SUPPORTED CONTENT Despite being one of the world’s longest-running
celebrations of the medium, the Edinburgh International Film Festival has consistently kept its finger on the pulse of cinema for the past 73
this year
years, programming thrilling stories that highlight the form’s cultural and technical importance. We take a look through their 2019 offerings to find out what cinematic journeys lay in store for us E V E R Y P I C T U R E T E L L S A S T O R Y
SHE PERSISTED
Despite some bleak headlines this year, these stories of inspiring women and non-binary individuals are a timely reminder that the fight for justice must always forge on. Among these awe-inspiring tales is that of Ifrah Ahmed, whose biopic A Girl from Mogadishu recounts her harrowing journey to Ireland from Somalia as a teen, and her dedication to eradicating female genital mutilation around the world. Courageous women face down the patriarchy in God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya, which sees Petrunya (Zorica Nusheva) raise the ire of her conservative town when she participates in an all-male Epiphany ceremony, and in Bhutanese psychological drama Red Phallus, which charts a schoolgirl’s slow-burning rage against her community’s stifling misogyny. Meanwhile, with a quiet, intimate touch, So Pretty observes the everyday lives of four young, queer and trans New Yorkers as they make art, discuss politics and fall in love. In EIFF’s documentary selection, rightful homage is paid to the trailblazing Pauline Kael in What She Said, whose ferocious tenure as the New Yorker’s film critic left an indelible impact on the American New Wave. Watch out for the likes of Quentin Tarantino and David O Russell as they pay their respects to this industry titan. Boasting a similarly star-studded line-up, This Changes Everything examines the persisting issue of gender and racial inequality in Hollywood, featuring appearances by Natalie Portman, Taraji P Henson and the great Meryl Streep.
30 THE LIST 1 Jun–31 Aug 2019 30 THE LIST 1 Jun–31 Aug 2019 A Girl from Mogadishu