Edinburgh International Film Festival 2019

View other Edinburgh International Film Festival Films by strand: American Dreams, Animation, Best Of British, Beyond EIFF, Black Box, Cage-A-Rama, CineCuisine, Documentaries, European Perspectives, Film Fest In The City, Focus On Spain, Four Views Of Scotland, Galas, Night Moves, Once Upon A Time In Spain After Dark: A Retrospective Selection Of Cult Spanish Cinema, Once Upon A Time In Spain: A Retrospective Celebration Of Modern Spanish Cinema, Once Upon A Time In Spain: Icíar Bollaín, Phenomenal Women, Pre-Festival Previews, Shorts, Special Events, The Features Of Agnes, Unlocking The Archives

Photograph Photograph
Photograph and Vai
Acute Misfortune (Country: Australia; Year: 2018; Director: Thomas M Wright; Writer: Erik Jensen, Thomas M. Wright; Stars: Daniel Henshall, Toby Wallace, Gillian Jones, Geneviève Lemon, Max Cullen, Daniel Aguiar, James Bell, Rowland Holmes, Steve Mouzakis, Joanne Samuel, Ian Fitch, Daniel Henshall, Toby Wallace, Gillian Jones, Geneviève Lemon)
Portrait of Australian painter Adam Cullen, tracking the relationship between the artist and his biographer.
International premiere
Astronaut (Country: Canada; Year: 2019; Director: Shelagh McLeod; Writer: Shelagh McLeod; Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Lyriq Bent, Colm Feore, Krista Bridges, Art Hindle, Richie Lawrence, Graham Greene, Jennifer Phipps, Joan Gregson, Mimi Kuzyk, Paulino Nunes, Colin Mochrie, Karen LeBlanc, Lori Hallier, Maria Ricossa)
A lonely widower's dream of going into space is reignited by a nationwide contest.
World premiere
Bodies At Rest (Country: China, Hong Kong; Year: 2019; Director: Renny Harlin; Writer: David Lesser; Stars: Nick Cheung, Richie Jen, Zi Yang, Nick Cheung, Richie Jen, Zi Yang)
Action adventure sees a morgue taken over by gunmen.
UK premiere
Bulbul Can Sing (Country: India; Year: 2018; Director: Rima Das; Writer: Rima Das; Stars: Pakija Begam, Arnali Das, Manabendra Das, Manoranjan Das, Bonita Thakuriya, Pakija Begam, Arnali Das, Manabendra Das, Manoranjan Das, Bonita Thakuriya)
Portrait of a trio of friends struggling with the expectations of adults and tradition in their village community.
UK premiere
Chippa (Country: India; Year: 2019; Director: Safdar Rahman; Writer: Safdar Rahman; Stars: Sunny Pawar, Ronjini Chakraborty, Veer Rajwant Singh, Joyraj Bhattacharya, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Tanaji Dasgupta, Sumeet Thakur, Mala Mukherjee, Kajol Sambhu, Satish Prakash Shaw, Gautam Sarkar, Sanjeeb, Aamir Anjum, Biswajit Das, Om Prakash)
A young boy leaves his unhappy home on the streets of Kolkata to find someone who can read him a letter written by the father he has never known.
UK premiere
Bulbul Can Sing Bulbul Can Sing
Bulbul Can Sing and Manta Ray
Extreme Job (Country: South Korea; Year: 2019; Director: Lee Byeong-heon; Writer: Bae Se-Young; Stars: Ryu Seung-yong, Lee Hanee)
When a police narcotics team go undercover in a fried-chicken shop, they discover a surprising talent for cooking.
UK premiere
The Fall Of The American Empire (Country: Canada; Year: 2018; Director: Denys Arcand; Writer: Denys Arcand; Stars: Maxim Roy, Vincent Leclerc, Maripier Morin, Rémy Girard, Claude Legault, Alexandre Landry, Yan England, Ayana O'Shun, Paul Doucet, Louis Morissette, Pierre Curzi, Anoulith Sintharaphone, James Hyndman, Florence Longpré, Benoît Brière)
An over-educated delivery guy finds himself caught up in a robbery. Should he take the money and run?
UK premiere
Firecrackers (Country: Canada; Year: 2018; Director: Jasmin Mozaffari; Writer: Jasmin Mozaffari; Stars: Michaela Kurimsky, Karena Evans, Callum Thompson, David Kingston, Tamara LeClair, Scott Cleland, Dylan Mask, Gabe Meacher, Robert Cormier, Tarick Glancy, Karleena Kelly, Devon Mary Doherty, Jorja Cadence, David Parisian, Matthew MacCallum)
Lou and her best friend Chantal plan to get out of their isolated, run-down town but when they embark on an act of revenge, the consequences are devastating.
UK premiere
The Flip Side (Country: Australia; Year: 2018; Director: Marion Pilowsky; Writer: Marion Pilowsky, Lee Sellars; Stars: Eddie Izzard, Hugh Sheridan, Vanessa Guide, Tina Bursill, Luke McKenzie, Tiriel Mora, Susie Youssef, Jodie Dry, Carmel Johnson, Emily Taheny, Jenna Sutch, Mark Saturno, Stefanie Rossi, Lochlin Maybury, Lucy Lehmann)
A superstar British actor causes trouble when he re-enters the life of a chef, five years after they had a film-set romance.
International premiere
The Grizzlies (Country: Canada; Year: 2018; Director: Miranda de Pencier; Writer: Moira Walley-Beckett, Graham Yost; Stars: Jack Anawak, Fred Bailey, Seth Burke, Mary Buscemi, Tantoo Cardinal, Mayala Chapman, Christopher Church, Colton Clause, Spencer Dewar, Brad Fraser, Ippiksaut Friesen, Colton Hart, Looee Ishulutaq, Innosar Issakiark, Mary Itorcheak)
Based on a true story, this tells the tale of a group of Inuit students who learn lacrosse.
European premiere
Astronaut Astronaut
Astronaut and Top End Wedding
The Longest Night (La Mala Noche) (Country: Ecuador, Mexico; Year: 2019; Director: Gabriela Calvache; Writer: Gabriela Calvache; Stars: Noëlle Schönwald, Cristian Mercado, Jaime Tamariz, Diego Mignone, Noëlle Schönwald, Cristian Mercado, Jaime Tamariz, Diego Mignone)
An abused sex worker fights back.
UK premiere
Manta Ray (Kraben Rahu) (Country: Thailand, France, China; Year: 2018; Director: Phuttiphong Aroonpheng; Writer: Phuttiphong Aroonpheng; Stars: Aphisit Hama, Wanlop Rungkamjad, Rasmee Wayrana, Aphisit Hama, Wanlop Rungkamjad, Rasmee Wayrana)
A fisherman finds an injured refugee and tries to help him.
UK premiere
Photograph (Country: India; Year: 2019; Director: Ritesh Batra; Writer: Ritesh Batra; Stars: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Abdul Quadir Amin, Denzil Smith, Saharsh Kumar Shukla, Ashok Pathak, Sunil Shakya, Robin Das, Sanjay Kumar Sonu,)
Two lives intersect in Mumbai and go along together. A struggling street photographer, pressured to marry by his grandmother, convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée. The pair develops a connection that transforms them in ways that they could not expect.
UK premiere
The Red Phallus (Country: Bhutan, Germany; Year: 2019; Director: Tashi Gyeltshen; Stars: Tshering Euden, Singye, Dorji Gyeltshen)
Caught between a married lover and a domineering father, Sangay’s life is hemmed in on all sides.
UK premiere
Samurai Marathon (Country: Japan, UK; Year: 2019; Director: Bernard Rose; Writer: Akihiro Dobashi, Bernard Rose, Hiroshi Saitô, Kikumi Yamagishi; Stars: Takeru Satoh, Nana Komatsu, Mirai Moriyama, Shôta Sometani, Munetaka Aoki, Ryu Kohata, Yûta Koseki, Motoki Fukami, Shinsuke Kato, Joey Iwanaga, Ruka Wakabayashi, Naoto Takenaka, Mariko Tsutsui, Mugi Kadowaki, Junko Abe)
A feudal lord organises a marathon to train his samurais.
European premiere
Bodies At Rest Bodies At Rest
Bodies At Rest and The Red Phallus
Top End Wedding (Country: Australia; Year: 2019; Director: Wayne Blair; Writer: Miranda Tapsell, Joshua Tyler; Stars: Miranda Tapsell, Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox, Huw Higginson, Travis Jeffery, Shari Sebbens, Ursula Yovich, Elaine Crombie, Matt Crook, Atmiya Patel, Taylor Wiese, Dalara Williams, Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox, Miranda Tapsell)
A couple mount a hunt for a bride-to-be's AWOL mum, so that they can can tie the knot.
UK premiere
Undertow (Country: Australia; Year: 2018; Director: Miranda Nation; Writer: Miranda Nation; Stars: Olivia DeJonge, Josh Helman, Laura Gordon, Rob Collins, Chris Gibson, Christopher Farrell, Michael McCallum, Slavko Zwirn, Chris Gonsalves, Jeff Gobbels, Josh Hayes, Martin Blum, Tim K Williams, Olivia DeJonge, Josh Helman)
Drama about the fractured relationship between two women.
International premiere
Unstoppable (Country: South Korea; Year: 2018; Director: Kim Min-Ho; Writer: Kim Min-Ho; Stars: Don Lee, Song Ji-hyo)
A mild-mannered fish seller turns to his violent past after his wife is kidnapped.
UK premiere
Vai (Country: New Zealand; Year: 2019; Director: Becs Arahanga, Amberley Jo Aumua, Matasila Freshwater, Dianna Fuemana, Miria George, Ofa Guttenbeil, Marina McCartney, Nicole Whippy, Sharon Whippy)
A portmanteau feature film by nine female Pacific filmmakers and filmed on seven Pacific islands. It is about the journey of empowerment through culture over the lifetime of one woman, Vai.
UK premiere
Venezia (Country: Argentina, France, Italy; Year: 2019; Director: Rodrigo Guerrero; Writer: Rodrigo Guerrero; Stars: Margherita Mannino, Paula Lussi, Margherita Mannino, Paula Lussi)
A woman wanders the streets of Venice alone as the mystery of her situation is gradually revealed.
World premiere
News

59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground

More news and features

Playing Now

Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:

NewFest

London Film Festival
Celebration of world cinema

Scottish Queer International Film Festival

Grimmfest

New York Film Festival
62nd edition of the festival

In the Archive


Archive of festival coverage.

Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.

Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.