Chris Fujiwara came to Edinburgh in January to run the 2012 offering of films. He has had his work cut out for him as the reviews of last year’s Film Festival were less than favourable and this was reflected in ticket sales. So the programme launch this morning was awaited with slightly eager anticipation.
Here are the numbers:-
There are 121 new feature films from 52 countries and 150 films in all will be shown at the 12 day festival starting on 20 June 2012.
There are 19 World premieres
There are 13 International premieres
There are 11 European premieres
There are 76 UK premieres
There are 29 older films in Retrospectives, including Lawrence of Arabia in all its digitally remastered finery to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release.
Chris is the author of books on Jerry Lewis, Otto Preminger, and Jacques Tourneur and the editor of a book on defining moments in cinema and of the film-criticism magazine Undercurrent. He has written on film and film festivals for many periodicals and anthologies, has worked in various capacities for many international film festivals, and has taught and lectured on film at Tokyo University, Yale University, Rhode Island School of Design, and elsewhere. He was named Artistic Director of EIFF in September 2011.
To keep audiences happy the Surprise Movie is back, there will be an Awards Ceremony and Under the Stars 2012 will show films in St Andrew Square. Last year they showed Shrek… what will they have for us this year between 14 – 17 June? We will let you know as soon as we do!
The organisers have also launched Pathways which will feature various strands for different audiences. So for example 15 year-olds upwards will be entertained by films in the Teenage Kicks strand and those comedy lovers among you will be interested in Played for Laughs.
The 47th Edinburgh International Film Festival will open with Killer Joe by William Friedkin and the closing film will be Disney-Pixar’s Brave, already lauded by The Scottish Government and others.
World Premieres:
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
BORROWED TIME
DAY OF THE FLOWERS
EXIT ELENA
FLYING BLIND
FRED
FUTURE MY LOVE
GUINEA PIGS
HERE, THEN
LEAVE IT ON THE TRACK
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PAUL THE PSYCHIC OCTOPUS
LIFE JUST IS
MNL 143
NFA
ONE MILE AWAY
PHILIPPINE NEW WAVE: THIS IS NOT A FILM MOVEMENT
PUSHER
SHELL
WHAT IS THIS FILM CALLED LOVE?
International Premieres:
7 DAYS IN HAVANA
ATTRACTIVE ILLUSION
CALIFORNIA SOLO
EVELYN
FLICKER
FOREVER LOVED
OF SKIES AND EARTH
RIDING ZORRO
SLEEPLESS NIGHT
THE SUBURBAN TRILOGY
SUN DON’T SHINE
TONDO, BELOVED: TO WHAT ARE THE POOR BORN?
THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT
European Premieres:
THE 99 UNBOUND
BRAVE
GOD BLESS AMERICA
GRABBERS
HERE, THERE
THE IMPOSTER
MIRAGE
ONE.TWO.ONE
THE SEARCH FOR EMAK BAKIA
TOKYO DRIFTER
YOUNG DUDES
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
