The Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest continually running film festival in the world and screens over 300 films across Edinburgh annually.
Celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2010, the festival continues to attract iconic names from the film industry year after year. Screen greats Gene Kelly, Cary Grant and Marlene Dietrich and more recently global stars Sean Penn, Keira Knightly and Sienna Miller have graced Edinburgh’s famous red carpet.
EventScotland has supported the EIFF annually since 2005 with strategic investment to ensure it retains its position as one of the world’s foremost celebrations of cinema and film. The Festival moved to June in 2008, defining itself as a film-driven event with a vision to be “The world's leading film festival of discovery" with a focus on new films, new talent and new technology.
In 2008 EventScotland invested £240,000 in a three year funding deal to assist the Festival in establishing itself in June and grow its international reputation. The Festival generated an economic impact for Scotland of £1.5m in 2008 and £1.8m in 2009. EventScotland continues to invest in the EIFF in 2010.
In 2008 EventScotland also invested in the Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival, and in 2009 supported A pilgrimage: A Scottish Road Movie Film Festival which saw Highland movie lovers Tilda Swinton and Mark Cousins host a number of screenings at various venues across the Highlands as they journeyed their way from Mull to Nairn.
EventScotland also supported the Glasgow Film Festival in 2011, and will do again in 2012 as the festival goes from strength to strength. The GFF has an impressive programme of events and screenings which has helped to establish this world-class festival.
