EIFF announces new competition and dates for 2024 edition

A revitalised Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) will inaugurate a competition for its 77th edition, which will run from August 15 to August 21, 2024.

Under new leadership and with an invigorated vision, EIFF is poised to accelerate the discovery of new talent through significant prize-money awarded to the filmmakers of the Best Feature Film in Competition and the Best Short Film.

Ten features and ten shorts – all world premieres – will compete for industry-leading cash prizes, supported by partnerships to be revealed at the Berlinale in February.

The Festival’s strategic timing coincides with a myriad of creative festivals taking place in Edinburgh in August, including the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe which attracts hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to the city each year. Centring this taste-maker audience, EIFF festival-goers will be invited to vote for the Competition prize winners.

Helmed by new Festival Director Paul Ridd, the team aims to create a world-class showcase for independent film and filmmaking talent. Former Acquisitions Executive Ridd is supported by an expanding Board, including Chair, Andrew Macdonald of DNA Films, producer of the iconic Edinburgh-based film Trainspotting; Peter Rice, former Chairman of General Entertainment at Disney and President of 21st Century Fox; and Amy Jackson, producer of last year’s BAFTA award-winning indie, Aftersun. EIFF 2024 is supported by Screen Scotland.

EIFF Director, Paul Ridd, says, “Our new look EIFF falls in a festival month where culture is alive and vibrant in the city, and we also arrive at a point of tremendous industry growth for Scotland with a production boom of streamers, studios and independents working side by side. We are so excited to present what we have in the works and we invite creators, industry leaders and independent film fans who want to be a part of the reimagining of a world-class festival to get in touch with the team, bookmark the EIFF website, and start planning travel to Edinburgh in August. Bring it on!”

Criteria for submitting films to the Festival will be found at www.edfilmfest.org with submissions to open in February. More information will be released on the shape of the Festival, venues and key strategic partners in the coming months.