Two weeks before the kick -off of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the kick -off of his 78th edition, the director and CEO of the Paul Ridd festival seemed almost comfortable.
“We are not in the eye of the storm,” he said, “but we are somehow turning it.”
Since taking the bar at the end of 2023, alongside the producer of Festival Emma Boa, Ridd has supervised a strategic reinvention of one of the oldest film festivals in the world to build a new board and a new footprint to rethink her mission within the cultural calendar of Scotland.
“This year is really the first year,” he said Variety. “Last year, we made the foundations, we showed that the new structure could work. Now it’s about growing up on this ballast. ”
This growth is visible at all levels. EIFF25 presents 43 new feature films, including 18 first in the world, including the competition of 10 Sean Connery titles for the excellence of cinema – with a substantial price of £ 50,000 ($ 67,000) awarded by the public vote. In addition to six retrospective projections, a return of the strand of midnight at the end of the evening which will see among others the last first “bulk” of Ben Wheatley, and in the conversation sessions with Andrea Arnold, Nia Dacosta, Jeremy Thomas and Ken Loach.
“The discovery, the public and the integration of the industry – is the personality of this festival,” said Ridd. “The idea is to offer something exciting enough for people to want to get involved. If you build it, they will come. ”
A competition built to launch
This year’s competition varies from queer dramas to the officially daring India: “Blue Film” by Elliot Tuttle, “in Transit” by Jaclyn Bethany with Jennifer Ehle (“Saint Maud”, “Pride and Prejudice”), and Abdolreza Kahani “by” Mordice “- Kahani returns after the beginnings” a shrins “. This model, says Ridd, is intentional.
“We already have filmmakers who come back in the second year, and it is a huge sign of progress. The Sean Connery Prize decided by the public gives them a real launch. The winner of last year” The Ceremony “obtained distribution and now published in August.” It was not alone, with Rodd quoting that 60% of the films presented last year were acquired or obtained a distribution.
The competition is organized from more than 4,000 submissions.
“We are looking for films with this” wow “factor and a confidence of the voice. Certain themes emerge – queerness, identity, displacement – but they are not imposed. They develop organically from the selection. ” Explained Ridd.
Find a house in chaos
Directed of the festival during the notoriously crowded August from Edinburgh alongside the fringe, the international festival and the book festival may seem to be a sabotage. But Ridd sees it differently.
“There is already a crowd here in search of new works,” he said. “The marginal public is adventurous. Being part of this ecosystem helps us in a creative, logistical and commercial way. ”
It also allows cross pollination. “Ideally, a filmmaker shows work in Eiff, meets someone who does theater or comedy live on the road, and a new collaboration emerges. This is the dream.”
Access to the robust fringe infrastructure also has real advantages. “Being able to sell tickets via the Friging app has been a transformer. It’s intuitive, it’s already on everyone’s phone.” he said.
A major evolution of this year is the industry program, which is now taking place over the seven days and includes events with some of the most powerful names in the British and international film – notably Rose Garnett, Eva Yates, Farhana Bhula, Jeremy Thomas and David Hinojosa.
But despite all its ambition, the festival remains agile by design.
“One of the problems at the biggest festivals is the scale,” said Ridd. “It is overwhelming. You run between missing meetings and projections. In Edinburgh, we offer something more contained and it is a force. Each film and event gets space to breathe.”
The goal is to create “really useful” moments for filmmakers, not an abstraction vague. “The panels are practical. Career conversations are targeted. Network is not only drinks, it is a delegate center where people really meet. ”
Scotland and the international context
Although Eiff maintains a world mandate, he is aware of his national role. “For us, it is a question of placing Scottish work alongside international work, using our global platform for local work in our selection.”
This includes Scottish features such as John McPhail’s closing documentary and the winner of Bifa Paul Sng on author Irvine Welsh “reality is not enough”, as well as shorts of the NFTS Sean Connery Lab.
So what is the next step?
“We don’t want to grow up in size for fun,” he said. “We are not aiming to double the number of titles. We aim to develop an audience, to develop an international interest and to remain consistent. ”
Competitions for features and shorts are central. “They are simple, voted to the public and come with real financial support. It is a powerful combination. ”
For Ridd, success is not measured by celebrity appearances or red carpets. It is measured by conversation.
“In the end, the most important thing is the community, the people who engage with work, later chatting in the bar, chatting the next morning. This is what makes a festival live. ”
