After rejuvenating EIFF last year, the festival’s director Paul Ridd and producer Emma Boa are back with their sophomore effort. Critically acclaimed comedy drama Sorry, Baby is will open proceedings, kicking off an exciting and eclectic programme that boasts a variety of new releases, retrospective screenings, as well as the return of Midnight Madness; a strand that showcases six genre films to satisfy the night-owl cinephiles among us. I will be covering the events in my 11th year, and have handpicked five selections to keep an eye on…
Odyssey
His corrupt cop thriller Hyena opened EIFF’s programme back in 2014 and now writer and director Gerard Johnson is back in the capital with his latest feature, Odyssey. Polly Maberly stars as real estate agent Natasha whose drug-fuelled lifestyle takes an even more sinister turn when she finds herself in debt to some deadly gangsters.
On the Sea
Barry Ward and Lorne MadFadyen star in the feature debut of director Helen Walsh, an erotic drama that plays out within a tight-knit fishing community on the Welsh coast. Described as “queer cinema at its most candid” in the festival notes, On the Sea has been compared to Francis Lee’s tale of repressed romance God’s Own Country which screened at EIFF in 2017.
Reality is not Enough
Off the back of the release of his latest book Men in Love, novelist Irvine Welsh is the subject of the new experimental documentary from filmmaker Paul Sng. With narration from the likes of Liam Neeson, Stephen Graham, and Maxine Peake, this is set to be a fascinating insight into the man behind his many iconic stories such as Trainspotting, Filth, and Crime.
Blondi
Screening as part of the Competition Shorts strand, dark comedy Blondi explores the relationship between Adolf Hitler and his German Shepherd. Director Jack Salvadori has collaborated with screenwriting veteran Peter Greenaway on the script, his first work in almost ten years.
Islands
After premiering at Berlin Film Festival back in February, this sun-soaked mystery thriller has received critical acclaim and is scheduled for a September general release in the UK. Directed by Jan-Ole Gerster, the plot follows washed-up tennis coach Tom (Sam Riley) who sees his hedonistic lifestyle upended when a couple ask him to give their son private lessons.
Cinema Perspective 