EIFF announces full programme

Nude Tuesday Photo: Kerry Brown

Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced the full programme for its 75th edition, which will feature 87 new features, 12 short film programmes and two retrospectives.

The festival, which will run from August 12 to 20 marks the first edition from new creative director Kristy Matheson, and, as previously announced, will open with Aftersun, which premiered in Cannes, and close with After Yang.

Among the films announced today is the Central Gala, Nude Tuesday, directed by Armagan Ballantyne, which the festival describes as a "gibberish comedy".

10 international feature films with over 50 per cent female directors or co-directors for the revamped competitive Powell and Pressburger Award for Best Feature Film.

Notable films in the section include the world premieres of Ainslie Henderson’s documentary animation A Cat Called Dom and Josh Appignanesi and Devorah Baum’s documentary Husband, plus the UK premiere of Peter Strickland's Flux Gourmet. Anderson's film deals with his own personal grief over his mother's cancer, while Husband considers the directors' own marital angst.

This year's films have been organised by themed strands - The Conversation: cinema to get you talking; The Chamber: quality arthouse for the culturally curious; Heartbreakers: friends, family, lovers, and cheaters; Night Moves: cult, music, late night thrills; and Postcards From The Edge: bold visions to expand horizons.

Flux Gourmet Photo: Courtesy of KVIFF

The Chamber will feature the world premieres of A Clever Woman, directed by Jon Sanders and starring Josie Lawrence, Iranian Hassan Nazer’s child labour drama Winners (Barandeha), and Dùthchas, a documentary directed by Andy Mackinnon. The Conversation section includes the world premiere of Women Behind the while, which sees the winners of the EIFF 2019 Works in Progress Award, documentarians Hannah Congdon and Catherine Haigh become the first women to drive the entirety of Central Asia’s Pamir Highway.

Heartbreakers features Borja Alcalde’s debut feature documentary The Sacred Family (La Sagrada Familia) and Lam Sum’s The Narrow Road, which the festival describes as "a humanist charmer".

Don Coutts’ Heading West: A Story About A Band Called Shooglenifty will make its world premiere in the Night Moves section and Dream Agency, the debut feature by Andy Field, and Deborah Pearson, will have its world premiere in Postcards From The Edge.

Kristy Matheson, Creative Director of EIFF said: “For our 75th anniversary, we’ve embraced the very essence of cinema - from its production to its exhibition, it’s a truly collective pursuit. Working alongside a talented team of programmers and festival producers to craft our 2022 programme has been joyous. I’m excited to share our programme with you today and look forward to welcoming audiences back to EIFF this August.”

Tickets go on sale to Filmhouse Members and Screen Saver Passholders today at 12noon and on sale to the general public at 10am this Friday (July 22). We'll be bringing you full listings and coverage soon.