First time’s a charm! This year marks the very first time we are officially attending the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF). We’ll be doing so with a bang and pulling out all the stops to put Canadian films in the spotlight while Canada is the Country in Focus.
Between June 20 and July 1, Canada will have a big presence at the festival, with some awesome industry activities for our potential partners and co-producers. Come discover why coproducing with Canada is so darn great! (Meanwhile, here are eight reasons to tantalize your interest…) We’ll be presenting a panel, and a delegation of Canadian producers will be present for a very exciting matchmaking session. Stay tuned for all the latest news and updates!
And of course, there will be Canadian cinema–a healthy dose of it, too. We’re talking experimental works, non-contemporary short programs, and an enticing selection of 15 films that includes seven features, three documentaries, and five shorts; animated works, Indigenous projects, and much more.
We’re pleased as punch to share that this selection includes two features that were part of Telefilm’s Talent Fund-supported Micro-Budget Production Program (now called the Talent to Watch Program). They are: Pascal Plante’s award-winning Fake Tattoos (Les faux tatouages), which previously screened at the Berlinale and Slamdance, and, Wayne Wapeemukwa’s Luk’Luk’l, which won Best Canadian First Feature Film at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, among other awards.
To tease your cinematic curiosity, here’s the full EIFF list of Canadian features:
- Pascal Plante’s Fake Tattoos
- Francois Girard’s Hochelaga, Land of Souls
- Wayne Wapeemukwa’s Luk’Luk’l
- Kyle Rideout’s Adventures in Public School
- Simon Lavoie’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches
- Cam Christiansen’s Wall
- Stephen Campanelli’s Indian Horse
- Zoe Hopkins’ Kayak to Klemtu
- Jean-François Caissy’s First Stripes
- Nova Ami and Velcrow Ripper’s Metamorphosis
Canadian diversity will be showcased in films by emerging talent (Fake Tattoos) and 4 out of the 10 features tell Indigenous stories (Kayak to Klemtu, Indian Horse, Luk’Luk’l, and Hochelaga, Land of Souls).
Our five EIFF Canadian shorts include the NFB animated short Three Thousand, directed by the Inuk artist Asinnajaq, which screened at the Berlinale. Also on the menu is Brendan Prost’s Loretta’s Flowers, which was featured in our Not Short on Talent initiative at Cannes, and Heather Young’s Milk, which took home the Grand Prize for Best Short Film at the Festival du nouveau cinéma’s Focus Québec/Canada competition.
To find out all the details about Canada Focus at the 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival, check out the EIFF program here.
