EIFF 2001: Day 5

Tilda Swinton at The Deep End premiere.

by Trinity

Day 5 and the festival is in full swing. There are a lot of people in town: filmmakers, industry junkies, journos and even the odd film star.

Today we got to meet two British acting greats: Tilda Swinton and Jacqueline Bisset.

Tilda Swinton, surely one of the best Scottish actresses around, knows Edinburgh well - she was educated at Fettes College (the same school that prime minister Tony Blair went to).

It's easy to forget that physically she is an actress of some stature, as well as by reputation. When she stopped to pose for photographs on the red carpet, she made her two directors, David Siegel and Scott McGehee look on the short side.

Swinton is no stranger to difficult roles and took this one in her stride. The Deep End got a big thumbs up from our reviewer, with Angus Wolfe Murray praising the lead role with "Tilda Swinton gives a performance of such quality, it steals your breath away".

Jacqueline Bisset arrived later for the first screening of The Sleepy Time Gal. Her beauty has not diminished from her early outing in Cul De Sac, and a number of her fans were there, including veteran autograph hunter Ken, who can regularly be seen at these events.

You can normally tell which are the hot tickets for the festival by asking which of the industry preview screenings are the busiest. Whilst some films might only have a handful of people watching them, both Battle Royale and The Devil's Backbone were so popular people had to be turned away. These two are definitely ones to watch out for.

Share this with others on...
News

Expanding the possible Fernanda Salgado on fantasy, reality, Jan Švankmajer and Ana, En Passant

A burning thing Sneha Mehta and Teddy Stern on falling in love with Mumbai, and making Getar Hero

Nothing is impossible Paul Rowley on moving to New York, the Pulse massacre, and Gays Against Guns

‘The only thing that makes a story universal is emotions’ Warsaw’s Industry panel discuss reaching audiences abroad

The only thing worth saying Chuko and Arie Esiri on adapting Mrs Dalloway and making Clarissa

European Film Academy shortlist announced 68 features vie for nomination

More news and features

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the London Film Festival and Newfest.



We're looking forward to the Belfast Film Festival, Halloween Frightfest, the Cheltenham International Film Festival and the Leeds International Film Festival.



We've recently brought you coverage of the New York Film Festival, Grimmfest, Beyond Fest, the San Sebastian International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.

Interact

Don't forget that you can follow us on YouTube for trailers of festival films and more. You can also find us on Mastodon, Instagram and Bluesky.


It's a busy time for festivals and here's the latest:


London Winners announced


Tallinn Black Nights UK co-production joins Works In Progress


Warsaw What Belongs To Others takes top prize


Tallinn Baltic Competition, Rebels With A Cause and Critics' Picks titles announced


Dinard I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning named Best Film