The Story: American director Annie Griffin made her name with acclaimed Channel 4 series The Book Group. She makes her first foray into film with this ambitious comedy-drama chronicling the in-fighting and back-biting at the Edinburgh Festival. The multi-stranded storyline revolves around a group of performers experiencing the ups and downs of festival life, with a cast that includes Lyndsey Marshal, Chris O'Dowd, and Daniela Nardini (This Life).
UK Box Office: £0.162 million (as at 6th September 2005)
Useless Fact: Nardini spent some time at Radio Forth whilst researching her role as a "very obnoxious" radio presenter.

AUDIO...

  LISTEN: Annie Griffin talks about the making of Festival. She starts by talking about the challenge of shooting a big ensemble piece as her first movie...

VIDEO...

WATCH: Festival trailer:
  Slow speed  .  Medium speed  .  Fast speed

THE REVIEWS...

"Enjoyable viewing for fans of bawdy, black and very British alternative comedy"

"As in her Channel 4 series The Book Group, Griffin's dark humour sets an interesting tone"

"You'll leave the cinema satisfied by the unexpected richness of the tales" (68%)

"The surprise is how much fluent drama Griffin extracts from characters trapped in self-obsessed bubbles" (3/5)

"Cheerful ensemble movie... it's funnier, and also gloomier and nastier, than we had any right to expect" (3/5)

"A big hand, please, for Griffin and her team for their Altmanesque ambition, and for those poison darts that fly straight and true"

"Festival does for stand-up comics roughly what David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross did for estate agents" (registration required)

"This is a film that manages to be both street-wise and strangely warming" (4/7)

"Very funny, rude, and sexy, and it made me want to jump on a train in August and head for the border"

"Griffin has created a bunch of hugely diverse characters, many of whom grab your attention"

"Confounds expectations, challenges stereotypes and leaves viewers unsure whether to laugh or cry" (3/5)

"An enjoyable glimpse into a strangely compelling world of shattered careers and broken hearts"

"Lust, greed and betrayal are where Griffin is most convincing and she cuts to the bone with some sharply written dialogue" (3/5)

"Festival remains a cluttered comedy that would benefit from concentrating on its stronger characters" (3/5)

"This film has moments of razor-sharp wit, but seems a bit too willing to blur the fine line between comedy, tragedy and melodrama" (3/5)

"A strong ensemble cast lend dramatic weight even as Griffin struggles to tie up her ragged narrative threads"

WEB WATCH...

Festival
Official site

Let me entertain you
Annie Griffin article

"It began with an Irish comedian..."
Annie Griffin interview

"I think the comedy scene has peaked"
Annie Griffin interview (some sexually explicit language)

Lunatic fringe
Festival article

The raw edge of the Fringe
Festival article

Who's who in Festival
Festival article

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites