Call for Chair of Edinburgh International Film Festival

Returning Edinburgh to a ‘must attend’ in the film festival calendar

Screen Scotland is facilitating the appointment of a Chair to lead the formation and operation of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) from 2024 and a return of Edinburgh to a ‘must attend’ in the film festival calendar.   

As the EIFF’s primary public funder, Screen Scotland has been working with industry to develop an initial vision for the re-imagined Festival, and this will inform the selection of the Chair.    

The ambition at the heart of this vision includes: 

• The establishment of an Edinburgh International Film Festival from 2024 that embraces its origins as a festival of discovery and its location in Edinburgh in August with a focus on creative origination and a participatory, experiential approach.   
• A compact, compelling programme of new fiction features, documentaries and shorts augmented by gala and retrospective titles, as well as live events, providing an interplay between the world’s most exciting new voices and revered, established talent.  This dynamic will play out against the backdrop of the world’s largest cultural event – Edinburgh’s August festivals – in any number of imaginative ways to be developed by the Film Festival’s creative team.     
• Filmmakers in selection will be given a unique platform as part of a select programme.  They will be invited to play and create with other makers and storytellers from across the Edinburgh festival landscape.  The EIFF will aim to offer a high-profile prize in each competition section.  
• EIFF will aim to attract diverse and younger audiences due to its energy, programming and proximity to the Festival Fringe.  
• For those attending the festival from industry, the EIFF’s official programme will also provide an experiential programme of events and unique talent mixers to encourage creative executives, talent agents, producers and acquisitions execs to engage with talent from across the storytelling and visual art landscape.   

Isabel Davis, Screen Scotland’s Executive Director said: “This is a golden opportunity for EIFF to seize the unique spirit of festival, creation and discovery that August in Edinburgh represents.    

“It will take an exceptional individual to breathe new life into the rekindled Festival – one who can identify and encourage a team to be ambitious, playful, creative and entrepreneurial, who understands the financial challenges and commercial opportunities ahead, and bring strong governance skills into the setup process.  

Davis added that: “EIFF in August is a counterpoint to the nationally significant and highly respected Glasgow Film Festival in March, with both festivals providing exposure for Scottish talent across the year and offering a diverse, high-quality range of films to audiences across Scotland.

“We’re especially thankful to 2023 EIFF programming director Kate Taylor, who will be announcing her selection in the weeks to come and who is already embracing the spirit of 2024 and beyond.  And enormous gratitude to the Edinburgh International Festival who have thrown a sisterly arm around EIFF for 2023 and are generously hosting it in this exceptional year.” 

Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Following the 2023 edition of the film festival taking place under the umbrella of the Edinburgh International Festival, I am delighted that Screen Scotland are taking these steps to secure the future of the EIFF for 2024 and beyond.  

“Given this key moment in the film festival’s prestigious 76-year history, I am sure there will be a lot of interest in this exciting and important role. It is an opportunity to take forward the vital work of the film festival and the strategic part it plays not only in the overall line-up of our international summer festivals in Edinburgh, but in shaping the future of Scotland’s burgeoning screen sector.” 

The recruitment pack provides full details and how to apply.  Deadline for applications is 12 noon, Monday 12 June, 2023.