The legendary editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, will return to the Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) in August for a special tribute in conversation to his late husband, a famous British filmmaker Michael Powell.
The event, which takes place on August 17 at the Tollcross Central Hall in the city, will see Schoonmaker think about Powell’s pioneer career, from the first independent features to his famous collaboration with Emeric Pressburger and his lasting influence on the generations of filmmakers, the most famous Martin Scorse.
The tribute also includes a newly restored projection of Powell’s breakthrough function in 1937 “The Edge of the World”, introduced by Schoonmaker on August 16 in Cameo 1. Shoted in the distant shetland islands, the film explores the tension between tradition and change in an isolated scottistic community, and is widely considered a determining work.
“We are on the moon that the living legend Thelma Schoonmaker will return to Eiff this year to present a great film, and to tell us about the life and work of his late husband Michael Powell, a filmmaker who left such an indelible brand on the history of cinema,” said Paul Ridd, CEO of Eiff and director of the festival.
Powell’s creative partnership with Pressburger produced some of the most emblematic British films of the 20th century, including the epic “The life and death of Colonel Blimp”, perhaps the best role of David Niven in “A Matter of Life and Death”, the technical marvel which is “black narcissus”, and undoubtedly their peak in “red shoes”.
Although Powell’s solo characteristic in 1960 “Peeping Tom” was initially insulted, it has since been praised as a historic psychological thriller, largely thanks to Schoonmaker and longtime collaborator Martin Scorsese to restore and reintroduce their work to new audiences.
Schoonmaker was the last at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2024, where she lent her name to the newly established shortly established shorts of the festival. The 2025 eiff edition takes place from August 14 to 20.
