Here are some highlights from EIFF 2014, as chosen by our film editor Gail Tolley. Read more abo
Wed 18 Jun
Opening Gala: Hyena World Premiere. Edinburgh Festival Theatre. 9.05pm. Michael (Peter Ferdinando) leads a special task force targeting London’s biggest and baddest drug traffickers. He and his team aren’t above taking their cut from the bad guys: in the world in which they operate, that’s how things work, and the distinction between infiltrating drug gangs in order to bust them and benefitting personally from the drug trade is almost non-existent. However, the arrival on the scene of two brutal Albanian brothers threatens to change the game. Michael’s life is complicated further when his old colleague David (Stephen Graham) takes over the investigation of the Albanians, while an internal investigation comes closer and closer to blowing the lid off the shady dealings of Michael and his unit. Thu 19 Jun
Finding Vivian Maier Filmhouse. 6pm. A winning bid on a box of photographic negatives at a Chicago auction house leads to the discovery of the massive body of work of a recently deceased, hitherto completely unknown photographer named Vivian Maier. In this thrilling and fascinating film, John Maloof, the lucky buyer of the treasure trove, follows the traces of the French- born Maier, who lived secretively in the United States as a professional nanny. A combination of detective story, complex psychological portrait, and in-depth study of what makes great photography great. Also Fri 20 Jun. Cineworld. 8.15pm. Let Us Prey Filmhouse. 8.15pm. When a menacing stranger (Liam Cunningham) winds up in the purgatory of a small-town police cell, a terrifying chain reaction begins among his fellow inmates. As madness descends, blood starts to flow and WPC Rachel Heggie (Pollyanna McIntosh) finds herself with her back to the wall, fighting for her life. With echoes of John Carpenter and Dario Argento, director Brian O’Malley expertly builds the tension from a slow- burning start to an absolutely explosive, nerve-shredding finale. Also Sat 21 Jun. Filmhouse. 10.40pm.
Palo Alto Cineworld. 8.15pm. An alluring and dynamic cinematic approach to James Franco’s short stories about the restless and troubled lives of privileged teenagers in the San Francisco Bay area. Franco himself stars as a sexy soccer coach who becomes involved with a female student (Emma Roberts). The newest member of the Coppola family to take up directing, Gia Coppola reveals a remarkable talent for evoking the desires and dangers of youth in this sharp-edged and visually captivating film. Also Sun 22 Jun. Cineworld. 1pm. Culloden Filmhouse. 8.45pm. The breakthrough first professional film by the legendary Peter Watkins, made when he was working at the BBC. Watkins takes an original and radical approach to the 1746 Battle of Culloden,
adopting a camera style familiar from television news and conducting on-camera interviews with the actors, who respond in character. The result is a film of tremendous immediacy that offers a vivid and heightened reconstruction of the brutal conflict. Fri 20 Jun
Still Life (Tabiate bijan) Filmhouse. 5.50pm. An elderly railway signalman lives a life of unvarying routine with his wife, a carpet weaver. One day, some officials from the company arrive. They notice the old man and ask about his age. Soon after that, a letter comes informing him that he is being retired . . . A film of extraordinary subtlety and strength and the masterpiece of one of the world’s greatest filmmakers. Cold in July Cineworld. 6pm. Jim Mickle (Stake Land, We Are What We Are) continues to impress with this stylish revenge thriller set in East Texas in 1989. Michael C Hall (Dexter) stars as Richard Dane, a quiet family man drawn into a vicious cycle of violence after he shoots cat-burglar Freddy Russell. When Richard is forced into an unlikely alliance with Freddy’s father Ben, and their ranks are bolstered by the flamboyant private eye Jim Bob Luke, the most appealing vigilante trio in recent cinema history is born. Also Mon 23 Jun. Filmhouse. 8.45pm.
Norman McLaren: Boogie Doodler Filmhouse. 4.45pm. To mark his centenary, this BBC Scotland documentary heralds Norman McLaren as a pioneer of animation, electronic music and experimental film. From his early years at the Glasgow School of Art through to his work with the National Film Board of Canada, it charts McLaren’s filmmaking career and his influence on contemporary artists. Featuring contributions from Michel Gondry, members of McLaren’s family and his collaborators at the NFB, Norman McLaren: Boogie Doodler celebrates his remarkable innovation, playfulness and passion for music and dance.
Hide and Seek Cineworld. 6.15pm. In an English country house, four young people from London move in together, seeking to challenge social conventions and their own tolerances by engaging in scheduled partner-swapping. The durability of their new living arrangements is tested by the arrival of an outsider who fails to get in tune with the foursome’s radical spirit. An inventive and engaging film that uses an elegant, delicate style to gently probe both the protagonists’ ideals and our own convictions about love and sex. Also Sun 22 Jun. Cineworld. 1.30pm.
Sat 21 Jun The Brick and the Mirror (Khesht va ayeneh) Filmhouse. 3.45pm. This stunning film, reminiscent of the groundbreaking 1960s films of Antonioni (but more radical in spirit), begins as a taxi driver finds that the young woman passenger who just disappeared into the night
has left an infant in the back seat of his cab. The man’s efforts to find the woman take him, and us, on a visually and intellectually compelling urban odyssey. The Skeleton Twins Cineworld. 6pm. When a failed suicide attempt lands aspiring actor Milo (Bill Hader) in hospital, his long-estranged twin sister, dental hygienist Maggie (Kristen Wiig), invites him to recuperate at her house. Milo finds he’s still obsessed with a former boyfriend who is sending mixed signals. Meanwhile, the depressive Maggie is prone to cheating on her cheerfully attentive husband (Luke Wilson). Saturday Night Live alumni Hader and Wiig shine in this funny, bold and bittersweet comedy-drama. Also Sun 22 Jun. Cineworld. 8.45pm.
The Cat Filmhouse. 1.10pm. The most riveting thriller in the history of German cinema, this diabolically smart, sexy and witty bank-heist picture recounts a robbery purposefully escalated into a full-blown hostage crisis to collect a handsome ransom. Overseeing the proceedings from a futuristic high-rise hotel across the street, a criminal mastermind (national superstar Götz George) engages in a suspenseful cat-and-mouse game with the police.
Hero Hangout: Don Johnson Royal Lyceum Theatre. 1pm. A household name on both sides of the Atlantic for playing Detective Crocket in smash-hit 80s television series Miami Vice, Don Johnson has enjoyed a prolific award-winning career ever since. Currently experiencing something of a renaissance, Johnson has starred in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete, Tarantino’s Django Unchained and most recently From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. He joins the EIFF with Jim Mickle’s brilliant revenge thriller Cold in July, in which he steals the show as the dynamic, gun-toting pig farmer Jim Bob. Letters from the South (Nan fang lai xin) Filmhouse. 3.10pm. A reunion in Bangkok between two young Chinese cousins; traditional food at a family gathering in Singapore; a young woman returning from China to her native Myanmar with her grandfather’s burial clothes; a Singapore radio station succumbing to Chinese economic and cultural power; a night-time reflection on Malaysian colonisation; an apartment complex in Malaysia visited by a slow-
moving Buddhist monk. There’s a tone to suit every mood in this alternately wry and lyrical omnibus. Also Thu 19 Jun. Odeon Lothian Road. 8.30pm. Sun 22 Jun
Snowpiercer (Seolguk-yeolcha) Cineworld. 8.20pm. In the near future, attempts to find a technological fix for global warming have backfired disastrously. Life is extinct, except for the people and the ecosystem aboard a train that endlessly circles the ice-shrouded globe. Onboard, the lower class are relegated to the crowded back cars whilst the ruling class enjoy lives of luxury in the front – until two brave workers lead a revolution and discover the terrible secrets of Snowpiercer . . . A thrilling, imaginative and intelligent adventure adapted from Jacques Lob, Jean-Marc Rochette and Benjamin Legrand’s acclaimed graphic novel. Also Sat 28 Jun. Cineworld. 8.15pm. Cathedrals of Culture Filmhouse. 1.15pm. This 3D project from six acclaimed filmmakers allows six iconic and very different buildings to speak for themselves. Bringing their own visual styles and artistic approaches to the project, the directors examine architecture as the material manifestation of human thought and action. The six buildings are the Berlin Philharmonic, the National Library of Russia, Halden Prison in Norway (called the world’s most humane prison), the Salk Institute in coastal California, the futuristic Oslo Opera House and the Centre Pompidou, each a guardian of our collective memory.
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar Cineworld. 2pm. Morgan Freeman narrates this incredible true story of nature’s greatest explorers: lemurs. They are the star attraction on this island which has its own unique ecosystem. These playful, inquisitive and resourceful animals are in danger, and scientists and islanders are working to secure their future. Join trailblazing scientist Dr Patricia Wright on her lifelong mission to help these strange and adorable creatures survive in the modern world.
A Night in Old Mexico (Una noche en el viejo México) Odeon Lothian Road. 1.30pm When the bank seizes his property, a tough old rancher (Robert Duvall) embarks on a road trip to Mexico with the twentysomething grandson he has just met. Along the way, they get caught up in a dangerous adventure. Reunited with Lonesome Dove screenwriter Bill Wittliff, Duvall is outstanding, investing his character with a warm magic that reflects his previous screen glories and resonates throughout Emilio Aragón’s charming, heartwarming film. Also Thu 19 Jun. Dominion.
8.30pm. Mon 23 Jun
Set Fire to the Stars Cineworld. 6pm. Celebrating Dylan Thomas’ centenary, this intriguing semi-biographical drama – beautifully shot in black-