The Edinburgh International Film Festival this year celebrates both its 79th edition overall and its third edition since it went through a major relaunch in 2023.
In just two years since it was resurrected, there’s been solid growth at the Scottish event, with the EIFF25 lineup including 43 new feature films — 18 of them world premieres — plus in conversations sessions with major filmmakers including Andrea Arnold, Nia DaCosta, Jeremy Thomas, and Ken Loach.
But festivalgoers should expect even more this time, says director Paul Ridd, who joined at the end of 2023 to help spearhead the reboot. The EIFF is still in expansion mode, he asserts, and is now able to attract bigger films and names thanks to a growing profile and understanding from within the industry, while also continuing its support for first-time filmmakers (which includes the recently-announced opener, Louis Paxton’s Sundance-bowing directorial debut “The Incomer,” starring Domhnall Gleeson).
Speaking to Variety in between meetings in Cannes as he tries to lock down titles for the 2026 edition, set to take place Aug 13-19, Ridd discusses his third term in office and the importance of building a festival that gets films seen by both audiences and the industry.
