EIFF 2003 Preview

Gearing up for the film frenzy...

by Claire Sawers

Tuesday 12th August

Be still my beating heart. It’s the eve of the 57th Edinburgh International Film Festival and I can hardly wait for the action to start. The next 12 days promise to be pretty choc-a-block with more than 100 films from all over the world being shown.

In order to give you an idea of what’s hot and what’s not from this year’s movie line-up, I will be running about town trying to take in as many films as I can without developing square eyes, and then coming back to give you a full report.

And, don’t forget, the film festival is about ‘More than movies’, as a glance at the official programme will tell you. Oh yes, it’s about soaking up the atmosphere as the city swells with film buffs, cinéastes, industry execs and actors. Well, thank your lucky stars that I am here to tell you who’s in town, where they’ve been hanging out and just how disgustingly they’ve been behaving at the post-show parties.

As your eyes and ears for the Film Festival, I will consider it my duty to turn up at all the right premières and eavesdrop on all the right conversations.

Kicking things off tomorrow night, it’s the full red carpet treatment as Young Adam opens the festival, following its fantastic reception at Cannes back in May. Much to the disappointment of many a red-blooded female here in Edinburgh, Ewan McGregor will NOT be able to come and flash his pearlies for the paparazzi tomorrow night as he is in Australia filming what he described as ‘a small arthouse movie called Star Wars: Episode Three’. (good looks AND humour- he’s got it all! …plus a wife. grrrrr)

The special guests for the evening will be fellow cast members Peter Mullan, Emily Mortimer and Therese Bradley, alongside director David Mackenzie and producer Jeremy Thomas. Who knows who else will turn up on the night to give the event some added bling-bling?

It’s almost more fun than this girl can take.

Until tomorrow,

Claire x

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