At 63 years old, the Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest continually running film festival in the world. Despite this, the EIFF seems to be kicking along with a youthful energy. Under artistic director Hannah McGill, the festival has moved out of the Edinburgh Fringe and seems to be determined to forge itself as a more fiercely independent identity away from the orgy of comedy and theatre that engulfs the city during August. Alongside the traditional big name stars and premieres (which included Sam Mendes coming along for the Opening Night international premiere of Away We Go, Gael Garcia Bernal for Rudy y Cursi, Jaime Winstone for Boogie Woogie and talks from the likes of Darren Aronofsky and Brenda Blethyn), the festival also presents a batch of lesser known films in its Black Box and Under The Radar sections and a multitude of shorts from across the world.
As always the British Galas came thick and fast, with the most talked about film being Andrea Arnold’s Cannes success Fish Tank (pictured). The affecting story of a girl living in a council estate had everyone buzzing, and lead Katie Jarvis (who celebrated her 18th birthday party whilst at the festival) was an unsurprising choice for the Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film. More surprising, given that almost everyone thought that Fish Tank was a dead cert, was the decision to award Moon the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film. Directed by Duncan Jones (formerly Zowie Bowie), the film evokes the spirit of films such as Silent Running and Solaris in its portrayal of an astronaut (Sam Rockwell) stuck on the moon on a three-year mission. This low-budget sci-fi movie should provide a unique and welcome alternative to the usual crushing summer blockbusters when it’s released in mid-July.
But, for me, there were three British features that really stood out from the pack. In reading the synopsis for Crying With Laughter you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was ‘just another British feature film’ (a fate suffered by many others present including the depressing Running In Traffic and A Boy Called Dad). Joey Frisk is a stand-up comedian who is plagued with a dysfunctional family life, drug habit and the re-appearance of an old school friend who has a shocking secret. So far, so seemingly every other British film made over the past few years. But it’s done with a fresh style (Frisk narrates the story as part of his act) that consistently keeps the narrative fresh, some absolutely brilliant performances from the likes of Stephen McCole as Frisk and a deliciously dark sense of humour that gives everything a slightly surreal air. Justin Molotnikov’s directorial debut has yet to be picked up by a distributor, which is a damn shame as it deserves a lot of attention and remains a fine showcase of some new British talents both in front and behind the camera. Very much the same can be said for Kicks, which takes what would seem to be a rather silly premise (two girls kidnap a Premiership footballer) and turns it into something much more rich and moving. Lindy Heymann’s film, based on Leigh Campbell’s script, makes some salient points about the nature of celebrity culture with two more eye-opening performances from Kerrie Hayes and Nichola Burley about two obsessed teenagers who want everything now.
Whilst the pace is sometimes off-kilter, this is yet another film that’s worth keeping an eye out for. Finally, Isolation – shown in the Document section of the festival – is a truly revealing study of Stuart Griffiths who, upon leaving the British Army, found himself living on the streets. After living through tough time, Griffiths now photographs the 25% of British soldiers who find themselves on the streets after they leave active service. This eschews gritty realism, and goes for a dreamy and visually stunning aesthetic that is absolutely riveting. Griffiths is an engaging narrator and the people he interviews (including injured soldier Simon Brown in an astounding middle section) are honest and forthcoming. Not about the morality of war and much more about the treatment of those who fight in our name, this is a vital and important documentary from directors Luke Seomore and Joseph Bull that stays with you long after it has finished. Again, let’s just hope it gets some sort of distribution deal as it is one of the best documentaries I have seen in quite a while.
Speaking of documentaries, the EIFF moved out of the cinema for a screening of All Tomorrow’s Parties made by Tarnation director Jonathan Caouette and footage supplied more than 200 visitors to the holiday camp based music festival. Put together by Future Cinema, the event proved a nice antidote to the usual dark cinema experience with dancers, redcoats and all manner of games. Oh and some donkeys. Don’t ask. The documentary itself was great, with some cracking music from the likes of Grinderman, The Dirty Three and Seasick Steve and some lovely evocations of festival life from impromptu fan bands to the usual drunken debauchery. It really does its job well, making you want to visit ATP as soon as tickets are available. Mogwai followed the film from with a secret gig – they were good but were slightly lost on some of the audience who were ready to party hard. But all in all, a really fun, different night; great to see Future Cinema bringing their enhanced screening experiences to the festival.
Other films that made an impression throughout the festival included Peter Strickland’s remarkable and subtle revenge drama Katalin Varga, Abbas Kiarostami’s experimental Shirin, the lively Unmade Beds, Shane Meadows’ latest Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (which was also the best party of the festival – held in a church hall, it cost £300 and had all the supermarket own brand beer you would want), a number of eye-opening shorts including Curtains, the co-directorial debut of Julian ‘The Mighty Boosh’ Barratt and Steven Soderbergh’s low-key but well-observed The Girlfriend Experience. There were also some fun retrospectives including Roger Corman who proved a popular guest with a screening of The Trip winning over all those who saw it including me. Laurence Rebouillon’s West Point channelled the spirit of Chris Marker, Claude Chabrol and even David Lynch to create a wonderfully obtuse detective/love/family story. Using a mixture of super 8 and 16mm footage, it’s a movie of great subtlety and emotion that provides layers of reality and continually gets the audience to think. A movie such as this are exactly what festivals such as Edinburgh are for: the chance, amongst the heavyweights, to discover those that will move, delight and astound.
This is what those at EIFF would do well to remember. With a recent injection of cash from the UK Film Council, whose stated aim is to make a ‘Cannes for the UK’, they may be forced into upping the star quotient. This is all very well and good, especially as Sir Sean Connery castigated the BBC for ignoring the festival in favour of Glastonbury during his speech at the awards ceremony. But it would be shame if they do this at the expense of the smaller – and often more exciting – films. Certainly moving themselves out of the of the Fringe seems to have done them a world of good, as they become more assured and confident about their place on the international Film Festival circuit. I think this pensioner doesn’t really need its bus pass just yet.
For more information on the festival and the full list of 2009 award winners go to http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk./
Laurence Boyce would like to thank Alex, Andy, Billy, Dave, Grant, Hussain, Ian, Joe, Kevin, Liz, Luke, Matt, Paul, Neil, Nicola, and Nine for putting up with him and his broken tooth in-between the films.
