Capital’s film festival notches up best box office for seven years
THE Edinburgh International Film Festival has scored its highest attendance for seven years under a new artistic director.
Numbers at the event topped 50,000 for the first time since 2008, the year of its controversial relocation from August to June.
Organisers said there had been a 9 per cent increase in festival box office figures in the space of 12 months.
The improved performance of the EIFF under Mark Adams, who only officially took up the post in March, is expected to bolster the case for keeping the festival in its June slot.
An expanded programme saw the number of world and European premieres double, while special events included a sold-out gala screening of 1980s classic Back to the Future, accompanied by a live concert from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
This year saw the return of a host of big-names like Robert Carlyle and Ewan Mcgregor, both of whom unveiled new films, in one of the strongest home-grown line-ups for years.
Karen Gillan served on one of the prize juries and was named a new patron, along with fellow actor James Cosmo, who was honoured for best performance in a British film.
This summer marks the first time the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe will be held on the same dates for 17 years, with preparations already under way for the landmark 70th season of events next summer.
The EIFF’S surprise move out of August, announced just before the 2007 event, was intended to help the festival compete better with rival events and secure better international media coverage, and was backed by leading supporters like Sir Sean Connery and Tilda Swinton.
However attendances went on the slide over the next four years and the event lost out on a number of major Scottish films, including Sunshine on Leith, Filth, Under the Skin and What We Did On Our Holiday.
Mr Adams, an experienced film critic, had promised to look at the timing of the event after he took over from Chris Fujiwara, who left suddenly last September after just three years, even though attendances had gradually recovered during his reign, from a low of 34,000, in 2011.
Festicval chief executive Ken Hay said: “There have been some truly memorable moments at the festival this year. Our audiences have obviously responded to our rich and diverse programme and we are thrilled to see the increase in admissions.”