CHUCK CHUCK BABY to have its World Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF, August 18-23) has unveiled a 24-title programme for 2023, featuring the world premiere of Janis Pugh’s feature debut Chuck Chuck Baby, and international titles spanning Europe, China, India and Japan.
There are five world premieres, plus five retrospective titles, five short films and an outdoor screening weekend of seven features.
Chuck Chuck Baby unfurls in a chicken factory in north Wales, and stars Louise Brealey, Annabel Scholey, Sorcha Cusack, Celyn Jones and Emily Fairn. It’s set in the present day, with a soundtrack of 1960s and 70s songs, and follows a woman who works in the factory, while living with her former mother-in-law, ex-husband, his new girlfriend and their baby.
Further world premieres include Ian Jefferies’ documentary Choose Irvine Welsh,about the Leith-born Trainspotting writer, plus Scottish thriller Kill from Rodger Griffiths and Hope Dickson Leach’s retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella, The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde. a live hybrid performance with the National Theatre of Scotland.
As previously announced, the festival will open with the world premiere of Johnny Barrington’s debut Silent Roar, and close with Babak Jalali’s Fremont.
US independent cinema will be celebrated in a retrospective of four films made by rebellious filmmakers: Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso, Wayne Wang’s Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive, Fran Rubel Kuzui’s Tokyo Pop and Bette Gordon’s Variety.
Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes, which had its world premiere at EIFF in 2004, is also having a retrospective gala screening.
EIFF will launch The Lynda Myles project, a discussion event on the legacy of producer and former director of the EIFF’s contribution to film culture, with a work-in-progress screening of The Lynda Myles Project: A Manifesto. There’s also a new series of discussion events, branded Encounters.
One-off edition
Following last year’s collapse of EIFF’s parent charity, the Centre of the Moving Image, Screen Scotland bought the rights to the festival. Screen Scotland has collaborated with the Edinburgh International Festival, which also runs in August, to deliver a one-off edition of EIFF. Screen Scotland is recruiting for chair who will oversee the establishment of EIFF from 2024 and beyond – with the appointment announcement understood to be imminent.
The festival is partnering with venues Vue Edinburgh Omni, Everyman Edinburgh at St James Quarter and the Old College Quad at the University of Edinburgh, which will be the setting for the outdoor screenings, Cinema Under the Stars, showing titles including Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper and Alison Ellwood’s Let The Canary Sing.
The team of programmers is led by programme director of the festival Kate Taylor, with programmers Rafa Sales Ross, Anna Bogutskaya, Abigail Addison, Lydia Beilby and Holly Daniel. Alongside Taylor, the EIFF Team is led by Executive Producer Tamara Van Strijthem and festival producer Emma Boa.
EIFF is backed by Screen Scotland, and enhanced engagement activities are supported by £59,000 from the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund alongside £155,000 from the PLaCE Programme (a partnership between the Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals).
Source: Mona Tabbara for Screendaily