Edinburgh International Film Festival celebrated its 73rd edition with the annual Castle Reception hosted by the Scottish Government and Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs.
The reception celebrates the Festival's international filmmaker guests and offers the chance to experience some traditional delights and one of the city’s most iconic and historicallocations. A host of famous faces were in attendance including Icíar Bollaín, Paul Laverty, Jason Connery, Angus McFadyen and EIFF jurors Moyo Akandé, Jack Lowden and David Hayman.
The Scottish Government’s continued support and funding of the EIFF industry, talent development and youth programmes, via both the Festivals’ Expo Fund and the new PLACE Programme, which are focused on developing new talent, is invaluable to the work of the Festival. This year, the Government is supporting a wide range of activity including EIFF’s Talent Lab and Talent Lab Connects, funded through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government (through Creative Scotland), the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals, and EIFF’s Industry Events Programme, funded through the Festivals’ Expo Fund, which delivers a broad programme of seminars, masterclasses, special events and networking opportunities fostering collaborations, discussions and new connections for the EIFF’s industry audiences. 2019 sees the ninth EIFF Talent Lab which offers filmmakers a four-day programme of workshops, panels, masterclasses and specially tailored one-to-one sessions.
The PLACE Programme is also supporting this year’s bespoke EIFF Youth programme which provides a platform for young people to learn about the many different facets of the film industry directly from world-renowned industry experts whilst gaining hands-on experience. EIFF Youth offers a range of filmmaking masterclasses, hands-on workshops, careers advice sessions and industry panels for 15-25 year-olds including free lecture series Reel Talks and short film competition, EIFF Youth New Visions, intended to discover the newest voices in Scottish film and bring their visions to the global stage.
“The Edinburgh International Film Festival does a wonderful job of showcasing Scotland and provides great opportunities to celebrate and expand our worldwide cultural relationships. This reception allows emerging filmmakers, including those from the Talent Lab programme sponsored by the Scottish Government, toconnect with the industry. Developing people’s skills within the screen sector is essential for its growth, and the Festival and its supporters are instrumental in inspiring and advancing talent.” Fiona Hyslop, Culture Secretary
“The Scottish Government hosted reception at Edinburgh Castle is a true highlight for the Festival’s international filmmaker guests each year. The Scottish Government’s ongoing support for the Festival through the Festivals’ Expo Fund and the new PLACE Programme has been transformational for the Festival, for the pipeline of talent comingthrough EIFF’s Talent Lab and Youth Programme, and for the film sector in Scotland. Thank you.” Ken Hay, CEO of EIFF
Edinburgh International Film Festival runs until Sun 30 Jun 2019. See what's on here.