The 79th edition of this years
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) runs from Thursday 13th through until Wednesday 19th August in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. The Edinburgh International Film Festival is the world’s oldest continually running film festival and, in 2024, relaunched as a brand new entity with a new board of industry leaders. Honouring 70+ years of festival history, EIFF showcases the very best filmmaking talent in a re-energised format that is rooted in a local Scottish context whilst embracing the international diversity of creative expression. EIFF’s August fixture runs in parallel to a host of creative festivals taking place in Edinburgh, including The Fringe, Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Art Festival, Edinburgh International TV Festival, and many more, which sell millions of tickets to cultural connoisseurs from around the world. A global player celebrating the very best that cinema has to offer in a modern, energised context, the core strategy of the revitalised Festival is to embed within the wider cultural offering taking place in Edinburgh in August, embracing the sense of discovery, experimentation and cross-arts collaboration . . . so reads the official website.
This years
Opening Night feature film is
'The Incomer' from the UK and Directed by Louis Paxton. Raised on a remote Scottish island, oddball siblings Isla (Gayle Rankin) and Sandy (Grant O’Rourke) spend their days hunting, squabbling and telling stories. But when nervy council official Daniel (Domhnall Gleeson) arrives on the island intent on moving them along, the pair must wrestle with the threat and exciting possibilities of the mainland. Also starring John Hannah, Michelle Gomez and Emun Elliott. International Premiere.
The
Closing Night film is
'Bel' from the UK and is Directed by Louise Lockwood. This documentary portrait of Beldina Odenyo, the Kenyan-Scottish musician, singer and songwriter, who performed under the stage name, 'Heir of the Cursed' and worked across Scotland’s theatre and poetry communities. After her acclaimed performance at the Scottish Album of the Year Awards in 2021, Bel took her own life, leaving behind raw, intimate video diaries and a hard drive full of original songs of great beauty. World Premiere.
EIFF is poised to accelerate the discovery of new talent through its two centrepiece competitions - The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, which carries a cash prize of UK£50K, and The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence, which carries a cash prize of UK£15K, both decided by audience vote.
There are ten films all competing for the Sean Connery Prize, as given in brief below :-
* 'Out There' - from the UK and this comedy drama Sci-Fi film is Written and Directed by Simon Ryninks. A 16 year-old Welsh girl in a small seaside town in Wales in 1999 becomes convinced her father was abducted by aliens. Alongside her sceptical best friend she enlists a local UFO expert to solve the mystery. Starring Nerys Amber Stocks, Michael Sheen, Aneurin Barnard, and Tom Moya. World Premiere.
* 'The State of Us' - from the UK, this comedy drama film is Written by Jake Harvey and Directed by Ollie Gardner and Jake Harvey. Frankie breaks his best friend Taylor out of a hospice for one final night out. When their riotous journey through Bradford spirals into chaos, both boys must face the one goodbye they're not ready for. Starring Samuel Bottomley, Callum Scott Howells and Frances Barber. World Premiere.
* 'Pretty Babies' - from the USA, this drama film is Written and Directed by Tyler-Marie Evans. Two teenage girls run away to Hollywood to chase their dreams of becoming famous actresses. Their pursuit leads them into prostitution, trapping them in the dark underbelly of the sex work industry as they journey from Texas to California. Starring Ashley Benson, Emily Alyn Lind, Madelaine Petsch, Sadie Stanley. World Premiere.
* 'Capsized' - from the USA, this comedy drama film is Written and Directed by Lindsey Ryan. Nicole's (Sarah Catherine Hook) discovery of an eviction notice shatters her family's houseboat vacation, forcing them to confront their patriarch's troubles, lost homes, and fractured identities through a turbulent journey of self-discovery and redemption. Also starring Rhys Ifans and Lily Rabe. World Premiere.
* 'Snapshot' - from the UK, this horror thriller film is Directed by Joseph Archer. Set in 1888 Whitechapel, London, it follows an all-ladies ghost-hunting society investigating murders they believe are committed by a monster rather than Jack the Ripper. Starring Cathy Wippell, Hazel Rogers, Lydia Helen, Nadia Lamin, Rosie-Bella Johnson and Tom Stourton. World Premiere.
* 'Mission' - from the UK, this drama thriller is Written and Directed by Paul Wright. Alienated Dylan (George MacKay) throws off the shackles of his solitary life in an attempt to experience the highs and lows of existence chasing life before death. Also starring Rosy McEwen. World Premiere.
* 'The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman' - from Canada and the UK, this documentary film is Directed by Bart Simpson. A vivid, immersive and visually striking portrait of the founder of the satirical publication Mad magazine and its far-reaching influence on some of the most prominent artists of our time. Kurtzman’s commitment to integrity and challenging the status quo with humour, edge and resilience is a hymn for our times. With contributions from Terry Gilliam, Stan Lee and Robert Crumb among others. World Premiere.
* 'Sacred Creatures' - from Canada and Italy, this comedy drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Frieda Luk. An unstable young woman who believes she's experienced a spiritual awakening reunites with her two estranged siblings in rural Italy, where she attracts a group of eccentric followers and turns her family's life upside down. Starring Olivia Luccardi, Antonio De Matteo and James Cusati-Moyer. World Premiere.
* 'First Zone' - from the Netherlands, this Sci-Fi film is Directed by Thom Lunshof. Living out existence in an abandoned wind turbine high above an endless ocean, ultra tough Fenna (Hadewych Minis) has become used to surviving alone in the aftermath of a climate catastrophe. But when a violent storm separates her from home, she embarks on an odyssey across the vast wetlands of a post-apocalyptic landscape. World Premiere.
* 'Skintown' - from Ireland and the UK, this comedy drama film is Directed by Kieron J. Walsh. Set in 1994, it follows two best friends from Enniskillen who plot an escape during the IRA ceasefire, immersing themselves in local rave culture, drugs, and gangland antics. Starring Chris Walley and Jack Rowan. World Premiere.
For the details of the other film strands being showcased, and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.edfilmfest.org
Turning the focus back on this weeks four new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we launch with a Sci-Fi survival film in which a family and their entire neighbourhood are inexplicably transported to a land inhabited by prehistoric creatures, and to survive they must learn to face their potentially deadly foe together. This is followed by a RomCom in which two New Yorkers search for love on the one night of the year when sex is legal between unmarried people. Then we have a French drama film which follows the investigation of a Police shooting during a riot in Paris, and based on true events. And closing out the week we turn to an animated Chinese and American produced film centring on one Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse as they navigate another world having been transported there by a magical compass they came across during a chase at a museum.
Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.
- this American Sci-Fi survival film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by David Robert Mitchell who made his feature film Directing debut with
'The Myth of the American Sleepover' in 2010 and has since had only two other features,
'It Follows' in 2014 and
'Under the Silver Lake' in 2018. This film is released this week too in the US and cost US$85M to produce.
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports the entire neighbourhood to someplace unknown but populated with prehistoric creatures the Platt family - Mum Denise (Anne Hathaway), Dad Greg (Ewan McGregor), daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella) and son Brian (Christian Convery) soon discover that their very survival depends on sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognisable surroundings.
'ONE NIGHT ONLY' (Rated M) - is an American romantic comedy film that is Co-Produced and Directed by Will Gluck who made his debut feature film with
'Fired Up!' in 2009, and which he would follow up with the likes of
'Easy A' in 2010,
'Friends with Benefits' in 2011,
'Annie' in 2014,
'Peter Rabbit' in 2018,
'Peter Rabbit 2 : The Runaway' in 2021, and
'Anyone But You' in 2023. Two love-starved strangers - Allie (Monica Barbaro) and Owen (Callum Turner) who crash into each other in an ever-so-slightly fictionalised New York City on the one night of the year when single people are allowed to have sex. Recently dumped Owen and hopeful romantic Allie might be the only two singles in the city looking for more than just a quick encounter. They both feel a spark when they meet, but a series of missteps and side quests complicate their night, keeping them apart. As they each race toward and away from each other across the city, they just might discover that the one thing they want most is closer than they think. Also starring Maya Hawke, Julia Fox and Molly Ringwald, the film was released Stateside last week, has generated mixed critical reviews and has so far grossed US$6.1M from a production budget of US$25M.
'CASE 137' (Rated M) - this French crime drama film in Co-Written and Directed by Dominik Moll whose prior feature film Directing credits include
'Harry, He's Here to Help' in 2000,
'Lemming' in 2005,
'The Monk' in 2011, and
'The Night of the 12th' in 2022. Based on true events, here, Stephanie Bertrand (Lea Drucker), a Police Officer working for Internal Affairs, is assigned to a case involving a young man severely wounded during a tense and chaotic demonstration in Paris. While she finds no evidence of illegitimate Police violence, the case takes a personal turn when she discovers the victim is from her hometown. The film had its World Premiere in the main competition at last years Cannes Film Festival on 15th May 2025, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or, was released in its native France in mid-November and has generated largely positive critical reviews.
'TOMMY & JERRY : FORBIDDEN COMPASS' (Rated PG) - is a Chinese-American Co-Produced computer-animated science fantasy comedy film directed by Zhang Gang, based on the Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon series created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It is the eighteenth instalment in the
'Tom & Jerry' film series and this story unfolds during a chase in a museum, where Tom and Jerry accidentally activate a magical compass that transports them to another world. On their journey home, they meet a group of new companions and become embroiled in a conflict against mysterious forces. The English dubbed version has the voice talents of Eric Bauza as Tom Cat and Ben Diskin as Jerry Mouse. The film was released in China in early August last year and is out in the US in early September this year.
With four new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
