It is the Edinburgh International Film Festival: Director's Cut.
The radical overhaul of the capital’s annual screen festival has half the number of films as last year, will have no “red carpet” events, and does not have an official closing film.
But the new director of the EIFF, which unveiled its 2011 programme yesterday, explained his desire to create a new, “provocative, culture-setting” festival that brings down barriers between film-makers and the public, shows more documentaries, makes greater use of the Edinburgh urban environment and stages more film “events” than movie premieres.
James Mullighan also admitted raising the prospect of the close involvement of guest curators such as the actress Isabella Rossellini, the writer Greil Marcus and director Gus Van Sant earlier this year had been a mistake, as it has since emerged they are either unable to take part or come to the festival.
The apparently troubled lead up to yesterday’s announcement, with the writing of a new blueprint for the festival by Mark Cousins, had been a “spicy” time, he admitted.
The director said the festival -- which runs from June 15 to 26 -- had not been radical enough in recent years, and not exploited its move to June from August.
He added this was not a criticism of previous artistic director Hannah McGill and said the changes were driven by “opportunity and necessity”.
“Through its history this festival has been provocative and a culture-setter, but not lately, and we want to get back to that.
“We want this festival to be an agenda setter,” he said.
“Not everybody was a fan of the move to June, but I am a firm June man and we have not exploited that move enough. I have been coming to this festival since 1998 and in recent years saw good things but thought there should be more of it.
“I am not criticising the programming and taste of previous directors, I would be mortified to find out that was the case.”
The opening film of the festival, which will not be a traditional red carpet affair, will be The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle.
Other premieres will include Albatross with Julia Ormond, The Bang Bang Club starring Ryan Phillippe, Page Eight starring Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz, Jack Goes Boating which is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut, and Perfect Sense by Ewan McGregor and Eva Green.
Mr Mullighan said red carpet events that looked as if they were trying to copy the glitz of Cannes did not work and were “embarrassing”.
He also said there were far fewer films than last year, with 62 premieres, as opposed to 106, and the EIFF is now without a three-year funding commitment from the UK Film Council, although it has attracted new sponsors in EasyJet, Nokia, Smart cars and Cutty Sark whisky.
Instead there are many events aimed at involving the public in discussions on film music, a “pop up film school”, a celebration of short films, science and film, soundtracks, and other experimental events.
There will be outdoor screenings at St Andrew Square, a bike-driven mobile cinema, and an interpretation of favourite movies by The Streets star Mike Skinner, but fewer of the obviously quirky ideas many observers had expected.
The Oscar-winning actress and patron of the festival, Tilda Swinton, will not attend the festival.
Nor will there be a showing for We Need to Talk About Kevin, her new film, directed by Scottish director Lynne Ramsay, which recently premiered at Cannes.
Artificial Eye, the producers of the movie based on Lionel Shriver’s best selling book, said there was too much time between the June festival and its eventual UK release in the autumn.
One notable event will be the showing of Hell and Back Again, a war documentary by Danfung Dennis, who was embedded with US troops in Afghanistan, which has already won a series of awards. The EIFF will be showing it to soldiers in a special Veteran’s Screening on UK National Armed Forces Day on June 26.
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