EIFF 2007 Preview

Long time readers will be aware that the Edinburgh International Film Festival is the main event on my festival calendar. Since the programme for this year's festival (15-26 August) was launched today, it's only right that I pick out a few items of interest. Check out a copy of the programme for the full list.

The opening night film is David Mackenzie's adaptation of HALLAM FOE, starring Jamie Bell and Sophia Myles. It was shot on location in Scotland, with Edinburgh featuring prominently, and that's why I'm mentioning it. I'm a patriotic sort of film geek, so I like to support Scottish cinema where possible. I believe the film will be hitting UK cinemas shortly after the festival.

The retrospective this year (noon screenings at Filmhouse have become tradition) is devoted to screenwriter Anita Loos. Despite her work on some of the landmarks of early film (most notably DW Griffith's INTOLERANCE) I must confess the only one of the films I've seen before is George Cukor's excellent melodrama THE WOMEN, which is always worth seeing. My ignorance of the lady's work will be sorted soon.

If your stamina is up to it (and it is split into seven screenings), there's a special chance (two in fact) to see the newly remastered print of Rainer Fassbinder's BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ. It's only fifteen and a half hours long.

CONTROL is an acclaimed biopic of Joy Division's Ian Curtis, fresh from Cannes; DAY WATCH is the sequel to the spectacular, if slightly muddled, Russian sci-fi epic NIGHT WATCH; Quentin Tarantino's DEATH PROOF receives its UK premiere, small consolation for robbing us of the chance to see it in its original GRINDHOUSE incarnation but still sure to be one of the festival's fastest sell-outs; there are three classic Shakespeare adaptations by Olivier screening in new prints.

I'M A CYBORG BUT THAT'S OKAY is the latest from Park Chan-wook, the director of SYMPATHY FOR MR VENGEANCE, OLD BOY and LADY VENGEANCE, so expect much insanity; IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON is a documentary about the Apollo missions that I really wanted to see when I went to Toronto's Hotdocs festival this year, but the screenings didn't suit my timetable; legendary sleaze merchant John Waters will be appearing to promote THIS FILTHY WORLD, a film about him rather than being one of his films; LYNCH was filmed as David Lynch worked on INLAND EMPIRE.

MANUFACTURING DISSENT was a film I saw at Hotdocs which shows Michael Moore to be a tad dishonest in his films - more than expected, even; Irish musical romance ONCE received the audience award at Sundance, sold out very quickly at Dublin's film fest and has been doing respectable business on a limited theatrical release in the USA; fellow Irish film SHROOMS features in the late night category, along with TEETH, JOSHUA, DAY WATCH and WEIRDSVILLE; STARDUST, adapted from Neil Gaiman's fantasy tale with a cast of Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Ian McKellen and more should be interesting and hopefully better than MIRRORMASK proved to be.

Since I'm mentioning Scottish film where possible, there's MY LIFE AS A BUS STOP (a low budget film about low budget filmmakers, apparently) and SEACHD - THE INACCESSIBLE PINNACLE, apparently the "first Scottish Gaelic film to score mainstream distribution".

Appearing in person this year are, among others, actors Bob Hoskins, Chris Cooper, Julie Delpy, Samantha Morton, Stellan Skaarsgard and Tilda Swinton; some of the other interesting names appearing include Irvine Welsh, Mike Leigh, Paul Laverty and Stephen Frears.

See lots, have fun.