The 77th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival will feature a new competition and has revealed its 2024 dates.
Competing for what EIFF describes as “industry-leading cash prizes” will be 10 features and 10 shorts, all world premieres. The festival returned for its 76th edition in 2023 following financial difficulties. In November last year, EIFF tapped Picturehouse Entertainment head of acquisitions Paul Ridd as its new director. “Under new leadership and with an invigorated vision, EIFF is poised to accelerate the discovery of new talent through significant prize-money awarded to the filmmakers of the best feature film in competition and the best short film,” EIFF said in a statement. EIFF festival-goers will be invited to vote for the competition prize winners.
The awards are open to films from the world over. EIFF previously had the Michael Powell Award for best British feature film, the McLaren Award for best new British animation, besides awards for documentaries, international features and performances, several of which carried hefty cash prizes. The structure of the new awards, name and prize funds will be revealed before the Berlinale. The partners for the cash prizes will be revealed during the Berlinale.
Historically, EIFF coincided with the most popular event in the city’s cultural calendar, the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people from around the world each year. In 2008, the festival’s then management decided to move from its traditional August slot to June. Last year’s edition returned to August and EIFF this year will take place Aug. 15-21.
Ridd and his team aim to return to the festival’s halcyon days in a month where the city is abuzz with creative festivals. They are aided by a board that includes chair, Andrew Macdonald of DNA Films, producer of iconic Edinburgh-based film “Trainspotting“; Peter Rice, former chair of general entertainment at Disney and president of 21st Century Fox; and Amy Jackson, producer of last year’s BAFTA-winning film “Aftersun.” EIFF 2024 is supported by Screen Scotland.
Ridd said: “Our new look EIFF falls in a festival month where culture is alive and vibrant in the city, and we also arrive at a point of tremendous industry growth for Scotland with a production boom of streamers, studios and independents working side by side. We are so excited to present what we have in the works and we invite creators, industry leaders and independent film fans who want to be a part of the reimagining of a world-class festival to get in touch with the team, bookmark the EIFF website, and start planning travel to Edinburgh in August. Bring it on!”
Submissions to the 2024 EIFF will commence in February.
