A number of leading Hollywood stars, including Sir Sean Connery, Kate Winslet and Tilda Swinton are expected to grace the red carpet at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
It should be a truly stellar affair. A number of leading Hollywood stars, including Sir Sean Connery, Kate Winslet, Tilda Swinton, Emily Blunt and Claire Danes are expected to grace the red carpet at the Edinburgh International Film Festival next month.
The EIFF is usually coy about which stars are to appear at its gala premieres, but yesterday the festival's organisers released a long list of celebrities who are due to appear at the annual event that moved to June from August last year.
Returning to the festival as guests are Aberfeldy-born actor Alan Cumming, Harry Potter director Alfonso Cuaron, Local Hero director Bill Forsyth, English actress Brenda Blethyn and Holywood star Robin Wright-Penn, as well as Sir Sean and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, who are both patrons of the festival.
Among those set to visit for the first time are Mexican star Gael Garcia Bernal, Australians Guy Pearce and Rose Byrne, husband and wife Peter Saarsgard and Maggie Gyllenhaal and the distinguished American actor William H Macy, as well as Winslet, Blunt, Danes, and indie director Paul Thomas Anderson.
This year, the festival's programme of free open-air screenings, called Film Festival Under The Stars, is to be shown in the Grassmarket area of the city, rather than The Mound.
They take place on June 19 and 20 and this year's selection of movies have connections with the festival's four patrons: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which featured Sir Sean; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in which Ms Swinton played the White Witch; Stone of Destiny, which featured Robert Carlyle; and Charlotte's Web, for which McGarvey was director of photography.
Ginnie Atkinson, managing director of the festival, said: "Film Festival Under the Stars is a free annual event that aims to introduce the EIFF to new audiences.
"A fun event for cinema fans of all ages, and in celebration of Homecoming Scotland, the Festival is proud to present a selection of work from its four Patrons.
"We are also delighted to have so many international filmmakers and actors attending the Festival this year."
It was also confirmed yesterday that two of the team involved in making Shallow Grave, the seminal Scottish thriller directed by a then-unknown Danny Boyle, will be present at a special 15th anniversary screening of the film. Actress Kerry Fox and Andrew McDonald, its producer, will be in attendance on the night.
Released in 1995, the film first showed the world the talents of Boyle, acclaimed for directing Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, and starred Ewan McGregor alongside Fox and Christopher Eccleston.
This year, the festival will host 23 world premieres and 16 international premieres - films shown outside their home country for the first time - including the previously announced opening night gala, Away We Go from director Sam Mendes, who is expected to attend.
The festival's closing night screening will be unconventional romantic comedy Adam, directed by New York theatre director and playwright Max Meyer.
A Homecoming Scotland section will focus on the work of the partnership formed by writer Peter McDougall and director John Mackenzie, with screenings of The Elephant's Graveyard and A Sense of Freedom.
In all, the festival will showcase 155 features from 33 countries, including seven European premieres and 60 UK premieres.
Director Roger Corman is the subject of this year's retrospective, which will feature an appearance by the director, and also appearing will be Joe Dante, whose credits include Piranha and Gremlins.
The festival runs from June 17 to 28.
