EIFF 2018

Soon to be seen in Mary Queen of Scots, rising star Jack Lowden has been a prominent feature at EIFF in recent years with the likes of Tommy’s Honour and England is Mine. This year he will be seen in the World Premiere of Edinburgh native Matt Palmer’s, Calibre.

Lowden and Martin McCann play two lifelong friends who are on a hunting weekend in the Scottish Highlands that goes horribly wrong. While Beecraigs Country Park in West Lothian substitutes for the Scottish Highlands, the production also spent a few days in and around of Edinburgh’s city centre at the tail end of 2016.

Nominated for the prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film, Calibre will be screening ahead of its debut on streaming giant Netflix later this year.

In the documentary category, cycling legend David Millar will be on hand to present Finlay Pretsell’s, Time Trial which follows Millar as he undertakes his final racing season. Director Finlay Pretsell once set out on the long road to becoming a professional cyclist, riding for a few national teams and representing Scotland a number of times. Pretsell's breakthrough as a filmmaker was in 2007 with Standing Start, a short film which followed his passion for cycling (shortlisted for Grierson Newcomer Award), taking a unique look at the world of track cycling featuring world champion Craig Maclean. Time Trial is Finlay's feature length documentary debut. Its World Premiere was at IDFA followed by screenings at SXSW and the Gotenberg Film Festival. Finlay has been an integral part of Edinburgh-based Scottish Documentary Institute since 2005.

Also in the programme is new work from former festival director and Edinburgh resident, Mark Cousins, who will be on hand to present the Scottish Premiere of The Eyes of Orson Welles. Fresh from its Cannes premiere in May, Cousins delves into the life and career of one of cinema’s most talented filmmakers with unprecedented access. Cousins will also introduce a new experimental piece, Storm in My Heart.

There will also be numerous Scottish shorts by local talent for audiences to enjoy through programmes such as Scottish Documentary Institute’s, Bridging the Gap and the Scottish Film Talent Network, as well as In Person events including Sunshine on Leith's George MacKay.

The full programme for the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival is available now.

For more information and tickets for this year’s festival visit www.edfilmfest.org.uk.