With the full line-up announcement only a day away, it’s hard not to speculate what films are likely to unspool at the 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival next month. In previous years, we’ve been way off mark, choosing bigger films over the usual smaller ones Edinburgh likes to promote. However, with the welcome regeneration the festival experienced last year, it’s only natural to feel optimistic about what might be on offer this year, and the revelations so far have only propelled this.
Films that seem poised to screen during the festival’s twelve day period based on their appropriate UK release dates include Stories We Tell, The Act Of Killing, The East, I Want Your Love, The Bling Ring, A Field In England, The Deep, Blackfish, Only God Forgives, What Maisie Knew, Silence, You’re Next, Museum Hours, Thanks For Sharing, Runner Runner. Others that are in with a chance but seem somewhat less likely include Don Jon, Drinking Buddies and V/H/S/2.
There’s also tends to be a few titles that have made notable impressions at other festivals, from Sundance and Berlin to the more recent Cannes, with Breathe In already set as Edinburgh’s Opening Night Gala. Bearing this in mind, films such as Gloria, Vic And Flo Saw A Bear, Closed Curtain, Child’s Pose, Mistaken For Strangers, Twenty Feet From Stardom, We Steal Secrets: The Story Of WikiLeaks, Dirty Wars, Austenland, Short Term 12 and Very Good Girls all seem like films that would fit well.
Of course, it’s more difficult to predict the Competition entires, particularly the Michael Powell Award Competition, which tends to incorporate films that either don’t have distributors or haven’t long completed production. There’s a couple of films that could be contenders though, one being Iain Softley’s Trap For Cinderella, starring Tuppence Middleton and Alexandra Roach, and another being recent Cannes entry The Selfish Giant, though that seems more suited to the London Film Festival.
Looking at the British Film Council’s Directory, there’s hundred’s of other completed UK productions that have a shot at being included in the Edinburgh International Film Festival programme. Of the ones that seem the most interesting, The Summit, The Pervert’s Guide To Ideology, Get Lucky, For Those In Peril, Lilting, Dirty Weekend, The Guest and The Philosophers would be strong picks. But then, there’s thousands and thousands of UK films, so those are predictions based on guesswork.
Either way, there’s no shortage of exciting films out there, both feature and documentary, that could play well to the Edinburgh International Film Festival crowd. And, as in previous years with the likes of Unconditional, Albatross and One Mile Away, it’s always a treat to discover a gem or two that you’ve never heard of and then to watch them as they go on to impress audiences around the world and even win awards. It’s going to be a good year, I can feel it in my bones.
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