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Festival coverage

Edinburgh International Film Festival

2008

The Edge Of Love Opens the EIFF
The Edge Of Love Opens the EIFF

This year mark the 62nd year of screenings at EIFF, the longest continuously running film festival in the world. It began in 1947 as a champion of documentary films and has expanded to include the full gamut of features, documentaries and short films. Hannah McGill marked her second year as artistic director with an exciting new strand Under The Radar - a selection of "raw, risk-taking work from the cutting edge of new movie-making", inspired by EIFF 2007 visitor John Waters (Pink Flamingos, This Filthy World).

The programme was announced on May 9 and included a pair of retrospectives featuring Jeanne Moreau and Shirley Clarke, plus UK premieres of Wall·E, Donkey Punch (which went on to win the Michael Powell Award) and Standard Operating Procedure. The festival opened with John Maybury's The Edge Of Love, starring Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley, and closed with the MySpace-written Faintheart, which won the Audience Award. The New Directors award went to Marianna Palka for Good Dick.

Eye For Film's exclusive on-site EIFF photography is provided by Max Blinkhorn of Get Shot Photography and Stuart Crawford.

Other years (27)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • The Immortal Story
    Review preview for The Immortal Story

    Restricted by budget, and talky and cumbersome in places but bears flashes of brilliance that remind you just who is in control of the action.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Rarely-seen Welles feature about an expat orchestrates a tale of sexual and emotional manipulation.
  • Let The Right One In
    Review preview for Let The Right One In

    It is frequently not what you see but what you hear which holds the horror.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4.5 out of 5
    A touching story of first romance... with a side-serving of horror.
  • Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel With The World
    Review preview for Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel With The World

    Clarke’s portrayal of Frost is loving and respectful, while also seeming to bring out the essence of the man.

    Chris · 4.5 out of 5
    Documentary about the life of the poet.
  • Good Dick
    Review preview for Good Dick

    Despite dealing with some very heavy issues Palka has a surprisingly light touch, levening the more bleak moments with some rich, dark comedy.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    Offbeat romance between a damaged young woman and with Marianna Palka and Jason Ritter.
  • Madame Tutli-Putli
    Review preview for Madame Tutli-Putli

    The art direction is simultaneously gorgeous (beautiful lighting and well-crafted sets), yet lumpen, curved and ugly, as though exorcised from an exaggerated Expressionistic dream.

    Scott Macdonald · 4.5 out of 5
    A woman boards a train with all her worldly goods.
  • The Crumblegiant
    Review preview for The Crumblegiant

    Inquisitive and bright children of all ages will surely love the lusciously produced and imaginative animation.

    Scott Macdonald · 3 out of 5
    Half-remembered charcoal dreams from childhood.
  • Keith Reynolds Can't Make It Tonight
    Review preview for Keith Reynolds Can't Make It Tonight

    The animation is exquisitely timed for terrific comic impact.

    Scott Macdonald · 4 out of 5
    A businessman reaches the end of his tether.
  • Blood Car
    Review preview for Blood Car

    For the first hour, I was spellbound by its audacity, the thumbing at convention, and never knowing where it was going next.

    Chris · 3 out of 5
    Troma-esque weirdness as a vegan invents a vehicle more reminiscent of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. Minus the crap Broadway songs, of course.
  • Of Time And The City
    Review preview for Of Time And The City

    When Davies says “The world was young and oh, how we laughed,” he sounds like Death waiting to take it all away.

    Val Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A portrait of 20th Century Liverpool.
  • The Rocker
    Review preview for The Rocker

    After a slow and largely laugh-free start, this does build up a reasonable head of steam, with enough smart lines and well-timed physical comedy to keep its head above water.

    Jeff Robson · 3 out of 5
    The original drummer of an Eighties hair metal band gets a second chance at stardom when his nephew’s group makes it big.

A–Z of Edinburgh International Film Festival 2008 reviews

Features

  • Twisting time
    Director Nacho Vigalondo talks exclusively about his mind-bending feature debut Timecrimes... and the upcoming Hollywood remake.
  • Sparkling Perry
    In our exclusive interview Brit acting stalwart Perry Benson talks about his contrasting roles in Somers Town and Mum & Dad.
  • Sachs of talent
    The director of Married Life talks about his latest film and his inspirations in our exclusive interview.
  • Metal tricky
    Andrew Stanton, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Burtt and Jim Morris talk about breathing life into WALL·E.
  • Giving British films some Punch
    Donkey Punch director Olly Blackburn and cast Jaime Winstone, Sian Breckin and Nichola Burley talk about the film.
  • The visitors
    Tom McCarthy, Hiam Abbass and Richard Jenkins talk about their latest film while in town for the EIFF.
  • Creature feature
    Legendary animator Ray Harryhausen talks about his life and work.
  • Cédric Klapisch on Paris
    The acclaimed director discusses his latest work.
  • A grand night out
    The Edinburgh International Film Festival opens in style.
  • Ghraib injustice
    Errol Morris reveals the outrage that caused him to make Standard Operating Procedure.
  • Edinburgh International Film Festival 2008 films announced
    A great line-up for an ever-popular event
  • In the Somers Town
    Shane Meadows discusses his latest, low-budget independent British feature.

News