Pioneering producer Lynda Myles is well-acquainted with film festivals. Having been the first female director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) from 1973 to 1980, Myles is thrilled about the festival’s revival this month. She emphasizes the need for a unique focus amidst numerous competing festivals and feels that participating in the world’s largest arts festival provides that distinctiveness. After a challenging period, Myles believes it was time for a significant overhaul.
The 77-year-old festival faced a major setback two years ago when the Centre for the Moving Image, which managed both the festival and the Filmhouse cinema chain, entered administration. Although a smaller version was incorporated into the Edinburgh International Festival last year, the EIFF is making a full comeback in 2024, having been “rebuilt from scratch,” according to the new director, Paul Ridd.
Ridd points out that August is an excellent time for the arts in Scotland and sees this as an opportunity to engage both the fringe audience and industry professionals. He hopes the festival will merge well with the broader arts scene and align with the awards season, aiming to attract both local and international audiences as well as industry insiders.
The seven-day festival will open with the UK premiere of Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir, *The Outrun*, and close with the world premiere of *Since Yesterday*, a documentary on Scotland’s girl bands by Carla J Easton and Blair Young. It will feature ten world premieres competing for the £50,000 Sean Connery prize for filmmaking excellence and will include panel discussions, such as an In Conversation event with Argentinian director Gaspar Noé and an extended introduction by editor Thelma Schoonmaker to Powell and Pressburger’s *I Know Where I’m Going!* There will also be industry networking events throughout the city.
Ridd emphasizes the importance of focusing on the industry: “We aim to create industry events around films and provide a hub for local and international networking.” Chris Young, a veteran producer, stresses the need to connect cultural and commercial aspects and to enhance local industry infrastructure.
With film production in Scotland booming, there is concern about whether this success benefits local talent and skills development. Young points out that while production is increasing, many key roles are filled by people from outside Scotland, highlighting the importance of the Talent Lab in nurturing local talent.
Director and writer Hope Dickson Leach, who is working on a biopic of deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie, sees this year’s festival as a chance to strengthen ties with the Glasgow Film Festival and acknowledges the efforts of Screen Scotland. However, she notes that challenges are UK-wide, with a significant decrease in film production spending and a potential return to industry dominance by middle-aged white men.