The Edinburgh International Film Festival celebrates its 62nd anniversary in 2008, and this year's line-up of British films is as good as ever. This year's programme includes a wealth of British Gala premieres, a focus on Documentary, the annual acclaimed McLaren Animation Awards (for which Film Network is a media partner), as well as a series of Masterclasses with industry leaders such as Terence Davies and animation hero Ray Harryhausen.

Another festival gem produced in partnership with the festival and Skillset is the Trailblazers programme, the 2nd year of a focus on new UK filmmaking talent. Watch out for our breakfast meets with selected Trailblazers - you will see them here first. While in Edinburgh we will report back on some of the best British films on show. In the meantime, here are some of the highlights to look out for at this year's festival...

The big opening film premiere stars Keira Knightley as Vera Philips, the childhood sweetheart of the poet, Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys). It's a sumptuous 1940's period romance, with undercurrents exploring issues around art, war and gender.
On general release from the 20th June 2008.

Watch our interview with the film's director John Maybury, as part of our Edinburgh festival goodie bag.
John Maybury on 'The Edge of Love'.

Vito's much-anticipated debut feature film was commissioned in 2007 via the MyMovie MashUp competition on Myspace. It receives it's premiere on the closing night gala (28th June) at EIFF. A low-budget comedy set in the world of battle re-enactments, where a DIY storeworker by day becomes a mighty Norse warrior at weekends.

Watch our interview with director Vito Rocco, Producer Alan Niblo and lead actor, Eddie Marsan and take a peek on set during production.

Behind the Scenes on 'Faintheart'.

Fresh from Cannes and highly lauded by the critics (including our own Mark Kermode), this documentary charts the director’s early life in Liverpool. The poetic narrative is interwoven with archive and contemporary footage of the cityscape to offer an alternative view of this year’s City of Culture. The premiere on the 19th June will be followed by an extended Q+A with Terence Davies and the UK Producer
Don Boyd.

Mark Kermode on Of Time and the City

Waitt’s WarpX film went down a treat at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, before receiving its UK premiere at Edinburgh. A fearlessly frank, personal documentary about the director’s catastrophic track record with women; from those who got away, to several who refuse to be in the same room as him. On general release from the 27th June 2008.

Watch our Sundance coverage and interview with Chris here.

The Director and star of ‘This is England’ reunite for this bittersweet teen tale. Set on an Inner-London estate, Somers Town tells the story of runaway Tomo (Thomas Turgoose), who is taken under the wing of bored local polish teenager, Marek.
Shane Meadows will also be holding a Skillset Trailblazers Masterclass on the 21st June.

Watch our interview with Shane Meadows about ‘This is England’ here.

Prolific novelist/director Xiaolu Guo returns to Edinburgh with an insightful personal documentary about her Chinese parents' experiences of ‘the wonderland’ of the West. Watch out for our interview with Xiaolu coming up at Edinburgh
Film Festival.

Hard-hitting Brit thriller from the WarpX studios. The film follows three girls on a hedonistic weekend in Spain. They meet a group of lads who take them back to their luxury yacht to continue the party out at sea, with unexpectedly horrific results.
Watch our coverage of the initial launch of WarpX here.

Radich’s startling debut feature, directed without a script and workshopped with the actors, is a study of one man’s life and his fractious relationship with his elderly father. Look out for our behind-the-scenes interview made during the editing process with the director, producer and editor.
Have an exclusive nose around the editing process of Crack Willow with its creative team.

The first horror movie to emerge from the Microwave low budget features scheme, ‘Mum and Dad’ is, according to first-time feature director Sheil, "the Heathrow Airport Chainsaw Massacre"; an unflinching portrayal of a sado-masochistic family living in the shadows of Heathrow's runways.
Watch our adventures on set here.

Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones make sparks fly in this elegant, Edinburgh-set period romance. Pearce plays Harry Houdini, the escapologist, who hooks up with the opportunistic psychic, Mary (Zeta-Jones).

Frances McDormand (Fargo) plays a humble maid to a movie starlet, who enters a world of 1930’s high society glamour.

The eagerly- anticipated feature debut from acclaimed UK shorts Director, Hopkins. His film explores fractured relationships and the capacity of love to transform people’s lives.
Watch Duane’s short films and interviews here.

The annual animation celebration is back with a bang, with Film Network as Media Partner for the 3rd year running. This quality selection of British animated shorts has a top prize of £1000 for the audience favourite, so every ticket and screening vote counts!
Click hereto watch a selection of past McLaren animation nominees.

Trailblazers is a joint initiative between the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) and Skillset showcasing new UK talent. The intention is to unite the work of the Skillset Screen Academies with that of EIFF in recognition of their joint commitment to the generation, encouragement and promotion of new British talent.

Trailblazers offers Skillset Screen Academy students and graduates an introduction to the UK film industry and the film festival circuit, and celebrates the names emerging from the British films in the EIFF programme. There are 25 Trailblazers selected for the 2008 edition – watch out for our Trailblazers special direct from Edinburgh.

Read all about the 2008 Trailblazers here

The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from the 18-29th June 2008, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The full schedule is available on their website.

Claire Spencer Cook | Published 13 June 08

send to a friend 

start a new discussion