We're excited to announce a number of exciting, new additions to our high-profile line-up of award-winning filmmakers, acclaimed producers, on-screen stars and jurors ahead of our Opening Night Gala on Wednesday 20 June, including Kelly Macdonald, Ben Elton, Melissa George, Billie Piper, Sadie Frost and Samantha Morton.
Notable Guests
Legendary Scottish director and writer Bill Forsyth (Gregory’s Girl) will attend the Festival for a special screening of his classic Local Hero on Tuesday 26 June which will be followed by a Q&A with The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh’s Artistic Director David Greig as they work on the world premiere of the stage adaptation of this much-loved story.
Other notable guests set to attend the Festival will include star of this year’s Opening Night film Puzzle, actress Kelly Macdonald (T2 Trainspotting) alongside director Marc Turtletaub (producer of Little Miss Sunshine); comedian, screenwriter and director Ben Elton (Maybe Baby) whose film Three Summers will receive its International Premiere at the Festival; Scottish actor Ian Pirie (Calibre); actress Melissa George (The Good Wife); actress Beattie Edmondson (Bridget Jones’s Baby), daughter of comic legends Jennifer Saunders and Adrian Edmondson and star of Patrick, who will attend alongside the film’s director Mandie Fletcher, while Sadie Frost – who appears in Lucid and produced Two for Joy via her Blonde to Black production company – will attend along with her Two For Joy cast Samantha Morton (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Billie Piper (Collateral) and Daniel Mays (Rogue One). Actress Sophie Kennedy Clark (Philomena) will also attend the UK Premiere of Obey alongside director Jamie Jones (The Nest).
Director of the much-anticipated documentary Whitney Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland); writer and director of Flammable Children (Swinging Safari) Stephan Elliott (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert); director and EIFF Honorary Patron Mark Cousins (Stockholm my Love); and from closing night film Swimming With Men, Daniel Mays, Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie), Thomas Turgoose (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), and Nathaniel Parker (Of Kings and Prophets) will accompany previously announced guest Rob Brydon (The Trip) who will also take part in an In- Person Q&A.
Meanwhile the previously announced Time of the Signs retrospective will attract guests including Susan Seidelman (Smithereens), Lynne Littman (Testament), Deborah Dickson (Witnesses to a Secret War), Donna Deitch (Desert Hearts) and Jennie Livingstone (Paris is Burning) all in attendance to support and deliver a range of exclusive events and screenings as part of this exciting and topical Retrospective programme.
A host of Canadian filmmaking talent will also be in town for the Festival’s Canada Focus strand including, director of Kayak to Klemtu Zoe Leigh Hopkins (Impossible to Contain); Canadian film director and screenwriter Wayne Wapeemukwa (Srorrim), whose feature film debut Luk’Luk’I, which won the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian First, will screen and director of striking animated documentary WALL, Cam Christiansen (Athletes in Motion), written by and starring Sir David Hare (The Hours) who will also take part in an In-Person Q&A on Monday 25 June, will attend.
In Person Events
In-Person events will see Stephen Moyer (True Blood) marking his feature-film directorial debut for The Parting Glass, along with the film’s star, Anna Paquin (True Blood) discuss the film and their careers; award-winning playwright, screenwriter, theatre and film director, Sir David Hare will talk about his extensive career in cinema and theatre; talented and charismatic young actor George MacKay (Captain Fantastic), who is also in attendance for the UK premiere of The Secret of Marrowbone will talk about his acting career, while much-loved Welsh comedian, actor, impressionist and presenter Rob Brydon will also talk about stand-up, television, impersonations and films. In addition, Susan Wokoma and Mark Cousins will both take part in special In-Person Q&A’s as part of The Young & the Wild strand which is only open to The Young & the Wild passholders.
Mark Adams, Artistic Director said: “EIFF is renowned around the world for discovering and promoting the very best in cinema and continues to be an important hub for domestic and international filmmakers. We’re honoured to be welcoming so many guests from around the world to Edinburgh this June, each are singular talents who will add undisputed value to this year’s Festival line-up.”