The Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) has successfully secured funding to host the second StagEHd Festival this summer.
The local amateur theatre company has been granted £5,000 from The National Lottery Awards for All Scotland fund to present the free-to-attend theatre festival at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June.
Launched in 2022 by members of EGTG, StagEHd Festival is an open access theatre festival programmed to showcase the best of Edinburgh’s amateur and emerging performing artists.
Last year’s event proved popular with over 1,200 attendees across the weekend enjoying performances from puppetry to opera; including a retelling of Polish folklore Wawel Dragon from bilingual theatre company Lustro SCENY (The Mirror of Stage); a performance of the traditional Scottish folktale Galoshins by Scotland’s only all-women mumming group, The Meadows Mummers; and a resounding rendition of songs from the musicals from local youth musical theatre company Momentum Performing Arts.
The programme for StagEHd 2023 is still to be announced, but festival founder, Hannah Bradley Croall shared her excitement upon receiving the support: “We’re incredibly grateful to The National Lottery and its players for their support in making StagEHd 2023 happen.
“And we’re excited to present another weekend of entertainment at the Ross Bandstand; a venue which, if it wasn’t for community efforts like ours, would sit vacant and closed off for the majority of the year.
“This money will pay for the hire of the venue, and cover the cost of bringing in the equipment necessary to produce live performance in the space. The Ross Bandstand is such an asset to have in the centre of our city, and it’s a shame to see it underappreciated and unutilised for most of the year.
“We’re looking forward to unlocking the space and giving a stage to some of Edinburgh’s best performing artists in a two-day celebration of our city’s culture.”
The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “This project, delivered by the Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group, is a great example of community activity in action, showing just what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause or to help others.
“It’s all thanks to National Lottery players that we can help give charities and community groups throughout Scotland greater certainty during challenging times.”
StagEHd Festival is a free-to-attend theatre festival celebrating the best of Edinburgh’s performing arts. StagEHd 2023 will take place at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June.
For more information and to sign up to receive updates visit:
Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights, returns to the Capital on Sunday November 6th and will feature a parade, music, dance and fireworks. Entry is free
The 2022 Book Festival is almost here! The team is busily getting the very last few finishing touches perfect at the Book Festival Village at Edinburgh College of Art, and we can’t wait to welcome you back to our charming, leafy home in the heart of the city’s Old Town.
Scroll down to see what’s on during the opening weekend, event inspiration for the week to come, and a highlight of the many free activities and events on at the Festival Village.
There is so much to enjoy during the opening weekend of this year’s hybrid Book Festival as we welcome over 550 authors from across the world to share their stories, ideas, and perspectives. Hear from award-winning authors, inspiring poets, rising stars, famed musicians, and renowned thinkers, whether joining in person or from the comfort of your own home.
SATURDAY 13 AUGUST
Don’t miss award-winning Chilean author Nona Fernández as she appears at the Festival for the first time to discuss her novel The Twilight Zone. (12:15 – 13:15)
Join game-changing cartoonist Nick Drnaso as he discusses his latest graphic novel Acting Class and presents a short film showing him at work in his Chicago studio, commissioned especially for this event. (13:30 – 14:30)
Hear literary giant Ali Smith discuss her work, including her Seasonal Quartet and Companion Piece, with fellow Scottish favourite Val McDermid in an event sure to enrich and inspire. (17:30 – 18:30)
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright discusses her hilarious memoir, her life as the black sheep of a famous family, and her experiences with love, loss, motherhood, divorce and the music industry. (20:30 – 21:30)
Hear all about David Keenan’s hallucinatory new novel Industry of Magic and Light : part oral history, part occult detective novel. (20:30 – 21:30)
Join Sarah Smith for a production that uses a fusion of sign language, image and performance to tell the evocative story of a Deaf woman in Glasgow wrongfully accused of murdering her child – a turning point in the history of rights for Deaf people in Scotland. (13:00 – 14:00)
Author, artist and designer Osman Yousefzada takes a break from dressing the likes of Lady Gaga to speak candidly on his Pashtun upbringing and his teen years in London to raise the question: Can a person exist in the spaces in between? (18:15 – 19:15)
Hear from award-winning author Pankaj Mishra as he discusses his second novel, a gripping account of a group of friends in an age of upheaval and breakdown, in an event that is not to be missed. (19:00 – 20:00)
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning author Margo Jefferson as she examines how she shaped herself through jazz, seminal writers like W E B Du Bois and George Eliot, and fragments and words of those she loves and those she grieves. (20:15 – 21:15)
The Book Festival Village at Edinburgh College of Art on Lauriston Place is open daily from 9.30am until late – and everyone is welcome, whether you have a ticket to see an event or simply want to grab a drink with friends, explore the brilliant Festival Bookshop, or watch free events on the big screen in the Courtyard.
There is much to see and do during your day at the Book Festival, with tons of free events to enjoy.
You can book tickets in advance – and, if spots for the day you were hoping to attend have sold out, we have it on good authority that it is worth it to ask our lovely Box Office staff on the day … You might just get lucky!
Great events are live-streamed onto our large outdoor screen every day of the Festival. Curious to see what’s on? Have a look at the schedule of screened events for this year’s Festival, then come along to the Festival Village, find a spot in the sun or shade, and enjoy.
Each day, a Festival author shares an unexpected inspiration or passion in Passion Projects, including Ali Smith,
· Authors Rebecca Solnit, Richard Coles, Dorothy Koomson, Patrick Gale, Emma Stonex, Leroy Logan, Tessa Hadley, Eilidh Muldoon, Stephen Payne and more to join celebrations in indies across the UK
· Bookshop-curated literary festivals, special podcast recordings, poetry showcases, indie offers and exclusives, literary quizzes, bookshops turning into “gnome man’s land” and much more
· Indie twinning with Andersen Press, And Other Stories, Head of Zeus, Manchester University Press, Guppy Books, Louise Walters Books
The Booksellers Association (BA) has revealed the line-up for this year’s Independent Bookshop Week, the annual celebration of independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland, taking place between 18 – 25 June 2022 and with Hachette as the headline sponsor.
Top L-R: The Portobello Bookshop’s mural by Eilidh Muldoon (Edinburgh); Brighton Book Festival logo; The Ginger’s Cat Children’s Bookshop (Kilmacolm). Bottom L-R: indie exclusive edition of The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn (Fig Tree); author Tessa Daly; The Big Malarkey Festival logo
With nearly 700 independent bookshops confirmed to take part, celebrations taking place up and down the country include: literary festivals organised by independent bookshops, including the inaugural Brighton Book Festival; special podcast recordings taking place inside the bookshops; poetry showcases; nation-wide bookshop crawls; exclusive early releases for indies; beautiful window displays; local school events, and much more.
Returning with lots of exciting activities, Independent Bookshop Week is encouraging book-lovers of all ages to visit their local independent bookshop and join the celebrations this June.
The line-up for IBW 2022 includes:
BOOKSHOP EVENTS
· Rev Richard Coles will be doing a tour of independent bookshops during IBW, signing stock of his crime debut Murder Before Evensong (Orion). The tour will stop at Chorleywood Bookshop (Hertfordshire) on Monday 20 June and City Books (Hove) on Wednesday 22 June, among others.
· Marcus Leaver, Welbeck co-founder and author of A Little Book About Books, will visit 60 independent bookshops throughout Independent Bookshop Week, with the book available exclusively from independent bookshops until September. Confirmed indies include Not Just Books Limited (Thetford), The Book Lounge (Carnforth, Cumbria), The Mainstreet Trading Company (St Boswells), The Edinburgh Bookshop, Booka Bookshop (Oswestry), The Poetry Pharmacy (Shropshire), TheBook House (Thame), The Aldeburgh Bookshop, TheHolt Bookshop (Norfolk) and TheBook Case (Lowdham).
· The Summer Bookshop Crawl will be setting up nation-wide bookshop crawls, taking place between 17-19 June and covering 10 different locations, including Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Falmouth, Hastings, Leicester, Newcastle, Norwich, Sheffield and Stratford upon Avon.
As well as indie bookshops, their tours will also include second hand and charity bookshops. Participants interested in doing a self-guided bookshop crawl will be able to download a welcome pack from the website including the map, downloadable routes, and a bookshop crawl ID that they can use to claim any discounts and perks from the local bookshops they visit. More info here.
· Authors and avid bookshop lovers Liz Fenwick and Brigid Coady will be setting up in their annual bookshop crawl with the Romantic Novelists Association, visiting indie bookshops across the country and meeting local booksellers.
· Afrori Books and TheFeminist Bookshop (Brighton) will be launching the first Brighton Book Festival on 24-26 June, with headline names including Guvna’B, Yvonne Bailey Smith, Dorothy Koomson, Leroy Logan, Sabba Khan and Alison Rumfitttaking in discussions covering the myth of the mainstream, masculinities, feminist futures, queer books in Brighton and British culture in books. There will also be a variety of workshops focussing on adapting books to film, pitching your novel, and developing soundtracks for books. More info here.
· Drake The Bookshop (Stockton-on-Tees) are bringing back their Great North Author Tour (GNAT) on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 June. The tour will see ten authors deliver 20-minute performances and creative writing workshops in local schools on Friday, before going on a whistle stop tour of Stockton, Saltburn, Guisborough, Loftus, Thirsk and Ripon on Saturday, stopping in local bookshops to sign copies of their books. More info here.
· Portobello Bookshop (Edinburgh) will be doing an event with children’s author and illustrator Eilidh Muldoon, who will be visiting the bookshop on the afternoon of Monday 20 June, to do a reading and a colouring session aimed at young children. On Friday 24 June, Rebecca Solnit will be coming to Edinburgh for a special evening event at the Assembly Rooms on George Street, to discuss her two latest books Orwell’s Rosesand Recollections of My Non-Existence, in conversation with award-winning journalist and author Chitra Ramaswamy. More info here.
· The Rabbit Hole (Brigg) will be collaborating with Hull City Council at TheBig Malarkey Festival, as well as putting together a series of author events and children’s activities to mark IBW. More info here.
· The Ginger Cat Children’s Bookshop (Kilmacolm) will be doing an event with Amy B Moreno on Monday 20 June at St Columba’s Junior School in Kilmacolm, to celebrate Amy’s book A Billion Balloons of Questions.
· Griffin Books (Penarth) is organising lots of events as part of the Penarth Literature Festival to coincide with IBW, with daily events featuring Caryl Lewis, Pamela Petro, Peter Finch, Tessa Hadley,Lauren Ace; a crime writing workshop with Katherine Stansfield; a poetry showcase hosted by Penarth-based poet Stephen Payne; literary quizzes and more. More info here.
· The Bookery (Crediton) will hold a series of events to mark IBW, including: PatrickGale and award-winning singer-songwriter Jim Causley will be chatting about Patrick’s latest book Mother’s Boy and Jim will be performing songs based on Causley’s poems on Tuesday 21 June; best-selling authors Laura Shepherd-Robinson and EmmaStonex will be in conversation in an event on Wednesday 22 June; there will be one-on-one ‘illustrator clinics’ with author and illustrator Sarah McIntyre, who is also a patron of The Bookery, on Saturday 18 June. More info here.
· Niche Comic Books (Huntingdon) will host an open mic poetry night with performance poet, musician and storyteller Fay Roberts on Thursday 23 June, and an acoustic night with talented singer-songwriter Christian Smith on Friday 24 June, both at The Commemoration Hall in Huntingdon. More info here and here.
· Harris & Harris Books (Suffolk) will be hosting a talk with Annie Garthwaite, author of the outstanding debut novel Cecily, to discuss her book, do a reading and sign copies in the atmospheric Clare Church on Wednesday 22 June. More info here.
· One Tree Books (Petersfield ) will be visited by best-selling author Kate Mosse, one of the contributors of Marple: Twelve New Stories , a brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve acclaimed authors, on Wednesday 22 June, 10-12pm. More info here.
· Confer-Karnac Bookshop (London) will be celebrating IBW and the first year in their new Spitalfields home with all-day celebrations on Saturday 25 June, 11– 5pm. Expect a book launch with author Anne Power, 15% off on all books all day, a talk on ‘How to Get Published’ with Christina Wipf Perry (Publishing Director) and Catharine Arnold (Author and Editor of The New Psychotherapist), an afternoon of tea and cake, and much more! More info here.
· Chorleywood Bookshop will be celebrating their 50th anniversary (!) as well as IBW with a packed week of events, including: Boutique Book Club with novelist Clare Pooley to discuss her new book, The Authenticity Project, a joyful, uplifting novel about truth, friendship and the power of connection on Tuesday 21 June; an evening with best-selling writer and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, talking about his captivating memoir, Back in the Day on Wednesday 22 June; best-selling crime writer, actor and comedian Mark Billingham will be bookseller for a day on Friday 24 June, and much more. More info here.
PODCAST AND ONLINE
As well as in-person events, Independent Bookshop Week celebrations will include lots of online activity, including:
· Simon Savidge and Melanie Sykes will be the official Book Club for Indie Bookshop Week again this year. They’ll be reading a book from the Indie Book Awards shortlist for their June Book Club, which they will then discuss on their YouTube channel. More info here.
· YouTube influencer Lauren and the Books will be hosting a Cosy Reading Night on Saturday 25 June between 7-10pm to celebrate Indie Bookshop Week. More info here.
· Round Table Books (London) will be hosting a podcast recording of Down the Rabbit Hole, the podcast for grown-ups who love children’s books, hosted by Caroline Carpenter, Hannah Love, Charlie Morris and Sam Sedgman. The episode will see the special guest Namina Forna, YA author of The Merciless One (Usborne) in conversation with guest host Stacey Thomas, book reviewer at Bad Form Review and judge on The Diverse Book Awards longlist. The episode will air on Saturday 18 June, the first day of IBW. More info here.
· Denny’s Books (Thames Ditton, Surrey)will be hosting an episode of the podcast Writers Routine, a show discussing the work and lives of writers, hosted by Dan Simpson. More info here.
· Gerrards Cross Bookshop (Buckinghamshire)will be hosting a recording a show of the podcast We’d Like A Word, a radio show and podcast about the words we write, the words we read, the words we say, hosted by Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan. More info here.
INDIE TWINNING
Building on the success of previous years, the Indie Twinning strand of IBW is coming back for a third year, with independent publishers and independent bookshops teaming up to develop bespoke programmes of activity across the country. Confirmed indie twinning activities include:
· The Book Hive (Norwich) will be twinning with independent publisher And OtherStories, to mark the publication of The Visitors by Jessi Jezewska Stevens. Inspired by the events in the book, set on the eve of the Occupy Wall Street protests, and whose protagonist suffers from hallucinations of a garden gnome, The Book Hive’s three-storey building will become “gnome man’s land”, inviting customers to build a new society and suggest a law or policy for the soon-to-be independent utopia/dystopia. At the end of the week, a team of booksellers and publishers will pick their favourites, who will be rewarded with an And Other Stories goody bag.
· October Books (Southampton) are twinning with Manchester University Press. They will be doing a book launch event on Thursday 23 June for Borderland by Phil Hubbard, who used to work at October Books as a bookseller.
· The Ginger Cat Children’s Bookshop (Kilmacolm) will be twinning with AndersenPress, with a window displays featuring a hand-painted standee from RobertStarling based on his new book The Bookshop Mice, along with activity sheets and signed bookplates; point of sale material from Elmer, The Bolds, Phil Earle, Harry Woodgate, and signed book plates from David McKee and Ross MacKenzie.
· Forum Books (Corbridge) are delighted to be twinning with Head of Zeus, with more plans to be revealed.
· Wallingford Bookshop (Oxfordshire) will be twinning with Guppy Books, and are planning a combination of online and in person activity, with something happening each day of IBW.
· Green Dragon Bookshop (Crewkerne, Somerset) will be joining forces with the LouiseWalters Books, a one-woman independent press from Northamptonshire.
· Topping & Company Edinburghwill be twinning with award-winning indie press Fitzcarraldo Editions. There will be a bespoke window display, tote bags and postcards available throughout the week.
· Books on the Hill (St Albans) will be twinning with VERVE Books, with celebrations including: author event with Jane Jesmond on Saturday 18 June in the bookshop; podcast episodes with VERVE authors Laurie Petrou and Carolyn Kirby; a social media giveaway for a personalised book buying experience at Books on the Hill; co-branded bookmarks; an special IBW window display and more.
· Next Page Books (Hitchin) will be teaming up with children’s book publisher Barrington Stoke during IBW. They will hold an ‘Introduction to Barrington Stoke’ evening event for local parents and carers in the shop on Tuesday 21 June, where JaneWalker will talk about how their amazing books can help children break down barriers to reading and ensure that ‘every child can be a reader’. In addition, Jane will also be a bookseller for a day on the same day, helping with displays, booking in stock and chatting to customers!
SPECIAL EDITIONS AND PUBLISHER EXCLUSIVES
· The Independent Bookshop Week children’s bag will feature the mouse and the lion from the best-selling, award-winning picture book The Lion Inside (Hachette Children’s Group) by Rachel Bright and Jim Field. The bag will be part of the Independent Bookshop Week point of sale kits, which will be available exclusively from indie bookshops during IBW. To celebrate the upcoming publication of The Gecko and the Echo, there will also be a limited number of bookshop standees featuring Rachel & Jim’s gorgeous new character, Goldie.
· Fig Tree (Penguin Random House) will produce an indie exclusive edition of The Whalebone Theatre, a wonderful debut by Joanna Quinn, published on 9 June. The exclusive edition will be signed by the author, with blue sprayed edges and foil on the cover.
· We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (HarperCollins) will have an indie bookshop exclusive edition with gorgeous blue sprayed edges, as well as POS packs including bookmarks, posters and tote bags, which will be released exclusively for indies ahead of official publication on 7 July.
· Rex: Dinosaur in Disguise by Elys Dolan (Walker), a comedy of errors starring the instantly-loveable Rex – the first book ins a series for 7+ readers – will make available for independent bookshops a standee, print, bookmarks, poster and downloadable activity pack, perfect for keeping little dinosaurs busy.
· Celebrate IBW and the 10th birthday of George, everyone’s favourite calamitous dog from Oh No, George! (Walker) – with a delightful “why not visit your local bookshop?” poster, designed exclusively for IBW by award-winning Chris Haughton.
Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the BA, said: “We can’t wait to celebrate Independent Bookshop Week with indie booksellers and book-lovers across the country this June.
“From author events to school initiatives, and from podcast recordings to their own literary festivals (!), independent booksellers are proving ever full of creativity and dedication, not only as they curate a special week-long line-up of activities, but also in their everyday work, as pillars of their high streets and local communities.
“We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate the brilliance of independent booksellers, during and beyond Independent Bookshop Week!”
Richard Colessaid: “Nothing gives me more pleasure than the thought of Canon Clement, his mother and his dachshunds finding their home at independent bookshops around the country and I can’t wait to meet as many booksellers as I can!”
Follow the latest developments via social media: #IndieBookshopWeek @BooksAreMyBag
The 74th Edinburgh International Film Festival takes place at the heart of Edinburgh’s festival season, between 18 and 25 August, and presents a fantastic programme of feature and short films celebrating the long-awaited return to cinema.
This special programme of in-person and digital screenings includes 31 new features and 73 shorts – with 18 marking their world and 3 international premieres at the Festival – and with 50% of the new features in the EIFF 2021 programme from a female director or co-director.
The majority of Festival screenings take place at the Festival’s home, Filmhouse, with the Opening Gala and Special Preview at Festival Theatre and special screenings at partner venues across Scotland, along with introductions, Q&As, in person events and more screenings being available through a dedicated, accessible streaming platform Filmhouse at Home.
EIFF is supported by Screen Scotland, the PLACE Programme (a partnership between the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals), the Scottish Government through the Festivals Expo Fund, the City of Edinburgh Council, EventScotland and the British Film Institute (BFI) using funds from the National Lottery.
EIFF 2021 PROGRAMME
Reflecting the diversity of stories and storytellers from across the world, EIFF’s 2021 programme includes two hugely anticipated musicals: hot from Cannes where it won the Best Director award, the UK premiere of Leos Carax’s Annette starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, co-written by pop legends Sparks and a Special Preview screening of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at Festival Theatre with a starry cast including Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant, and newcomer Max Harwood in the title role.
The Festival opens with the European Premiere of Michael Sarnoski’s Pig with Nicolas Cage as a reclusive truffle hunter and closes with the UK Premiere of Here Today from the comedy legend Billy Crystal, also featuring Tiffany Haddish.
Following in the footsteps of Whisky Galore! which premiered at EIFF in 2016, two Scottish films exploring island life receive their World Premieres at EIFF: a documentary Prince of Muck following the continuing battles of elderly patriarch Lawrence MacEwen and Hebridean feature drama The Road Dance based on a best-selling book by STV News presenter John MacKay who also stars in the film.
Determination in the face of adversity and addressing the social issues permeating societies around the world are strongly represented in this year’s programme. The UK premiere of Haider Rashid’s Europa starring British-Libyan Adam Ali as a young Iraqi refugee sees him fighting to survive in the wilderness and with ‘Migrant Hunters’ on his trail while Oscar-nominated Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin focuses on a young Syrian refugee who agreed to having his back tattooed in exchange for a better life in Europe.
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s Ballad of a White Cow sees a wife fighting against the broken justice system in Iran after her husband is executed for a crime he did not commit and New Zealand’s The Justice of Bunny King tells the story of a troubled single mother trying to get the custody of her children back.
In documentaries, Walk with Angels offers a visceral look at South Africa’s legacy of Apartheid and child trafficking and Rebel Dykes explores the underground lesbian community in London in the 80s and the country’s lack of response to the AIDS crisis.
Two very personal documentaries, Radiograph of a Family from Firouzeh Khosrovani centres on the director’s parents and uses them as a lens to look at Iran’s society split between secular and Islamic beliefs and Alicia Cano Menoni’s Bosco focuses on the director’s grandfather living in Uruguay and his ancestoral roots in a small Italian village.
Highlighting contemporary social issues, documentary The Gig Is Up shines light on the forgotten gig economy workforce, from Deliveroo to Amazon, and the European Premiere of Jennifer Ngo’s Faceless centres on the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Continuing the theme of the gig economy and its recent struggles, Laurent Garnier: Off The Recordtells the little-known story of the legendary French DJ and the political response to rave culture.
This year’s programme also showcases the best of horror from two EIFF-returners: impeccable Rebecca Hall in The Night House from the genre innovator David Bruckner and Martyrs Lane from Ruth Platt reinventing the classic ghost story. In animation, the legendary Academy Award-winning director and animator Phil Tippett presents the second instalment of his Miltonesque Mad God.
The quirky French feature comedy Mandibles sees two friends trying to train a giant fly to make money off of it and Norway’s Ninjababy beautifully blends animation and live action to tell the story of a young cartoonist and her unexpected pregnancy.
An ambitious programme of short films – fiction, animation, documentary and experimental aka Black Box – divided into 7 strands by theme, explore a fantastic range of topics and issues: in short animation, Imaginings delve into the recesses of the human mind and Family Values look at how our lives are shaped by values that are handed down to us; in short fiction and documentary, One Step at the Time is rooted in the present moment, showing snapshots from all around the world, Visions project forward, imagining our future lives or alternative realities; and in Black Box we find Interconnections exploring the themes of collaboration and interrelation and Interruptions, a diverse programme playfully confounding the aesthetic expectations of the audience.
Some of the highlights include Ba, about growing up in Soviet Kazakhstan, a child seeking refuge from his stark reality in Romanian Candy Can, animated Hangman at Home exploring the awkward intimacy of humanness and Keith Water, a stop motion animation made from found materials during the 2020 lockdown.
The shorts programme also includes SHORTCUTS – Views From The Four Nations, presented in Edinburgh and France through a partnership with the Dinard Festival of British Film, led by Artistic Director Dominique Green. DFBF and EIFF are twinning to show together a selection of the best of recent British shorts.
All short films are available to audiences digitally on Filmhouse at Home. EIFF Shorts and Experimental films are sponsored by Innis & Gunn, with support from the Culture & Business Fund Scotland, managed by Arts & Business Scotland.
Tickets go on sale at 12 noon TODAY (Wednesday 28 July) for Filmhouse Members, and then on general sale at 12 noon on Thursday 29 July.
Festival audiences will have a chance to vote for their favourite film which will receive the 2021 Audience Award.
For more information and a full schedule of physical and digital screenings please visit www.edfilmfest.org.uk.
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festivalis back for 2021 with an exciting programme showcasing the amazing music coming out of Scotland! We can’t wait to welcome you online and in-person at Assembly Roxy.
Live Assembly Roxy
We are delighted we can welcome some small, socially-distanced audiences to Assembly Roxy over the ten days of the festival. We have 20 concerts with live audiences. Tickets are priced at £20 per person and are sold in bubbles of 1 or 2 people to allow us to seat you safely. Please note that our capacity is very limited so book early!
All of our live concerts will also be live-streamed so, if you can’t make it in person, you can buy a digital ticket for £10.
20 pre-recorded concerts
In addition to our live concerts, we also have 20 pre-recorded online concerts, each costing £10. All our online content is available for 72 hours so you can watch at your leisure!
Concerts will be sold individually, but you can buy a Festival Passgiving access to all 40 online concerts, plus a few exclusives, for just £40!
Hospitality sector granted extended opening hours during summer festivals
Pubs and restaurants in the Capital will once again be able to take advantage of extended opening hours during the festival season this summer.
Edinburgh’s Licensing Board has agreed to allow each on-sale licensed establishment with a seasonal variation in their licence to extend their normal opening times for an additional two hours, if public health guidance allows.
The dates for this year are 6 – 30 August to tie in with the Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival (7 – 29 August).
Convener of the Licensing Board, Councillor Norman Work, said: “It’s been a tough year for the hospitality sector and as a Board we recognise the need to do everything we can to support licensed premises to help them operate as normally as they can within any COVID-19 restrictions in force at the time.
“The majority of pubs and restaurants have seasonal variations in their licence covering the summer festivals. That means that as long as public health guidance allows, many businesses will be able to take advantage of increased trade with extended opening hours during August, which is great news for the city.”
A ‘new look’ innovative EIFF set to deliver in person events in Edinburgh and beyond with indoor and outdoor cinema experiences alongside online festival screenings celebrating film’s ability to bind us together
Festival focused on bringing communities together and championing Scottish and UK filmmaking talent in the heart of the August festival season
Filmhouse and a network of cinemas across Scotland set to collaborate in a joyous communal celebration of the return to cinema
Spectacular FREE outdoor screenings of films in St Andrew Square for ‘Film Fest in the City’ from 19-25 August will form the centre of the Festival’s invitation to audiences in this unique year
Innovative programme of new features, documentaries, animations, experimental and shorts programmed by a team of regular and guest programmers led by Nick Varley to address big issues, champion social change and invite new audiences to become involved
As a kick off for the return of Edinburgh’s festivals in August, EIFF will present ‘Film Fest on the Forth’, a fantastic aquatically themed programme of outdoor waterside screenings on 31 July and 1 August at Port Edgar Marina, South Queensferry
Filmhouse at Home widens access to the Festival programme and additional content online connecting global thought leaders with local and international audiences
EIFF Talent Lab returns online to give practical support to 24 writers, directors or producers working on their first feature film
EIFF Youth programme, inspiring and supporting the filmmakers and curators of tomorrow, to run in person and in an online programme 20 – 23 August.
Edinburgh International Film Festival is delighted to announce today that it will return in a new and innovative form this summer running 18- 25 August 2021.
Championing Scottish and UK filmmaking, the Festival will include physical screenings and events indoors in Filmhouse Cinema and outdoors with Film Fest in the City in St Andrew Square, in a rich and diverse programme celebrating the return to cinemas and the collective cinema experience.
The festival will also be available to audiences across the UK through its online platform, Filmhouse at Home, where alongside the films viewers can access Q&As and hear first-hand the insights, experiences and passions of directors, filmmakers and actors.
In addition, the Festival is collaborating with partners to widen its reach through a programme of presentations across Scotland, opening up access and inspiring curiosity in many who may previously not have been able to experience the Festival programme. More will be announced in the coming weeks.
Film Fest in the City in St Andrew Square Gardens will deliver a free programme of cinematic favourites, delivered in partnership with Essential Edinburgh and supported by Johnnie Walker, EIFF’s Official Whisky Partner, Innis & Gunn, EIFF’s Official Beer Partner, and EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
A watery themed, Film Fest on the Forth (31 July & 1 August) will show films the whole family can enjoy at a purpose built outdoor cinema space at Port Edgar Marina in the shadow of the Forth’s iconic bridges. Film Fest on the Forth is also supported EventScotland in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21.
The Festival’s first priority at all its screenings and events will be the safety of its audiences and guests.
This year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival programme has been brought together by a team of regular and guest programmers led by Nick Varley, founder and former co-CEO of distributor Park Circus.
Alongside Nick, guest programmers Christophe Mercier, formerly Fox Searchlight and Warner Bros, who is working on the international selection and Nada Cirjanic formerly Great Point Media and Independent Film Sales, who is focused on UK titles who together will bring together a condensed programme of features which will join documentaries programmed by Rohan Crickmar, animations selected by Abigail Addison, shorts programmed by Jenny Clarke and experimental films selected by Lydia Beilby and Kim Knowles..
Selections will seek opportunities to both find new ways to bring people together around unique cultural experiences and address the huge social changes and climate issues that face the planet after more than a year in lockdown, bringing the insights of global thought leaders to Festival audiences and championing social change and action.
The full programme will be announced and tickets go on sale on Wednesday 28 July. Announcements on outdoor programmes, opening and closing films will be made in due course.
EIFF will open accreditation for press and industry screenings following the programme launch.
EIFF Talent Lab 2021 adopts a virtual format running across two weekends in August (13-15 & 20-21). The Lab will support writers, directors and producers from Scotland, the UK and internationally, with a programme designed to help them take next steps towards their first feature film.
This year EIFF Youth, supported by Baillie Gifford, will gather in Edinburgh over the middle weekend of the Festival, and online over an extended weekend, to take part in workshops, access career advice, look at environmental issues in cinema production, meet and interview filmmakers.
EIFF Youth and EIFF Talent Lab are funded through the PLACE programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals.
Edinburgh International Film Festival is also teaming up with Filmarket Hub to launch a new talent showcase, to be announced on 28 May.
Ken Hay, CEO of Edinburgh International Film Festival, said: “We all love film and we’re delighted that EIFF is back in 2021, focusing on bringing communities together and celebrating the communal cinema experience as widely and inclusively as possible.
“The Festival will play a leading role in hailing the return to cinema-going and champion Scottish and UK films to audiences and industry around the world. We also believe that in this year particularly, that EIFF has a strong role to play in highlighting key social issues and will seek to deliver a programme that inspires curiosity and action in our audiences.”
Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “I am delighted that the Edinburgh International Film Festival is returning this summer with a programme that extends across Scotland.
“As well as celebrating the collective cinema experience, the Festival will also help writers, directors and producers take next steps towards their first feature film through the Talent Lab 2021 programme supported by the Scottish Government.”
Isabel Davis, Executive Director at Screen Scotland said:“As people start to come back together over the summer it’s exciting that EIFF will offer audiences in Edinburgh, Scotland and across the UK a celebration of the communal experience of cinema.
“Filmhouse will once more play host but this year the festival will also animate the city, from its centre to its shore, as well as offer an accessible, digital programme will enable audiences unable to attend in person to experience the festival online.”
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “Events are a key part of the social and economic fabric of Scotland and following the challenges presented by the pandemic over the last year, it is wonderful to see Edinburgh International Film Festival has returned with a high-quality hybrid programme for film fans to enjoy in a way they feel most comfortable, whether that’s in person or online.
“EventScotland is delighted to be supporting this year’s festival, including both Film Fest in the City and Film Fest on the Forth in celebration of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21, and we look forward to hearing more of what’s on offer across the programme in the weeks to come.”
Cllr Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We’re proud to continue our support of the world’s oldest continuous film festival which explores new ideas in filmmaking and is known for heralding and debating the latest developments in cinema.
“It was much missed last year and I look forward to the return to the collective cinema experience with events and screenings planned for the Filmhouse and St Andrew Square as well as the online platform for audiences to enjoy from home.
“Public safety will of course remain a priority, and we can all very much look forward to the full programme announcement in July.”
The Edinburgh International Festival will welcome audiences back to live performance with temporary outdoor pavilions throughout the city this summer:
We are thrilled to announce our reimagined Festival for 2021, marking the return of live performance to Scotland’s capital city after over a year of silenced theatres and concert halls.
Taking place from 7 to 29 August, the 2021 International Festival will use bespoke, temporary outdoor pavilions in iconic, easily accessible spaces throughout the city to safely reunite our artists and audiences to rediscover the magic of live performance.
Our temporary outdoor pavilions, found at three locations including Edinburgh Park and the University of Edinburgh’s Old College Quad, will feature covered concert stages and socially distanced seating to create a beautiful setting for audiences to safely enjoy live music, opera and theatre once more.
The health and safety of the entire Festival community is at the heart of our plans for this year’s festival. That’s why we are working with the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and other relevant authorities to implement appropriate Covid safety measures.
These will include shorter performances with no intervals, physical distancing, regular cleaning and contactless ticketing.
We will publish full details of our security and safety measures in the coming months.
While we are looking forward to the prospect of bringing the Festival City to life once more, we appreciate that not everyone will be able to attend our performances in person this year.
To ensure that everyone can enjoy a slice of the magic, wherever they are in the world, we will release a selection of high-quality streamed performances, free of charge, during each week of the Festival.
Since Edinburgh’s summer festivals in 2020 were officially cancelled a year ago, we have received extraordinary support from so many people.
As our Festival Director Fergus Linehan says, “We are hugely grateful to the artists who have agreed to come on this journey with us, the stakeholders, donors, and sponsors who have stood by us through a tough year and our audiences who have cheered us along throughout. We look forward to sharing full details of the programme in early June.”
Full details of our 2021 programme, which spans opera, orchestral and chamber music, theatre and contemporary music, will be announced on Wednesday 2 June.
Priority booking for International Festival members opens on Tuesday 1 June before general booking opens on Friday 11 June.
Welcome Back
We are delighted to announce that in August 2021, the Edinburgh International Festival will return to live performance.
Connecting with others is more crucial now than ever. For that reason, we have continued to engage with communities across Edinburgh and further afield during the pandemic, bringing performances and opportunities to schools, families and socially isolated people. These projects are an integral part of the International Festival’s identity, and we will continue them and expand their scope as 2021 progresses.
We are proud of the streamed and broadcast works we have brought you over the past year. These projects have helped us experiment and evolve, and they will continue as a vital element in our work and engagement. But a Festival is at its heart a gathering, a celebration of community and shared purpose. The time is right to take the first careful steps back to live performance.
We are hugely grateful to the artists who are coming on this journey with us; to the stakeholders, donors and sponsors who have stood by us through a tough year; and to our audiences who have cheered us along throughout. We are excited by the prospect of seeing you all at the 2021 Edinburgh International Festival.
