The 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival sees the return of the Industry Programme following last year’s temporary edition following the collapse of the festival’s parent company, the Centre for the Moving Image, in 2022. Led by conversations with Gaspar Noé and Alex Garland, the Industry Programme will take place in Edinburgh from 16-18 August, within the festival dates of 15-21 August.
The industry weekend will feature a series of panels and networking opportunities for Scottish and international creatives, as well as new collaborations and partnerships with Fringe organisations and venues. Panellists include Charlotte Regan, director of Scrapper, Eva Yates, BBC Films director, Alex Walton, head of WME Independent, Julia Trawinska, director of acquisitions at Picturehouse Entertainment, and producer, writer and moderator Linda Miles.
Talk to diverse Ahead of the festival, Scotland-based producers celebrated the return of EIFF’s industry programme while highlighting the need for more networking and talent development opportunities in Scotland throughout the year. BAFTA Scotland award-winning producer Nadira Murray, whose debut film Winners (directed by Hassan Nazer) played at EIFF in 2022, is looking forward to meeting emerging talent at the festival. “As a producer, I head to Edinburgh to meet new voices,” she said.
Murray, co-founder of Self Productions, hopes not only to meet new talent but also potentially generate new intellectual property in Edinburgh. She highlights the festival’s collaboration with the Screen Fringe Festival. “I send them what I’m interested in and they come back with a list of what I can watch while I’m in town,” she says. “It really enhances the creative exchange opportunities in Scotland at this time of year. I’m sure there will be more content coming out of this collaboration in the future.”
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Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics/Everett Collection
In addition to the networking opportunities, Murray is looking forward to the In Conversation events. So is Wendy Griffin, line producer of this year’s opening film, “The Outrun,” directed by Nora Fingscheidt. “I’m excited to see Gaspar Noé and Alex Garland in conversation because these are things you don’t get to see every day,” Griffin said. “Other public networking events are things you can get at the UK Pavilion at Cannes, for example.”
“One of the things that’s always been great about Edinburgh is that you have people who are first-time filmmakers at the festival with their first short film, and they’ll meet a very experienced director in the bar and be able to have a chat,” Griffin continued. “I’ve always felt it’s very approachable. If Edinburgh can hold on to that, it’ll be great.”
Griffin emphasises the “affection” that many local filmmakers and film professionals have for Edinburgh, a sentiment familiar to Rhys Cargan of Randan Film and TV Productions. “I’ve always been a fan of the festival,” Cargan says. “I met someone at the Talent Lab who I’ve just worked with on my first feature film with Film4. We were both budding producers in Edinburgh during Covid times, and now we’ve just finished a major feature film together.” The film is Polly Findlay’s Midwinter Break, starring Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds.
For Cargan, the highlight of this year’s industry programme is the case study of Scrapper. “As someone in the industry, the greatest thing I can do is learn from people who have come before me,” said Cargan. “That’s why I think the case study will be interesting to many emerging producers in Scotland who are just making their first film and could benefit from hearing insightful feedback about funding and working with the BBC and the BFI. It’s really helpful.”
While Karjan recognises the importance of case studies, he hopes the Edinburgh International Film Festival will reintroduce talent labs and development programmes in the future, a sentiment echoed by Murray. “Edinburgh used to run a lot of talent labs. They were more industry-focused, with a focus on new voices and nurturing emerging filmmakers and producers. I would love to see those labs come back.”
With the Edinburgh International Film Festival reshaping its industry arm in the past two years, Scottish-based producers have flocked to the Glasgow Film Festival, which has expanded and strengthened its industry offering. “A lot of my London-based filmmaker friends have spent money to come to Glasgow for the festival this year, which they would never do,” Murray said. “They do it because it’s a great event, with pitch sessions and networking opportunities, but it’s never enough. We need Glasgow, Edinburgh and more. We need more meetings. It would be great to see Scotland become a hub for talent development.”
