Edinburgh Film Festival just locked a busy August slate. The 79th edition runs Aug. 13–19 in the Scottish capital. Programmers promise 38 new features and 21 world premieres. Ten of those premieres will chase the Sean Connery Prize and its £50,000 purse.
The Hollywood Reporter says the fest will host sessions with Ewan McGregor, Kenneth Branagh, producer Christine Vachon, and documentarian Ken Burns. Opening night is Louis Paxton’s Sundance debut The Incomer. Closing night is Louise Lockwood’s documentary Bel.
What Edinburgh Film Festival is betting on
Competition titles include Lindsay Ryan’s Capsized with Rhys Ifans and Simon Rynink’s UFO conspiracy drama Out There starring Michael Sheen. Paul Wright’s Mission brings George MacKay. Tyler-Marie Evans’ Pretty Babies tracks two girls into Hollywood’s darker corners. Out of competition, Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex arrives with Olivia Wilde, Daveed Diggs, and Charli XCX. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Sheep in the Box also screens.
Retrospectives lean on anniversaries. Branagh’s Hamlet turns 30. Little Miss Sunshine gets a 4K restoration for its 20th. Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast and Hal Ashby’s Coming Home return, with Bruce Dern introducing the latter. A Trainspotting reunion is part of the hometown draw.
Industry muscle behind the screenings
Festival director Paul Ridd said the revamped event is “hitting a stride” with more world premieres than before. On Aug. 15, the inaugural U.K. Film Conference will gather filmmakers, exhibitors, and distributors. BFI CEO Ben Roberts headlines with Picturehouse’s Clare Binns. For Entertainment readers, Edinburgh is pitching itself as August’s indie summit, not only a tourist sidebar.
What to watch next
Watch which competition title takes the Connery Prize. Also watch whether Araki, Kore-eda, or Sheen’s UFO drama drives the loudest sales chatter. The short-film Thelma Schoonmaker Prize (£15,000) is another early signal of emerging talent.