Showing @ Various Cinemas, Edinburgh, Wed 15 – Sun 26 June, for full listings click here
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is nearly upon us, and as film lovers across the city and beyond start circling their must-sees in this year’s unusually slender programme, it quickly becomes apparent that something has changed. The thriftier amongst us will have noticed that, unlike previous years, it’s no longer possible to buy bundles of tickets of varying value and quantity, saving a few precious pounds on what are individually pretty expensive tickets. Regulars will be all too aware of those infamous festival snooze-fests that are memorable only for the fact that you managed to get through it without fulfilling the overwhelming desire to slowly but determinedly cut your own head off with the ticket stub. So the risk of a discount-free fest is understandably fear-inducing given that some films simply aren’t worth our hard-earned cash, no matter how comfortable your bank balance.
But fear not: this absence of bargains doesn’t mean that you’ll have to live off beans on toast for the next couple of weeks. You might still want to save the perforated edge of your ticket stub for a snooze-fest emergency, but chances are you’ll be that little bit more forgiving because this year an unprecedented number of events and screenings are free. I’ll give you a moment to reread that. Students, the unemployed and general tightwads rejoice, you were right the first time; that word really is ‘free’!
Let’s not jump the gun – we’d be fools to imagine that the crème de la crème of the fest would come under this newly beefed up category. In fact, all of the main screenings are paid for, some as steep as £9 a ticket. But equally, a there’s a decent amount of freebies that seem pretty promising. The usual presence of a seemingly limitless number of shorts is only one of the many welcome additions to the penny-pinchers, whilst Inspace will host several feature favourites, including The Incredibles, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and 8½ to name but a few.
The most exciting freebies, though, have to be in the form of a seemingly endless number of events and workshops. The Behind the Camera series offers an impressive range of practical seminars, ranging from short filmmaking master classes and introductions to directing, to screenwriting and homelessness-fighting opera. Meanwhile, the Outside the Box programme encourages us to explore the weird and wonderful side of film, including a megaphone choir and a film that apparently happens live around you (isn’t that called a play?). EIFF have even been kind enough to think of those who can’t afford gym membership, with a bike-powered cinema. Reel Science also has some interesting little numbers, with a more sobering look at dementia and Irvin Kershner’s The Eyes of Laura Mars. For the more daring there’s the Experimental section, with several stills galleries, not forgetting Sound Tracks with some funky audio-only headphone listening from ‘crazy’ professor Otto Ping.
All skinflint references aside, there’s plenty of free stuff going on this year meaning that EIFF is open in a way it never has been before, and it’s great to see such a broad variety of the programme being made widely available. But be warned – these events may be free but many still remain ticketed, so chances are they’ll go quickly. So get your (cheap)skates on and get down to the box office before the rest of Edinburgh beats you to it.
Film Fest Freebies Listings:
Nokia Shorts Weekender: Vimeo in Residence at EIFF: Fri 24th @ George Sq Theatre (ticketed)
Outside the Box: 24 Hours of Spatial Politics, Curated by Markus: Tue 21st @ Inspace (ticketed)
Nokia Shorts Weekender: BAFTA and Shooting People: Short Sighted: Thurs 23rd @ Festivalhouse@Teviot – Dining Room (ticketed)
Outside the Box: BBC Big Screen: Wed 15th – Sun 26th @ Festival Square
Outside the Box: Bike Powered Cinema at EIFF: pop-up days and locations throughout the fest – check EIFF for details
Behind the Camera: Collabor8te: Thurs 16th @ Filmhouse 2 (ticketed)
Outside the Box: The Collective Gallery: Megaphone Choir: Sat 25th @ Festivalhouse@Teviot – Debating Hall (ticketed)
Outside the Box: Conveto Kinetic Sculptures & Cinema: venues and timings TBC – check EIFF for details
Outside the Box: Duncan Speakman: Our Broken Voice: venues and timings on application for a place at subtlemob.com
Nokia Shorts Weekender: Edinburgh Schools Film Competition: Primary & Nursery: Sat 25th @ Filmhouse 2 (ticketed)
Nokia Shorts Weekender: Edinburgh Schools Film Competition: Secondary: Sun 26th @ Filmhouse 2 (ticketed)
Behind the Camera: Film Nation Shorts: Filmmaker Masterclass: Sat 18th @ Filmhouse 2 (ticketed)
Behind the Camera: Film Nation Shorts: Intro to Directing – Creating Performance: Sat 18th @ Festivalhouse@Teviot – Underground (ticketed)
Behind the Camera: Filmmakers In Focus: Sat 18th – Fri 24th @ Festivalhouse@Teviot – New Amphion
Sound Tracks: The Holophonic Experience: Wed 15th – Sun 26th @ Festivalhouse@Teviot
Sound Tracks: Kinetica: Lift Off!: Fri 24th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Outside the Box: New Media Scotland Atmosphere 1: The Man in the White Suit: Thurs 16th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Outside the Box: New Media Scotland Atmosphere 2: The Incredibles: Fri 17th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Outside the Box: New Media Scotland Atmosphere 3: Funny Face: Sun 19th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Outside the Box: New Media Scotland Atmosphere 4: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: Mon 20th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Reel Science: New Media Scotland Atmosphere 5: The Eyes of Laura Mars: Thur 23rd @ Inspace (ticketed)
Outside the Box: New Media Scotland Atmosphere 6: 8½: Sat 25th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Outside the Box: New Media Scotland: Upgrade!: Thur 23rd @ Inspace (ticketed)
Nokia Shorts Weekender: Masterclass with Chris Shepherd: Sat 25th @ George Sq Theatre (ticketed)
Reel Science: Rick Pickings: Disappearing Acts: Sat 18th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Experimental: Stills Gallery: Anarcadia & Capital: Fri 24th @ Cameo 1 (ticketed)
Experimental: Stills Gallery: Sixpack Showcase at Film Lounge: Thur 16th – Fri 17th @ Stills Gallery
Outside the Box: St Andrew Square Outdoor Screenings: Thur 17th – Sun 19th @ St Andrew Square
Behind the Camera: Street Wise Opera & Open Cinema: Mon 20th @ Filmhouse 2 (ticketed)
Sound Tracks: Traction: Sun 19th @ Inspace (ticketed)
Nokia Shorts Weekender: VICE and Nokia host a Saam Farahmand Retrospective: Sat 25th @ George Sq Theatre (ticketed)
Nokia Shorts Weekender: The Web Changed Film, Film Changed The Web: Sat 25th @ Festivalhall@Teviot – Debating Hall
Behind the Camera: World Refugee Day: Hoping: Mon 20th @ Filmhouse 2
Nokia Shorts Weekender: VICE TV Greatest Hits!: Sat 25th @ George Sq Theatre