapturously praised Cannes doc "Amy," Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out," the wonderful Brian Wilson biopic "Love and Mercy," 2015 Sundance premiere "Last Days in the Desert" starring McGregor as Jesus and the Devil, Andrew Haigh's Berlinale fave "45 Years" starring Charlotte Rampling, Oliver Hirschbiegel's "13 Minutes," Rick Famuyiwa's Sundance winner "Dope," Patrick Brice's razor-smart sex romp "The Overnight," Amy Berg's "Every Secret Thing" and Peter Bogdanovich's relaxed and old-fashioned "She's Funny That Way."

READ MORE: Bogdanovich Returns with "She's Funny That Way" (Venice Review)

As is de rigueur for festivals looking to lure new audiences, EFF's Cinematic TV arm includes a sneak peek at season two of HBO's modestly scaled charmer "Doll and Em" starring Emily Mortimer, and a preview of visual artist Jake Chapman's television foray "The Marriage of Reason and Squalor" starring Rhys Ifans in a twisted romance.

Here's the full lineup.

Chris Fujiwara Steps Down As EIFF Artistic Director

Rachel Bernstein — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:41:43 GMT

Chris Fujiwara will be stepping down from his role at the Edinburgh International Film Festival after his reign as artistic director for three consecutive festivals. Deputy Artistic Director Diane Henderson and her team will be in charge of programming for the 2015 festival.

While at EIFF, Fujiwara's direction led to a 33 percent increase in admissions -- its most recent festival attracted 46,000 people in 2014. On his leave, Chris Fujiwara said, "It's been a genuine honor to work with the team in Edinburgh and contribute to the rebirth of EIFF over the last three years. However, I have decided to step down from my role at the Festival to pursue other activities."

Fujiara's colleagues praised him for his contributions to the festival and look forward to what is coming next for EIFF. Ken Hay, Chief Executive of EIFF, said, "Chris has played an instrumental part in reigniting EIFF, for which the Board of Trustees and I are very grateful. We are sorry to see him go, but are excited and ambitious for the future of EIFF, and we look forward to finding a fitting successor."

Bob Last, Chair of EIFF, added, "Chris Fujiwara's programming has reminded EIFF and our audiences of how important and inspiring it is to be challenged by technique, by content, by a diversity of view points, and by innovation. As we reach out to wider audiences we will remain grateful to Chris for his contribution to EIFF at one of its most challenging moments."

The 10 Best Films From This Year's Edinburgh International Film Festival

Patrick Gamble — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 14:43:13 GMT

Now that the 67th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival has come to a close, all that’s left is to report on the highlights of this year’s eclectic program. Showcasing 146 features from 53 countries, including 14 world, 6 international and 10 European premiers there was certainly plenty to chose from at this year’s incarnation. Despite opening with "Breathe In," Drake Doremus’ follow-up to "Like Crazy," and boasting a succession of high profile festival hits such as "Stories We Tell," "Upstream Color" and "The Conjuring" we thought it would only be constructive to focus on some of the festival’s undiscovered pleasures.

The festival’s most prestigious prize is the Michael Powell Award for ‘Best New British Feature’. Comprising of a diverse pool of locally sourced movies, this year’s deserving winner was, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel's dialogue-devoid and narrative-less oceanic opus "Leviathan." A cinematic eulogy for the men who risk their lives on a daily basis to farm the ocean floor, this exceptional maritime mood-piece ('documentary' is too simple a description) serves as an eye-opening and viscerally prodigious insight into the North Atlantic fishing industry – a truly mesmerizing and immersive experience.

While "Leviathan" was fully deserving of its victory, you’d find it difficult to argue against the award going to the competition’s other maritime-based nominee, "For Those in Peril." Paul Wright's ethereal Scottish drama tells the story of Aaron (George MacKay), a troubled young man who's the only survivor of a fishing accident that claimed the lives of his brother and five other crewmembers. A tense and captivating mood is sustained throughout this strikingly original, sorrow-drenched maritime fable and whilst the film’s message of how 'the sea must be respected' is poetically depicted; it's the raw and inherently vicious nature of humanity that emerges as the tale’s most hazardous foe.

Anther bold and visually striking British film was Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy’s "Mister John," a challenging, yet rewarding thriller that wields a compelling ambience of discomfort over its astute study of grief and self-discovery. A tonally unhinged thriller about a man traveling East for his brother’s funeral, Mister John imbues gritty British drama with an almost Lynchian degree of surrealism - culminating in a film that feels dirty and used yet strangely rhythmic and alluring. Although also focusing on the difficulties of engineering a new identity, Chad Hartigan’s "This is Martin Bonner" is a far sweeter and unassuming character study. A minimalist tale about a caseworker who becomes an "It’s A Wonderful Life"-style Clarence Odbody-esque ‘guardian angel’ to a shy and retiring ex-con, Hartigan’s sophomore feature is an undeniably small and delicate film, yet this finely crafted indie boasts a charming heart of gold.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival is split into numerous categories, one of which is the ‘film on film’ strand. Dedicated to films about various aspects of moviemaking, the strand often feels like bait for movie critic approval, pandering to reviewer’s cinematic interests and eliciting a myriad of encouraging reviews. However, this year two of these films managed to tap into the public consciousness more than any other. First of these was Sophie Huber’s unobtrusive glimpse through the smoky veneer of Hollywood's most pre-eminent character actor "Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction."

A fascinating and long overdue portrait of this cinematic chameleon, Huber's beautifully visual profile has made this enigmatic star even more allusive and endearing. However, the most eye-opening documentary to grace the program this year had to David Cairns and Paul Duane’s ethereal requiem for one of cinema’s most important, yet curiously forgotten figures, "Natan." Illuminating the truth that often gets lost in the dark this sensational tale mines through stock footage, talking head interviews and filmic flights of the imagination in an attempt to resuscitate the ghost of Bernard Natan. One of the pioneering forces in pre-war cinema and a man who despite conceiving the principles of ‘national cinema’ found himself persecuted for his Jewish heritage and early dalliances with pornography. Natan sadly died in a German concentration camp, with his name erased from history except for his alleged involvement within the porn industry – a must for anyone with even the faintest interest in the history of cinema.

Continuing this celebration of cineliterate filmmaking, whilst also spearheading the festival’s focus on ‘films for the young and the young at heart’ was Mark Cousins' "The Story of Children and Film." An abridged appendix to his five-hour essay, "The Story of Film: An Odyssey," Cousins' latest opus is a voyage through the annals of cinematic history, this time focusing on the role of children. Collating a vivid mosaic of some of the finest child performances to ever grace the silver screen, Cousins takes films like Steven Spielberg’s "E.T." and Victor Erice’s "The Spirit of the Beehive" and plunges them under his probing lens. Informative as ever and genuinely enlightening, this deeply personal pathway of discovery will provide even the most cultured cinephile with an abundance of films to add to their watch-list.

The festival’s focus on the confusion of adolescence takes a natural progression to the post-graduate malady of a despondent generation of young adults. Headlined by Noah Baumbach’s delightfully twee metropolitan fairytale about the difficulties of growing up when you're already fully-grown, "Frances Ha," there were two further standout portraits of the despondency of generation Y. "Oh Boy," a monochrome German slacker comedy that epitomized the irony-tinged drollness of the mumblecore movement was the first. This deadpan portrait of today’s cultural cynicism is a surprisingly heartwarming excursion through the street of Berlin, using humor to encapsulate the continuous evolution of German identity. Taking a more verbose approach to youthful disenfranchisement was "Viola," a subtle tapestry of a generation caught in a state of perpetual motion mirrored through a narrative that communicates like a tape caught in a loop. Full of characters observed rehearsing, each of them attempting to nail the natural rhythm and nuanced beats of modern life, "Viola" is ostensibly an unassuming tale about a girl working for her partner's pirate video delivery service in Buenos Aires. However this deceptively simple drama about the tedium of arrested youth is a fascinating treasure trove of rich ideas and intelligent storytelling techniques.

Finally; this wouldn’t be summary of the Edinburgh International Film Festival if we didn’t touch upon the festival’s commitment to discovery and promoting cinema from all across the world - boasting films from every corner of the globe, including; North Korean oddity "Comrade Kim Goes Flying," Kazakhstan’s "Constructors" and Georgia’s indictment on reality TV "Keep Smiling." However the most anthropologically intriguing inclusion in this year’s program had to be Aleksei Fedorchenko’s "Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari." A beguiling and perplexing expedition into the myths and rituals of the Russian Mari told through a collection of 23 peculiar cinematic vignettes. Destined to bemuse more viewers than it’ll ensnare, "Celestial Wives" is a truly unique and unforgettable experience. Fans of Fedorchenko's "Silent Souls" will no doubt welcome this deeper examination of the Mari race; whether they'll appreciate this markedly eccentric approach is another question entirely. However any anthology in which one of the more coherent segments includes a lady’s genitals becoming the temporary nest of a raucous bird demands to be viewed - if only out of morbid curiosity.

Here's my Edinburgh Top 10:

1. Leviathan

2. For Those in Peril

3. Viola

4. The Story of Children and Film

5. Oh Boy

6. Natan

7. Mister John

8. Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction

9. This is Martin Bonner

10. Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari

146 Films Head To Edinburgh For Festival's 67th Edition

Peter Knegt — Wed, 29 May 2013 15:06:16 GMT

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced the full lineup for its 67th edition, running June 19-30. The program includes 146 features from 53 countries, including 14 World premieres, 6 international premieres and 10 European premieres.

“I’m very proud that in my second year at the Festival we’ve again put together a programme that reflects our festival’s commitment to international cinema, while giving our audiences opportunities to discover a broad range of outstanding work from British filmmakers," Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara said in a statement.

Films in the lineup include Alex Gibney's "We Steal Secrets," Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring," Noah Baumbach's "Frances Ha," Zal Batmanglij's "The East" and Drake Doremus’s "Breathe In," which will open the festival on June 19th.

Full press release below.

Edinburgh – 29 May, 2013 – Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara announced this morning at Filmhouse in Edinburgh details of the programme for the 67th edition of Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF). This year the Festival, which runs from 19-30 June, will showcase 146 features from 53 countries, including 14 World premieres, 6 international premieres and 10 European premieres.

The Festival boasts 125 new features, with highlights including FOR THOSE IN PERIL, the debut feature by Paul Wright, a contender for the Michael Powell Award, starring newcomer George MacKay and Kate Dickie. Alex Gibney’s controversial WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS screens within Directors’ Showcase. Noah Baumbach brings FRANCES HA to the Festival with co-writer and star Greta Gerwig, as part of the American Dreams strand which also includes Sofia Coppola’s depiction of fame-obsessed teens, THE BLING RING. Special Screenings include FIRE IN THE NIGHT, which receives its World premiere ahead of the 6 July anniversary of the Piper Alpha North Sea oil rig disaster of 1988. JURASSIC PARK 3D and the 1950 landmark Scottish film THE GORBALS STORY are two of the 21 classic titles in the Festival.

EIFF Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara said: “I’m very proud that in my second year at the Festival we’ve again put together a programme that reflects our festival’s commitment to international cinema, while giving our audiences opportunities to discover a broad range of outstanding work from British filmmakers. This year we take the Festival in a number of new directions. In our new “American Dreams” strand we bring the highlights from an exceptionally good year for American independent cinema. In our Focuses on Korea and Sweden, we recognise films that represent the artistic vitality and social commitment of two strong filmmaking nations. Our “New Realities” strand reaffirms our Festival’s continuing support for documentary filmmaking. And “Not Another Teen Movie” is a new section programmed by 15-19-year-olds for their peers. Altogether, our programme is filled with films that I’m sure our audiences will find exciting and inspiring.”

British films competing for the Michael Powell Award include 7 World premieres and 6 feature debuts. Among the Michael Powell Award contenders are the captivating Scottish tale of belonging and loss BLACKBIRD by Jamie Chambers; the black comedy EVERYONE’S GOING TO DIE by the two-person collective ‘Jones’; Paul Wright’s FOR THOSE IN PERIL; DUMMY JIM by Matt Hulse; MISTER JOHN by Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy; and John Hardwick’s SVENGALI, expanded from a YouTube series. A LONG WAY FROM HOME by Virginia Gilbert stars Natalie Dormer, who serves on the International Feature Film Competition jury; while THE SEA by Stephen Brown stars Ciarán Hinds and Charlotte Rampling. A documentary feature competing is LEVIATHAN by Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel. Completing the selection are UWANTME2KILLHIM? by Andrew Douglas, based on true events, WE ARE THE FREAKS by Justin Edgar, in which misfit teens go on an all-nighter, and NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING, the Festival’s Closing Gala film, directed by John McKay. The Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film will be awarded from films within the Michael Powell selection.

The International Feature Film Competition includes a selection of live-action narrative films, animated films and documentaries, highlighting filmmaking from around the world that is imaginative, innovative and deserving of wider recognition. The selection introduces debuts from Mahdi Fleifel with A WORLD NOT OURS, a portrait of family life in a Palestinian refugee camp; Iraqi-Kurdistan-born director Hisham Zaman with BEFORE SNOWFALL a coming-of-age odyssey from East to West; and Argentine director Leonardo Brzezicki, who paints an erotic psychological landscape with sound in NOCHE. The European premiere of JOY by Greek documentary filmmaker Elias Giannakakis competes along with titles such as Alexey Fedorchenko’s CELESTIAL WIVES OF THE MEADOW MARI which focuses on the rites and customs of a Russian ethnic group; a dreamlike allegory set in Tehran, FAT SHAKER by Mohammad Shirvani; and I.D. by writer-director Kamal K.M. based on a real incident in Mumbai. JUVENILE OFFENDER, a gritty story of family neglect in Korea by Kang Yi-kwan, and OF SNAILS AND MEN, a Romanian post-Communist era social satire by Tudor Giurgiu, round out the International Feature Film Competition.

There are a number of Special Screenings across the Festival, including the World premiere of THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES from co-directors James Erskine and Zara Hayes about the historic 1973 tennis match between Wimbledon winner Billie Jean King and retired champion and self-proclaimed chauvinist Bobby Riggs; and, receiving its European premiere, HAWKING, for which filmmaker Stephen Finnigan was given unprecedented access to the world’s most famous living physicist, Stephen Hawking. I AM BREATHING tells the true story of Neil Platt following his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease just months after the birth of his son; the film screens in the Festival ahead of MND Global Awareness Day on Friday 21 June. There will also be a chance to see on the big screen the first two episodes of BBC Two’s crime drama PEAKY BLINDERS, set in the lawless streets of post-war Birmingham on the cusp of the 1920s, starring Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory and Sam Neill.

The American Dreams strand includes the European premiere of Scott McGehee’s WHAT MAISIE KNEW, a modern story based on the Henry James novel; Sebastian Silva’s MAGIC MAGIC, which reveals a star turn by Juno Temple; and THE EAST, which stars Brit Marling, who co-wrote with director Zal Batmanglij. International premieres include Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s C.O.G., adapted from humourist David Sedaris’s autobiographical essay; the sci-fi thriller UPSTREAM COLOUR by writer-director and actor Shane Carruth; and THIS IS MARTIN BONNER from Chad Hartigan, in which an unlikely friendship blossoms.

EIFF is privileged to welcome to Edinburgh one of the world’s greatest animators, Richard Williams, to celebrate his work with a retrospective, RICHARD WILLIAMS: 80 ANIMATED YEARS. This screening is in partnership with Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival and charts the development of Williams’s animated career. Williams will also present the coveted McLaren Award, which provides a focus for new British short animation. This year marks a new partnership with the British Council, which will see films selected from the McLaren Award competition for an international touring programme representing the best contemporary British animation. The Festival hosts a further Special Screening of short animations in tribute to Scott Ward, the award-winning cinematographer who died earlier this year. Scott had worked as animation programmer for EIFF for ten years.

The Directors’ Showcase presents work from established auteur directors and emerging talents with 23 films from 17 countries. The selection includes 6 documentaries including Thomas Riedelsheimer’s BREATHING EARTH SUSUMU SHINGU'S DREAM, following artist Susumu Shingu; and actor and director Sarah Polley's intimate family portrait STORIES WE TELL. Narrative films cover a variety of genres and include high-speed Hong-Kong cop film MOTORWAY directed by Pou-Soi Cheang and produced by action auteur Johnnie To, while Dibakar Banerjee takes Bollywood in a new direction with political thriller SHANGHAI. Intimate human dramas are represented with Bruno Barreto’s REACHING FOR THE MOON, about the love affair between American poet Elizabeth Bishop and Brazilian architect Lota de Macedo Soares; Mania Akbari’s FROM TEHRAN TO LONDON, a poetic exploration of the roles of women, during the filming of which Akbari fled to the UK; and THE DEEP, Baltasar Kormákur’s breathtaking drama about an Icelandic fisherman who reluctantly became a national hero.

The World Perspectives strand presents 25 films from 18 countries, offering a spectrum of work from emerging directors. BIG BOY, from the Philippines, was shot on Super 8 by Shireen Seno; DAYS OF GRACE is a breathless triple-kidnapping thriller from Mexican director Everardo Valerio Gout; DIE WELT, set after the 2011 Tunisian revolution, is the feature debut from Dutch director Alex Pitstra; from Li Lou, EMPEROR VISITS THE HELL is a political satire inspired by a Ming Dynasty literary classic; and EVERYBODY’S GONE is an outstanding debut by Georgiy Paradjanov, nephew of legendary master director Sergei Paradzhanov.

With New Realities, EIFF features some of the most interesting documentary filmmakers working today, including Thomas Heise, who observes the routines of a crematorium in CONSEQUENCE; PJ Raval, who reveals the lives and loves of three gay seniors in BEFORE YOU KNOW IT; and first-time director Khaled Jarrar, who follows fellow Palestinians’ attempts to cross the wall separating them from Israel in INFILTRATORS. The enigmatic Scottish maker of salmon flies Megan Boyd is the subject of Eric Steel’s KISS THE WATER; and with LUNARCY! Simon Ennis takes an affectionate look at a group of individuals obsessed with the moon. The strand also hosts the World premiere of DESERT RUNNERS by Jennifer Steinman, an intimate film about competitors in RacingThePlanet’s 4Desert Ultra-marathons, and the European premiere of Jeanie Finlay’s THE GREAT HIP HOP HOAX, the stranger than fiction story of Billy Boyd and Gavin Bain, aka ‘Silibil 'n' Brains’.

Filmmakers and filmmaking is the subject of the Film on Film strand which includes: NATAN, David Cairns and Paul Duane’s moving account of Bernard Natan, a forgotten giant of French cinema; A STORY OF CHILDREN AND FILM by Mark Cousins; and Graham Eatough’s THE MAKING OF US, commissioned by the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art.

The late-night Night Moves strand hosts the World premiere of OUTPOST 3: RISE OF THE SPETSNAZ, with producer Kieran Parker turning director for the third instalment of the popular Nazi zombie saga; and the European premiere of SHOOTING BIGFOOT, in which British filmmaker Morgan Matthews travels to America and forms uneasy alliances with several Bigfoot trackers. Concept artist Richard Raaphorst directs his first horror flick, FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY, a Nazi v Communist ‘found footage’ horror; while PARIS COUNTDOWN, a high-octane thriller, is director Edgar Marie's debut feature; and the master of Japanese horror Hideo Nakata brings us THE COMPLEX.

EIFF will this year screen 172 short films from 38 countries across 22 programmes. In addition to animated shorts the Festival continues to showcase new work by Scottish, UK and international filmmakers, including DAY TRIP by Park Chan-wook and his brother, Park Chan-kyong. The experimental Black Box strand presents a series of shorts programmes from innovators in the visual art world as well as the World premiere of documentary poem and travelogue ‘10’ from photographer filmmaker Telemach Wiesinger. The Festival enters new territory this year with BLACK BOX LIVE, a presentation of multi-projector expanded cinema artworks performed live by experimental practitioners Nominoë, Sami van Ingen, and Screen Banditas.

The first of the retrospectives previously announced will celebrate the work of French director Jean Grémillon with a programme of features and short films in partnership with the BFI, while the second, presented as part of a wider programme running at Filmhouse, recognises the Hollywood director Richard Fleischer.

As previously announced, this year’s two country Focuses showcase work from Korea and Sweden not previously seen in the UK. The Focus on Korea includes films ranging from the commercial mainstream to independent cinema that show the diversity and vitality of Korean film today. The Focus on Sweden includes feature films from contemporary mainstream and experimental filmmakers, a film by an old master from the silent era, and a selection of shorts.

A new initiative this year has seen a group of 15-19-year-olds with a keen interest in film select films under the mentorship of the Festival. Entitled ‘Not Another Teen Movie’, their new strand includes include quarter-life crisis comedy OLD STOCK by Canadian director James Genn; 7 BOXES, a thrilling chase movie set in the markets of Paraguayan capital Asunción, from co-directors Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori; STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, starring Chris Colfer and Rebel Wilson; Danish coming-of-age drama YOU & ME FOREVER and a collection of short films.

As previously announced, the 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival opens with the European premiere of Drake Doremus’s BREATHE IN with Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce and the Closing Gala is the World premiere of the Scottish romantic comedy NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING, starring Karen Gillan and Stanley Weber. Disney•Pixar’s MONSTERS UNIVERSITY is this year’s Family Gala, screening at Festival Theatre Edinburgh in 3D.

Bong Joon-Ho To Head Edinburgh Jury

Peter Knegt — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:12:05 GMT

South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho will head the jury at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. The filmmaker -- whose English language debut "Snowpiercer" is due out later this year -- will be joined by actress Natalie Dormer ("Game of Thrones") and film critic Siobhan Synnot. They will choose the winner of the "Award for Best Film in the International Competition" from a selection of films from outside the UK. Last year's winner was "Here, Then" by first-time director Mao Mao.

The full press release below.

Cannes – 21 May 2013 - Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is pleased to announce that renowned South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho will chair the International Feature Film Competition Jury at this year's Festival.
Bong Joon-Ho, whose English-language debut, 'Snowpiercer', is expected later this year, came to international attention with his first feature 'Barking Dogs Never Bite' (2000). He won Best Director at the San Sebastian Film Festival for 'Memories of Murder' (2003) while 'The Host' (2006) and 'Mother' (2009) received much critical acclaim upon their premieres in the Director's Fortnight and Un Certain Regard sections at Cannes.
Serving with him on the jury is actress Natalie Dormer and film critic Siobhan Synnot. Star of the hugely successful 'Game of Thrones', Dormer will be seen later this year in the highly anticipated 'Rush', directed by Ron Howard, and Ridley Scott's 'The Counselor', written by Cormac McCarthy. Synnot is chief film writer for Scotland on Sunday and is an award-winning writer and broadcaster who regularly contributes to the BBC and STV, commenting on films and arts issues.
They will choose the winner of the Award for Best Film in the International Competition from a selection of films that highlight filmmaking from outside the UK that is imaginative, innovative and deserving of wider recognition. Last year's winner was 'Here, Then' by first-time director Mao Mao.
This year's Festival will also feature two country Focuses, showcasing work from Korea and Sweden. The Focuses will offer Festival audiences the opportunity to see UK premieres of the best recent work from those two countries.
EIFF Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara speaking in Cannes said: “It's a huge honour for our Festival to have Bong Joon-ho, one of the greatest filmmakers, as the Chair of the jury of our International Feature Film Competition. We're also honoured and delighted that he will be joined by Natalie Dormer, a brilliant and prolific performer, and Siobhan Synnot, one of Scotland's leading voices for film culture.
“Our Focuses on Korea and Sweden are major components of EIFF's programme this year. These are undoubtedly two of the most consistently interesting national cinemas, both with a great abundance of filmmaking talent. We have an outstanding selection of stimulating and challenging films from both countries and we're very happy to be showcasing them.”
The Focus on Korea includes films ranging from the commercial mainstream to independent cinema that show the diversity and vitality of Korean film today. The espionage thriller 'The Berlin File' from master director Ryoo Seung Wan has been a box-office success and reveals the full strength of Korean action cinema. The domestic success of 'Jiseul', the debut from O Muel, is an equally good sign for arthouse films. The film, which recreates a massacre by Korean troops of alleged Communists in Jeju Island in 1948, is one of two films on historical tragedies; the other is 'National Security' by Chung Ji-young, which looks at the case of a pro-democracy activist in the 1980s who was tortured into making a false confession.
From director Shin Su-won, 'Pluto' is a dark and gripping story of how competition for top grades in an elite high school turns murderous. The imaginative hybrid of fiction and documentary 'Virgin Forest', which looks at themes of tradition, memory and the past, will be shown with two new shorts: 'Homo Coreanicus', an allegorical story about Korean society, and 'Day Trip', directed by Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Stoker) in collaboration with his brother, Park Chan-kyong, which deals with the Korean traditional music form pansori.
The Focus on Korea is supported by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Film Council and the Korean Cultural Centre UK.
The Focus on Sweden includes feature films from contemporary mainstream and experimental filmmakers, a film by an old master from the silent era, and a selection of shorts. Beginning with a phone call from a long-lost lover, the experimental documentary 'Belleville Baby' from Mia Engberg is a true story of love that raises questions about identity, class and fate. 'Call Girl' by Mikael Marcimain tells the explosive story of underage prostitution amongst the Swedish elite in the 1970's; while 'Roland Hassel' is the debut feature from director Måns Månsson, an intriguing hybrid of fiction and documentary that breathes new life into the 1980's cult private detective character of Roland Hassel. Emerging Swedish director Karzan Kader was born in Kurdish Iraq; his film 'Up & Away' is a charming story about familial love as two brothers try to travel from Kurdistan to America to meet Superman. In 'Sanctuary', two fugitives, a father and daughter, abandon civilisation and escape into the wilderness. Fredrik Edfeldt's second feature expresses powerful emotional undercurrents raging beneath a reflective world of beautiful, almost ethereal stillness.
An enchanting rediscovery from the first golden age of Swedish cinema, Mauritz Stiller's 1919 film 'Sir Arne's Treasure' is an exquisite masterpiece, which will be shown with live musical accompaniment. Finally, a seven-strong selection of some of the finest short-form cinema emerging from contemporary Sweden, presents the undercurrents bubbling fervently just beneath the surface of society.
The Focus on Sweden is supported by the Swedish Film Institute.

Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara Committed to Edinburgh International Film Festival

Isaac Hoffstein — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:04:48 GMT

Last week we brought you the "10 Films to Watch From Edinburgh", and today EIFF announced the continuation of Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara’s tenure, initially for three more years. The appointment was announced following 2012’s successful EIFF that saw admissions of just over 40,000 across the 12-day event.

The 66th EIFF was Fujiwara's first Festival as Artstic Director. Fujiwara also oversaw the return of the Michael Powell and International Awards to the Festival, as well as high-profile red carpet premieres at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre.

Commenting on his future at EIFF, Chris Fujiwara said: “Working on this year’s EIFF has been one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of my career. The interest and enthusiasm of the Festival audience and the dedication and professionalism of the Festival staff and volunteers have transformed my view of the importance cinema can hold in people’s lives. I’m deeply grateful to the Board for their confidence in me, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our relationships with our audiences and with international filmmakers, distributors and sales agents. I’m very excited about working to shape the future of EIFF.”

Check below for more information about the Edinburgh International Film Festival:

Established in 1947, Edinburgh International Film Festival is renowned around the world for discovering and promoting the very best in international cinema - and for heralding and debating changes in global filmmaking. Intimate in its scale, ambitious in its scope, and fuelled by pure passion for cinema in all its manifestations, EIFF seeks to spotlight the most exciting and innovative new film talent, in a setting steeped in history.

Notable films premiered in recent years have included: 35 SHOTS OF RUM, THE HURT LOCKER, MOON, FISH TANK, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, SOMERS TOWN, MAN ON WIRE, CONTROL, KNOCKED UP, RATATOUILLE, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, TSOTSI, BILLY ELLIOT and AMORES PERROS.

EIFF is supported by Creative Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council, EventScotland, the Scottish Government through the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and the BFI. EIFF is proud to be part of the Year of Creative Scotland, a Scottish Government initiative led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL, which is spotlighting and celebrating Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths on a world stage.

The Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) was founded in 2010 with a vision to be at the forefront of film and the moving image in Scotland. The CMI currently comprises the EIFF, Edinburgh Filmhouse and Edinburgh Film Guild and its aim is to lead, inspire, educate and entertain in the moving image space. The CMI is currently developing an ambitious plan to create new businesses and initiatives in Scotland related to film thought and practice.

Edinburgh Film Festival Getting Its Groove Back With 2012 Edition

Patrick Gamble — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:12:37 GMT

An almost palpable sigh of relief could be heard during the announcement of this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival program - especially after the disappointment of last year’s critically mauled incarnation.

The world’s longest continuingly running film festival went through a major transitional period last year, yet in an attempt to rejuvenate a festival whose funding had been drastically slashed due to the collapse of the UK Film Council the organizers failed to capture the essence of previous events, culminating in a program that felt like a rushed and improvised celebration of cinema rather than a carefully curated love letter to the medium. This year however, the festival is under the watchful eye of artistic director and renowned cinephile Chris Fujiwara and has already begun to show signs of a vast improvement since kicking off last week.

One of the most welcomed changes to this year’s event was the reinstatement of the Michael Powell Award for the best British feature film. At this early stage of the festival only a few of the nominated films have screened, yet it would appear there’s already a forerunner for the prize in the shape of Bart Layton’s "The Imposter." A resounding favorite amongst the festival’s press and media, Layton’s documentary about a French con artist who pretended to be a lost Texan boy and successfully fooled not only the boy’s family but the American authorities is a prime example of how fact can often be stranger than fiction. After initially feeling like it’s played its trump card far too early, "The Imposter" -- through a meticulously rendered narrative arc -- reveals a story with far more depth and integrity than it’s enticing premise initially suggests. A fascinating examination of the psychological complexities behind the definition of the truth, this remarkable documentary is totally captivating and continues to resonate long after the final credits role.

The Edinburgh Film Festival program wouldn’t be the same without its obligatory critical darling from the Berlinale. Last year Bela Tarr’s directorial swan song "The Turin Horse" took this coveted spot and this year the honor befell Miguel Gomes’ intoxicating love story, "Tabu." Playfully switching from the gloom of present day Lisbon to the warmth and perceived simplicity of life in the past, "Tabu" is a hypnotic novella of a film which plays with audience’s nostalgia for the past while simultaneously creating a engaging and utterly charming tale of love against adversity – all whilst acting as a fascinating critique of the colonization of Africa by Portugal. Drawing its influences from the early romantic era of early Hollywood filmmaking and shot in the Academy ratio, "Tabu" has so far wooed both critics and audiences at this year’s festival.

One of the joys of any film festival is probing through the program in search of that little hidden gem of a film, which could possibly go on to be the next ‘big thing’. This year that film could very well be Nathan Silver’s minimalist, micro budget drama "Exit Elena." This beautifully observed and charming drama is about a newly qualified live-in-nurse and her turbulent experience working for an affluent middle class American family. Riddled with a delightfully eclectic mix of deeply detestable characters, Silver’s remarkably assured debut transcends its meager budget and lo-fi methodology to create a carefully constructed examination of how we treat not only our elderly but also those who we pertain to hold dear to us. Building a palpable atmosphere of anxiety and despair this incredibly awkward, but often hilarious indie movie is one of the more pleasant surprises unearthed at this year’s festival.

Understandably very few critics braved Sergey Loban’s sprawling, 207-minute epic, "The Chapiteau Show" but those who did found their commitment and patience rewarded with a baffling, yet utterly compelling piece of experimental cinema. Four interwoven narratives bookended with surreal musical vignettes make up the foundations of this epic examination of changing values in contemporary Russia. Tales of love and friendship are amalgamated with some outlandish, yet captivating experimental cabaret acts -- including a musical number that sees Marilyn Monroe dancing with a bear in a spacesuit, whilst a flamboyant matador choreographs their tragic love story. This absurd extract is just one of many examples of Loban’s confounding cavalcade of bewildering, yet thoroughly entertaining set pieces -each perfectly accompanying the film’s vibrant pace and energy.

However, for every expansive piece of experimental cinema that works, there’s always a handful of those that don’t. The most divisive film at this year’s festival so far is DJ Chen’s apocalyptic comedy drama "Young Dudes." Following an aspiring rock musician and his carpentry teacher friend, "Young Dudes" is a muddled and perplexing story about a virtual spaceship called Klaatu which aims to challenge the notion of ‘nations’ and create a more global community based on the ideals of a worldwide family. Built on the foundations of a high concept, sci-fi infused story, Chen’s film disregards the rules of conventional narrative structure in favor of erroneous visual flourishes, culminates in a horribly pretentious and indulgent tapestry of misguided ideas that infuriate far more than entertain.

With the festival now in full swing and critical and public spirits high there remains plenty of anticipated screenings left to enthrall the audiences of the Scottish capital - including Peter Strickland’s thriller "Berbarian Sound Studio" and James Marsh’s Northern Irish thriller "Shadow Dancer."

Check back later this week for a list of the top ten films not to miss from this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival.

65th Edinburgh Film Festival Begins with a Smashing Lineup Amid Budget Woes, Controversy

Bryce J. Renninger — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:26:11 GMT

The oldest continually-running festival in the world began its 65th edition Wednesday in Edinburgh with a massive slate of festival hits and premieres.

The biggest buzz around the festival has been the participation of Tilda Swinton, her frequent collaborator Mark Cousins and former Edinburgh Film Festival director Lynda Myles and their subsequent departure. When the collaboration was announced in December, The Guardian called the decision a "dramatic move" that would "breathe new life into an event that faces big funding cuts." The festival had announced that the three had decided on several changes, including cheaper tickets, a string of "discrepant thinkers" as guest curators, one-off events and "honesty days" when people could have paid what they feel a film is worth. It should come as no surprise that such changes don't seem to have been entirely accepted. (Keep in mind that Swinton and Cousins have been radically reassessing the traditional nature of film festivals for a few years now, at one point enlisting a group of traveling cinephiles to pull a mobile cinema trailer through the summery hills of Scotland for a fortnight.)

When asked about the departure by the Hollywood Reporter, Swinton said her involvement had "continuously been misreported," and that "Lynda Myles, Mark Cousins and I have not 'parted company' with plans for the EIFF, because we were never - in fact - officially engaged with them. We were certainly never paid or made responsible in any way to the festival's organization.” So, take from that what you will.

The festival does, however, appear to have taken a less traditional, low-key route than in years past. There have been no red carpets and there is neither a star-studded jury nor prizes. There are, however, a number of retrospectives and special screenings, including a selections by guest curators Bela Tarr, Jim Jarmusch and Apichatpong Weerasethakul and several Derek Jarman films curated by Gus Van Sant.

The festival opened on Wednesday evening with the UK premiere of "The Guard," an Irish crime comedy directed by John Michael McDonagh. The film is aiming to represent Irish film on an international level following its positive reception at Tribeca and Sundance earlier this year. However, according to The Scotsman, the low-profile premiere, which went off without an appearance by either of its stars - Don Cheadle or Brendan Gleeson - was quite a disaster. "The 1,900-seater Festival Theatre was only two thirds full and there was embarrassment for the organizers when the cinema screen, bought by the festival last year for the venue, broke down for a few minutes."

All is not lost, as Edinburgh will see a handful of big names this year. Kim Cattrall is expected to attend the UK premiere of "Meet Monica Velour" and Ewan McGregor will be there in support of the European premiere his film "Perfect Sense." The festival's other major UK premiere is for Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut "Jack Goes Boating," though Hoffman is not expected to appear.

The festival, which lost a great deal of funding due to cutbacks in the arts which have had the UK film industry reeling for months now, doesn't seem to have any regrets about its choices. Festival director James Mullighan told STV: “We’re neither able nor willing to compete with the red carpets and star wattage of Berlin, Cannes, Toronto and Venice. We are paying fresh mind to the historic and cultural reputation of our glorious home town.”

Van Sant, Rossellini, Jarmusch and Weerasethakul Among Curators At Overhauled Edinburgh Fest

Peter Knegt — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:59:19 GMT

Earlier this week, the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s new artistic advisors Mark Cousins and Lynda Myles delivered "EIFF65: Our Suggestions," the "first fruits" of their rethink of the Festival (which was initially announced late last year). Cousins and Myles outlined a "radical evoluton of form and content" at the festival, and named the first group of guest curators, who will be invited to "to dream what the Festival will and can be, to use film and the fabric of one of the world's most beautiful and potent cities as a canvas, or screen."

"In December, with snow in our hair, we agreed to suggest ideas for the 65th Edinburgh International Film Festival," Cousins and Myles said. "What an honour. The EIFF changed film culture. We’re proud to pitch in. Our suggestions try to make Edinburgh the most distinctive film fest in the world, possibly the most spirited and brainiest. For the last month we’ve been working behind the scenes trying to get the film and culture world to join in this rethink... We feel - sincerely - that Edinburgh should lead the world in exploring what film curation is, how it creates mood, audience, loyalty, appetite, expectation, taste, knowledge and joy. It has, at times, including recently, done a lot of this, and Filmhouse does it all year round. So, in our 65th year, to get the juices going we have asked great people in the world of culture – film, music, art, design, etc. – to join our experiment and pitch in ideas for themes, days, moments and events. Some of them will come to the Festival, but what we want are their brains, their taste, their spirit - not their celebrity or any of that secondary mould."

So far, guest curators are an impressive array of international film names including Isabella Rossellini, Gus Van Sant, Jim Jarmusch, Clint Mansell, Apichatpong and Weerasethakul. The full list with descriptions provided by Cousins and Myles below.

ISABELLA FIORELLA ELLETRA GIOVANNA ROSSELLINI: Star of Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Fearless; director; surrealist; founder of Green Porno. Passionate advocate of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini.

GUS VAN SANT: Director of Elephant, My Own Private Idaho, Gerry, Good Will Hunting, Paranoid Park, Psycho, The Last Days, Milk.

SARA DRIVER AND JIM JARMUSCH: Sara is an independent filmmaker, whose You are Not I, based on a Paul Bolwes story, we’re hoping to show. She teaches and produces and writes the films of Jim Jarmusch, her partner. Jarmusch helped create the new American cinema with the film Stranger than Paradise. Down by Law was – well, you know how great it was, how attuned to inner life. Jarmusch helped bring the grace and pace of filmmakers like Hou Hsiao Hsien to world attention.

ALAN WARNER: Acclaimed Scottish author of The Sopranos, The Man Who Walks and Morvern Caller.

MIKE SKINNER: The most acclaimed British song-writer and musician of his generation; a poetic innovator, rapper, chronicler, storyteller and shape-shifter. His Original Pirate Material changed British music. His second single Dry Your Eyes Mate went to number one in the UK charts. He’s just written a film, which he’ll direct.

APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL: Mysterious object at Noon, Blissfully Yours, Tropical Malady, Syndromes and a Century and Uncle Boonmee. He’s already as significant to the history of cinema as Jean Cocteau and King Hu. No filmmaker seems so good at making us feel part of the circle of life. It’s his reverie which moves us.

CLINT MANSELL: Brilliant composer of the scores of Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream and Pi, former lead singer of Pop Will Eat Itself.

GREIL MARCUS: Legendary musicologist and cultural critic. His 1975 book Mystery Train drew a mental map of American literature and mythology and placed music on that map. He’s a historian of post-punk, Bob Dylan and Situationism – his whole life is a derive – and is a central figure at the Telluride Film Festival.

Cousins and Myles said that more curators will be announced shortly (the next major announcement is set for "around March 1st"). Festival director James Mullighan exlained that now that the curator have agreed to participate, "they are in dialogue with Mark and Lynda about what it is they might bring. Films, music, art, writing, mood: nothing is off the table at this point."

Mullighan also said that the festival will still have premieres in the midst of all the guest curation.

"Edinburgh has a strong reputation for playing the best of new work, and this won't change," he said. "I don’t know how many at this stage – my team and I are modeling this."

The Edinburgh International Film Festival will run June 15-26, 2011.

Cousins and Swinton Set Blueprint For "Radical Transformation" Of Edinburgh Film Fest

Peter Knegt — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:59:45 GMT

For its 65th anniversary, the Edinburgh International Film Festival has unveiled a transformative plan via a blueprint shaped by filmmaker/journalist Mark Cousins, actress Tilda Swinton, and a wider artistic team that will be announced later. The result will be "radical new approach to the image and structure" to the festival, which will run in June 2011.

In what the event describes as a "moving away from the traditional concept of 'film festivals,'" the blueprint utilizes the theme, "All That Heaven Allows."

"[EIFF] may cease to have a competition section or prizes, and will focus more on inviting a team of guest curators to program their own selection of films or contribute to special themed days within the festival," an event release stated in describing the new direction. "The festival goers will be encouraged to interact with many bold initiatives to bring the city alive, all of which will be revealed later by Cousins and his artistic team."

As part of the initiative, the festival has hired James Mullighan to produce the transformation of the festival. Currently Mullighan is Creative Director at Shooting People, an international network of independent filmmakers, with 38,000 members in the UK and US. He oversees all day to day operations and has been responsible for building the business. He has also worked for Sony Classical and Columbia records in Australia, and as a freelance journalist working for a variety of publications including The Scotsman, GQ, Vogue and Rolling Stone. In 2003 he joined the travelling short film festival RESFEST as Producer, UK & Ireland.

"We live in a very fragmented and competitive space and so it becomes much more important to continually refresh, revitalise and re-invent," commented Gavin Miller, CEO Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), the parent body of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. "I'm both confident and excited with this blueprint that Mark Cousins has shaped, which will deliver a unique and distinctive festival. I am delighted also that James is joining us as the producer and I believe that his years at Shooting People put him in a good position to build on the heritage of Edinburgh International Film Festival as a distinctive cultural force."

James Mullighan commented: "I am absolutely thrilled to be appointed to this new position at a film festival that I have long admired and supported. It has an incredible history of programming the finest films from all over the world and delivering an exciting and innovative programme to a very faithful and enthused audience. Mark describes it as a Ziggy Stardust moment and I think that's right. We will announce Mark's blueprint for the festival in the New Year."

Cousins and Swinton have been active contributors to the film culture in Scotland in recent years, from their own unique film festivals, including 2009's A Pilgrimage, to the 8 1/2 Foundation, which gives films to children on their 8 1/2th birthday and kicked off at last year's Edinburgh International Film Festival.

FUTURES | Edinburgh "Star" Hattie Dalton

Peter Knegt — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:57:18 GMT

"We really only completed the film a couple of days before we found out we were closing Edinburgh," "Third Star" director Hattie Dalton told indieWIRE days before her film debuted at the Scottish film festival. "So we literally had just finished the mix and everything, and I was in this stage of still slightly reeling. I wasn't sure if the film quite worked or not. I mean, it's a natural role of the director to look at all the problems so you can solve them. So I was still in that state, really, and once we found out, I thought 'well, it must work.'"

Edinburgh audiences seemed to agree on Sunday night when "Star" helped end the 64th edition of the film festival. It also marked Dalton's feature film debut after winning a BAFTA for her 2004 short film "The Banker." "Star" (written by Vaughan Sivell - also making his feature debut) follows the dark comic themes of "Banker" and Dalton's other shorts, depicting a road trip between four young friends - one of whom has just been diagnosed with cancer.

"It was ambitious to do a film like this as a first film because it is a difficult subject matter," Dalton said. "My short films are quite black comedies. I always think that if you can entertain people along the way then the poignancy or the weight of the story can kind of be a drip feeder afterward and the resonance stays. I mean that's my opinion... But that's the sort of films that I like, and that's the sort of films that my short films are. 'Third Star' is definitely along those lines...To have a guy in it whose dying of cancer sounds like not the most commercial film. But the fact that it's a comedy...I mean, it's always a fine line to walk between serving the truth of the weight of something like that, and to also give relief to be able to laugh along the way. I know - through my friendships and my family and my upbringing- that you deal with the hardest things using humor. If you don't laugh..."

Dalton - a native of Australia - got her start in broadcast journalism, which eventually led to a decade of work editing featuring films.

"It was during that time that secretly began to want to get into directing," she said. "And I'd make these no-budget short films with friends. But it's actually been a very nurturing environment in the British film industry. There were some people I worked with - particularly editors and directors - who encouraged me with my short films. And then a couple of the more 'grown up' short films were recognized, and it sort of set me off to thinking that maybe I could make a career out of this. So this being the first feature is a big deal."

As for "Third Star"'s life beyond Edinburgh, Dalton is hopeful.

"It's not the easiest of films," Dalton said. "And it's the type of film that will really need word of mouth. We feel like it works well enough that once people see it, they'll tell people to go. But on paper, it might not seem very commercially viable. But that's what you need these festivals for. So that people who are willing to tell stories about the bigger things in life get to actually represented."

"Skeletons" and "Jackboots" Break Out In Edinburgh

Peter Knegt — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:30:00 GMT

The Edinburgh International Film Festival made no secret about the intentions of its 2010 edition. The festival's tagline, "What Will You Discover?," was plastered all around town, as were handmade signs that announced: "Lost: British Cinema, 1967-1979. Please Help Find It At The Edinburgh International Film Festival." Celebrating its 64th edition, the spirit of the festival was anything but old.

"We've been kind of re-positioning ourselves softly over the last couple of years to focus more on discovery and new filmmakers... trying to up our world premiere numbers but maintain quality," Festival Artistic Director Hannah McGill had told indieWIRE just prior to the festival. "And I think that's gotten through to everyone now. We're finding that our discovery message is really picking up and that people appreciate that - whether it's audiences or filmmakers. Eighty of the films in the program are from first or second-time filmmakers, and that definitely reflects the newness and freshness that we wanted to get. And there's a very big presence of British filmmakers, and I think it feels like a point in the UK film calendar where people can catch up on what young, new British filmmakers are doing."

Taking on the pressure that comes with trying to be a "discovery" festival is no small feat. With just a handful of festivals worldwide really capable of launching a film into a major run in the festival circuit or toward a pick-up for distribution, trying to join that club is generally quite risky. But after quite a few years of moving in that direction, there's definitely signs that Edinburgh's ambition is coming into fruition. And it's nice to see, as the film-loving Edinburgers that make up the festival's audience are certainly deserving of being the ones to discover.

Last year, the fest's audience award winner - Tomm Moore's "The Secret of Kells" - came out of nowhere to garner an Academy Award nomination for best animated feature. This year, two films seem at least likely to have welcomed lives on the festival circuit.

The first, like "Kells," is an animated feature film. Receiving a special mention from the festival's Michael Powell Jury (which recognizes innovation in British cinema), Edward and Rory McHenry's "Jackboots on Whitehall" was labeled by fest goers as a sort of British "Team America: World Police." Shot using animatronic puppets, the film presents an alternative history of World War II in which the Nazis seize London. At times brilliant satire, at others simply silly fun, "Jackboots" wholly makes impressive use of its innovative animation - especially considering it reportedly only cost $6,000,000 to make. It stands a good chance at becoming something of a cult hit, which should be aided by its all-star cast of British voice talents, from Ewan McGregor (as the film's protagonist) to Alan Cumming (as Hitler) to Timothy Spall (as Winston Churchill) to Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and Stephen Merchant.

"Jackboots" lost the actual Michael Powell Award to a very different British film, writer-director Nick Whitfield's high-concept, "Eternal Sunshine"-y first feature, "Skeletons." The film follows Davis (Andrew Buckley) and Bennet (Will Adamsdale), a pair of men whose job is to literally clean out the skeletons in people's closets. Using a complicated mix of devices and psychic powers, David and Bennet actually have the ability to enter into the world of secrets behind folks' closet doors, reliving their best-kept moments. Eventually this leads them to a woman (played by Paprika Steen), who has lost her husband and wants Davis and Bennet's help in finding him. Though occasionally underdeveloped as whole, the film's fantastic performances (particularly Jason Isaacs, who plays Davis and Bennet's boss) and clever script more than make up for it. Like "Jackboots," "Skeletons" is sure to pop up at festival after festival for some time.

A scene from Nick Whitfield's "Skeletons."

The jury that awarded "Skeletons" the fest's top prize said that the film "best exemplifies the spirit of Michael Powell in its original vision and dark humour.” Sir Patrick Stewart who presided over the jury which also included director Mike Hodges; film curator Laurence Kardish; director Rafi Pitts and actress Britt Ekland.

Other films in the running for the prize were: "brilliantlove" (Ashley Horner); "Cherry Tree Lane" (Paul Andrew Williams); "Huge" (Ben Miller); "The Kid" (Nick Moran); "Mr. Nice" (Bernard Rose); "Ollie Kepler's Expanding Purple World "(Viv Fongenie); "Pelican Blood" (Karl Golden); and "Soulboy" (Shimmy Marcus).

Other major winners at the awards - which were handed out by McGill and festival patrons Seamus McGarvey and Tilda Swinton on Saturday night included David Thewlis, who won the PPG Award for best performance in a British Feature Film, Ryan Piers Williams' "The Dry Land," which won the Projector.tv Award for Best International Feature, Laura Poitras' "The Oath," which won best documentary, and Aaron Schneider's "Get Low," which won the festival's audience award.

The complete list of winners is below.

The Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film, sponsored by the UK Film Council
Skeletons – Directed by Nick Whitfield

PPG Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film
David Thewlis in Mr Nice

Projector.tv Best International Feature Award
The Dry Land, directed by Ryan Piers Williams

Moët New Directors Award
Gareth Edwards for "Monsters"

Best Feature Documentary Award
The Oath, directed by Laura Poitras

Standard Life Audience Award
Get Low, directed by Aaron Schneider

UK Film Council Award For Best British Short Film
Baby, directed by Daniel Mulloy

Best International Short Film Award sponsored by Steedman & Company
Rita, directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza

Scottish Short Documentary Award supported by Baillie Gifford
Maria's Way, directed by Anne Milne

McLaren Award for Best New British Animation in partnership with BBC Film Network
Stanley Pickle, directed by Victoria Mather

Short Film Nominee Edinburgh, for the European Film Awards 2010
Maria's Way, directed by Anne Milne

Talking Independent in Edinburgh: Directors Speak Out

Peter Knegt — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:02:48 GMT

The "international indie" was on the topic at the Edinburgh International Film Festival yesterday, with Screen International's Mike Goodridge moderating a talk with two Edinburgh International Film Festival filmmakers, "Obselidia"'s Diane Bell and "Postale"'s Josh Hyde. The filmmakers discussed their work and the challenges that have come with both making the films, and getting them out there. It was a fitting discussion amidst a festival that has clearly made considerable strides in recent years to celebrate smaller, undiscovered films. Last week, the festival's Artistic Director, Hannah McGill had said in an interview with indieWIRE that "distributors - whether they're small, medium or large - are just picking up less and less stuff. They're not going to take a risk a small, niche British film unless there's some evidence that they can get an audience. And my hope would be that Edinburgh can provide that evidence by promoting the films and the filmmakers, and showing the acquisitions people a real audience response."

While Bell's "Obselidia" has been a fixture on the U.S. festival circuit since its Sundance premiere this past January (though it is having its international premiere here in Edinburgh), Hyde's "Postales," on the other hand, has yet to be discovered. The narrative film following two street kids in Peru, the film is set to have its world premiere in Edinburgh this Friday.

Hyde said that he and his "Postales" team have "discovered a new place where cinema can live" in Edinburgh. "You see great mainstream movies, but you also see the kind of movies we like to make," he said.

Hyde warned, though, that he is trying to be very conscious of what a film festival should mean to a filmmaker, particularly after Goodridge noted that the majority of first-time filmmakers don't end up making a second film.

"You have to let your momentum continue, and not make the film festival the end all be all, but a launching pad," he said. "Where you see who your audience is and meet contacts... We'll be on this festival circuit for a year and a half, two years. And you convince yourself you're a great filmmaker, but you're not to doing any writing. But at the end of the day, you're only as good as your last film... and your next film."

First-time filmmaker Bell disclosed her own thoughts on the film festival experience, specifically when "Obsedelia" premiered in Sundance.

"By some miracle we got into competition, which was incredible," she said. "I still don't really know how we got there... And Sundance is a trip. It was one of the most insane experiences of my life. I mean, you screen in a theater of 1,300 people. To sell that out and see Robert Redford looking up at you from the audience is insane. But there's good sides and bad sides. I'm a writer, so I usually sit alone in my room writing. But then I have to get up in front of all these people and explain my film. This was my first film, and I've never done that before."

Bell also shared a horror story about doing a Google of her film the day after it premiered in Sundance.

"I found a review on a blog that called it 'a compendium of indie cliches,'" she said, laughing. "That blog is tattooed on my heart forever."

Bell's salvation came at a brunch specifically for directors, where she chatted with fellow Sundance filmmakers who told her not to let herself be bothered by it.

"Screw it," she recalled one saying. "That's not why you made your movie."

Bell said festivals like Edinburgh provide a nice alternative to the "insanity" of Sundance. "You come here and it's a calmer feeling and it's more about the films and not some insane goldfish pond," she laughed.

Both "Postales" and "Obsedelia" were made on ultra low-budgets, and Hyde and Bell shared stories about how they managed to get from square one to where they are now.

"Postales" came as a result of Hyde making a documentary about Peruvian street kids years ago, and "falling in love with the subjects" of that film. He decided to make a narrative feature with similar characters, piecing together financing "from small financiers, clearing off credit cards, even mortgaging things."

"If you can't convince someone with a story to open up their wallet, you probably shouldn't make a movie," he said. Bell meanwhile, had decided to take advantage of the writer's strike and just "write something for herself." "I didn't think it would ever become a movie," she recalled. But upon finishing the script, she had a change of heart, and attempted to make a budget. "I couldn't do it," she said. "So I actually put an ad on Craigslist for someone that could make a budget for a small movie but they wouldn't get paid. And I got 50 responses!"

Bell also found two people who eventually became her producers off the website, and her editor, a 25-year old from Arkansas who had never edited a film before. Bell and her editor had something in common as Bell had never actually directed anything before - not even a short. But she recalled that despite that, convincing people to let her do it wasn't hard.

"They could feel how passionate I was about it," she said. "So I managed to convince two of the actors, the DP, and the producers to go out to Death Valley with me to make tests. And from that I made a trailer, and once they saw that, we had the money within two months."

Screening the film in Edinburgh marks a homecoming of sorts for Bell, who was born and went to university here.

"I love it," she said of being here. "Except for the fact that my family is all crazy. And it was quite scary.. So many people had showed up I hadn't seen in like ten years. I mean, I went to this festival every year when I was a student. And the one thing I don't like is that you need to get your badge scanned to get into press and industry screenings. You used to be able to just sign in as press, and I would always fake it... That's how I saw a Robert Bresson retrospective that really changed my life."

The Edinburgh International Film Festival continues through this Sunday.