Film festival clocks up biggest
● Organisers reveal rise in admission for the sixth year in a row ● High-profile names and new venues tempted audiences
A further 20,000 people flocked to St Andrew Square for a series of free film screenings in the weekend before the festival, which was blessed with good weather.
Oliver Stone, Kevin Bacon and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, Stanley Tucci, Bernard Hill, Richard E Grant and Ewen Bremner were among the red carpet guests at this year’s festival. Author Ian Rankin, film composer David Arnold, veteran actress Sheila Hancock and Trudie Styler, the actress and producer, also appeared, while the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performed a live soundtrack to the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The 12-day event expanded out of its traditional venues, with special events staged in Leith and Morningside, as well as the Vue complex next to the Playhouse. More than 400 filmmakers, 600 industry delegates and 200 journalists attended the event, which saw an outdoor exhibition of images from the EIFF archives staged around the city.
EIFF artistic director Mark Adams, who was at the helm of the festival for the third time, said the response to this year’s programme had been “very positive”.
He added: “It has been another amazing EIFF and it’s been satisfying and often humbling to receive such a great response from filmmakers, guests and the audience. The city always makes our guests feel welcome and this year there was a real buzz and sense of enthusiasm and appreciation around the festival.
“We started off really strongly with a great atmosphere and a really strong response to the opening film, God’s Own Country. We also had some lovely guests across the opening few days, like Kevin, Kyra, Stanley and Richard, which gave us a real sense of momentum for the rest of the festival.
“I had so many people come up to me to say how much they’ve enjoyed it. A lot of people have come to a lot of films.”
The EIFF announced a shift away from the other August festivals after more than 60 years, citing increased competition and soaring costs. Part of the thinking was to also to allow the festival to use more venues around the city.
Mr Adams said: “It would be impossible of us to use the venues we have used this year if we were still in August. We couldn’t use the Festival Theatre, the Usher Hall, the Royal Lyceum or the Traverse. We want to do more pop-up events, as technology really allows us to do that now. But it’s about showing the right films in the right spaces.”
Ken Hay, EIFF chief executive, added: “We are unashamedly international and outward-looking in our programming and our reach, with 59 countries represented through the programme, our filmmakers and industry guests, and our truly multinational team delivering the event.
“We’re delighted audiences and guests have responded so positively to the programme and the broader festival experience.”
Robbie Allen, senior screen executive at Creative Scotland, one of the festival’s key funders, said: “Featuring an impressive array of films from around the world, great audience and industry events, creative discussion, and an excellently curated retrospective, EIFF’S 70th anniversary editionhascapturedtheimagination of local and international audiences.”
Crowds turn out to see actor and