Film Festival moves
The Edinburgh International Film Festival - an annual fixture for me - is moving after decades and next year will move to June instead of during the Festival period in August. According to their site this is to give them a better chance to attract more film biz folks rather than competing against some other major international film festivals and make it more accessible being outside the madhouse of Festival time. Which may be the case, but dammit, I'm really pissed off about the move - I often take time off to do the Film Festival here in Edinburgh and while I'm off in August I can also do some Fringe, Book Festival etc. Now I am going to have to pick which I want to take my time off for and I suspect I won't be the only person who likes to do them all - whichever I pick I'm going to miss on the other. Damn, damn, dammit. I wonder if the attendance will go up as people from outside the city come just for the Film Fest or if it will go down because they were also drawn by the world's largest arts festival?
Wow, that's a surprise. I can sort of see the logic - especially if it can give the Film Festival a higher profile in the international calendar of film festivals - but sounds potentially risky. Will it really get the same audiences as it does in August? Not sure. And personally, I kind of like the cumulative, concentrated mania of having all the Festivals going on at the same time.
ReplyDeleteYou probably don't realise it but there is a 'secret' film festival of industry people who come but go on the whole to separate screenings which take place in the morning. And there is a full programme of events about copywright, co-production finance etc - about 700 delegates come. More would come from across Europe if it wasn't in August. Eg its impossible to get any French film Industry people to come as everyone is on holiday in France. If Edinburgh wants to become the Sundance of Europe instead of providing entertainment for locals it has to move. A staggeringly high proportion of their audience DOESN'T see anything on the other festivals either. I for one would PAY to never be forced through bad comedy, theatre and music and being flyered on the streets of Edinburgh again. Oh the joy when I realised the EIFF moving would mean I could whisper it LEAVE EDINBURGH DURING AUGUST!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, I don't see that hidden, industry side of the Film Fest, but that raises the question of what the FF wants to be - another meeting shop for industry players or a place aimed primarily at film lovers? I'd hate to see Edinburgh become the Sundance of Europe, personally, I'd prefer it to remain oriented towards film goers unlike the way some other film festivals have become more co-opted to business. Nothing wrong with doing business there too, of course, but surely the focus should be on the cinema goers. And I'd disagree that it is in August to provide entertainment to the 'locals'. In fact a lot of Edinburgh residents complain that the entire Festival caters more to visitors than locals.
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