BOOKS | Highlights I T L I S T
H EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015
Here are some highlights from EIFF 2015, as chosen by our editor Yasmin Sulaiman. Read more about the festival on page 15. For full listings go to list.co.uk
BOOKS HIGHLIGHTS OPENING GALA: THE LEGEND OF
EXILED
Radner, Bill Murray, Judd Apatow, Kevin Bacon, John Landis, Chevy Chase, Billy Bob Thornton and John Goodman.
OUR FAMILY (BOKUTACHI NO KAZOKU)
Odeon, Sat 20 Jun, 5.55pm & Filmhouse, Sun 21 Jun, 6pm Yûya Ishii (who made The Great Passage and Sawako Decides) presents an ordinary suburban family dealing with the illness of matriarch Reiko (Mieko Harada) . . . but her sudden illness is really a catalyst to other financial issues, family relationships and long- hidden secrets.
THE OVERNIGHT Cineworld, Sat 20 Jun, 6.40pm & Mon 22 Jun, 8.45pm Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling play a couple who have just moved to LA and are befriended by a sophisticated couple (played with real relish by Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche).
Filmhouse, Wed 24 Jun, 6.05pm Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Portuguese colony of Macau, just before it is set to begin a new era under Chinese rule, a team of jaded hitmen from Hong Kong are sent to kill one of their former colleagues who is trying to start a life away from crime. A spectacular Hong Kong crime film packed with stylised action, all beautifully orchestrated by director Johnnie To. To will also appear at an In Person event following this screening.
LIVE LIVE CINEMA: THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Festival Theatre, Wed 24 Jun, 7.30pm Forced to work at breakneck pace to re-voice multiple characters in perfect lip-sync while playing a new, original musical score and creative live sound effects, this is Live Live Cinema’s most dangerous 4D movie yet. See feature, page 22.
THE DRIVER MELBOURNE
Filmhouse, Sat 20 Jun, 12.20pm An expert getaway driver (Ryan O’Neal) plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an arrogant detective (Bruce Dern) who will go to any lengths to catch him. Part of the strand, Walter Hill: The Early Years.
LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT Festival Theatre, Sun 21 Jun, 8.30pm Returning from his 40 days in the desert, Jesus (Ewan McGregor) encounters a father and son (Ciarán Hinds and Tye Sheridan) in distress, and intervenes in their fate. McGregor will also appear at an In Person event at the Lyceum Theatre, Sun 21 Jun, 3pm.
THAT SUGAR FILM Cineworld, Sun 21 Jun, 6.05pm & Tue 23 Jun, 8.30pm The debut film from Australian actor Damon Gameau, who sets out to expose (in true Morgan Spurlock style) how much sugar we consume without even realising it.
Cineworld, Thu 25 Jun, 8.45pm & Filmhouse, Sat 27 Jun, 8.40pm The influence of Oscar-nominated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi is clear to be seen in Nima Javidi’s debut film, which stars Peyman Moaadi (who featured in Farhadi’s award- winning A Separation) as a husband about to head to Australia – hence the film’s title – with his wife Sara (Negar Javaherian), when unexpected drama strikes after she agrees to babysit a neighbour’s newborn child.
MISERY LOVES COMEDY Cineworld, Thu 25 Jun, 8.40pm & Sat 27 Jun, 3.50pm Actor Kevin Pollack steps behind the camera to ask a few simple questions of folks he knows in the comedy game. The roster includes the likes of Tom Hanks, Penn Jillette, Jimmy Fallon, Judd Apatow, Steve Coogan and Larry David.
SCOTTISH MUSSEL Cineworld, Fri 26 Jun, 8.50pm
& Sat 27 Jun, 3.40pm Actress Talulah Riley makes her debut as writer/director with the breezy and enjoyable comedy Scottish Mussel, an old-fashioned romp that relishes its wonderful locations and frothy sense of humour.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
PRESENTED BY EIFF AND RSNO Festival Theatre, Sat 27 Jun, 7.30pm In 1985, EIFF premiered Back to the Future, the story of 17-year-old Marty McFly, who accidentally travels back in time to 1955 and must restore harmony to history in order to save the future. In order to celebrate this exciting anniversary, EIFF presents a very special screening with live accompaniment from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. This event is sold out!
SANTA SANGRE Filmhouse, Sat 27 Jun, 11.10pm Sixteen years after scaling the psychedelic heights of cult classic The Holy Mountain, ‘El Topo’ himself, maverick, and visionary Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, returned to the ring with this spectacular and surreal Mexican fantasy about a family of travelling circus performers.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS (1978) Filmhouse, Sat 27 Jun, 3.45pm Ralph Bakshi undertook the enormous challenge of bringing JRR Tolkien’s book to the screen as faithfully as he could, with hand-drawn animation and extensive use of rotoscoping (the translation of live-action footage into illustrative form).
CLOSING GALA: IONA Festival Theatre, Sun 28 Jun, 5pm A striking and enthralling drama set against the stunning backdrop of the Inner Hebrides island of Iona, director Scott Graham’s follow-up to his award-winning debut feature Shell is a real delight. See preview, page 18.
BARNEY THOMSON Festival Theatre, Wed 17 Jun, 9pm Scotland’s own Robert Carlyle Events are listed by city, then date. Submit listings for your event at makes his directorial debut with this list.co.uk/add delightful jet-black comedy about a downtrodden barber whose mundane life is turned upside down when he accidentally turns killer. See feature, page 16.
AMY Filmhouse, Thu 18 Jun, 8.35pm & Sat 20 Jun, 2.30pm An absorbing, moving, insightful and powerful documentary from Asif Kapadia (who directed the Oscar-winning documentary Senna) that charts the amazing highs and terrible lows in the life of the wonderfully talented but terribly troubled Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011. See feature, page 20.
HECTOR Cineworld, Thu 18 Jun, 8.35pm & Sat 20 Jun, 1.45pm Typically, Peter Mullan delivers a perfectly pitched performance as affable homeless pensioner Hector McAdam, in this captivating study of a man with a tragic past.
BIG GOLD DREAM: SCOTTISH POST-PUNK AND INFILTRATING
THE MAINSTREAM
Filmhouse, Fri 19 Jun, 8pm; Belmont, Tue 23 Jun, 8.25pm & Odeon, Sat 27 Jun, 6.10pm A predecessor to Rough Trade and Factory Records, Fast Product quickly became the hub for a group of ground- breakingly talented musicians. This documentary is the previously untold story of a post-punk/indie music scene that reverberated from Edinburgh, throughout the UK and beyond.
DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE
NATIONAL LAMPOON
Cineworld, Sat 20 Jun, 8.40pm & Sun 21 Jun, 1.15pm Featuring archive appearances and contributions from such luminaries as John Belushi, Gilda
17-28 JUNE 74 THE LIST 4 Jun–3 Sept 2015 74 THE LIST 4 Jun–3 Sep 2015