The Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

______________________________________________________________________

The Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

The Michael Powell Award Winner at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Anton Corbijn director of the film Control receiving the Michael Powell Award 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

THE MICHAEL POWELL AWARD   The Edinburgh International Film Festival the longest continually running film festival in the world, announced the winners of the Michael Powell Award for 2007.  Named in honour of one of Britain's most original filmmakers, and inaugurated in 1993.  The Michael Powell Award, which is sponsored by the United Kingdom Film Council, is given to the best new British feature film in the festival.  Judged by an international jury, the award celebrates imagination and creativity in British filmmaking.

Two Days in Paris

The cast from Two Days in Paris Albert Delpy, Julie Delpy and Marie Pillet

Julie Delpy at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Marie Pillet from the film premier Two Days in Paris

Albert Delpy from the film premier Two Days in Paris 

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

TWO DAYS IN PARIS   High-maintenance French photographer Marion (Delpy) and her American boyfriend Jack (Adam Goldberg) pay a visit to her family in Paris, and find their strained relationship further challenged by the culture clash. He can't handle her spontaneity, or the lax French approach to sex and personal hygiene. She, meanwhile, is free-spirited to the point of psychosis. Throw in her seriously eccentric parents (played by Delpy's real-life folks), an overly attentive ex-boyfriend (Adan Jodorovsky, son of directing legend Alejandro), and an affable terrorist with a fast-food phobia (Daniel Brühl) - and the stage is set for a transatlantic screwball showdown that surprises and delights at every hairpin turn.

We are Together

Paul Taylor and Tedd Leiffer from the film We are Together

Tedd Leiffer at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Director of we are together Paul Taylor at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

WE ARE TOGETHER    First-time director Paul Taylor was working as a volunteer at the Agape Orphanage in South Africa when he decided that the place and its residents were so remarkable that someone should make a film about them. Here's the result. Focusing on one family in particular, the film doesn't flinch from letting us see the devastation that AIDS has brought to millions of lives, but also lets us share the strength that these amazing children draw from their singing. The film follows their highs and lows, culminating in their journey to the US to raise funds and awareness. Filled with sorrow and joy in equal measure, not to mention some of the most sublime music you'll ever hear, you'll need a hanky for this one. JL This film is directed by Skillset - EIFF Trailblazer Paul Taylor.

And when did you last see your father

Mathew Beard and Jim Broadbent in Edinburgh for the film premier of And when did you last see your father

Mathew Beard at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Jim Broadbent at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Director Anand Tucker at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Director Anand Tucker, Mathew Beard, Liz Carson and Jim Broadbent at the Dominion

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

AND WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER   Colin Firth stars as successful writer Blake, who treats his ageing parents as something of a burden. When his overbearing, boorish father (Jim Broadbent) becomes terminally ill, Blake must reassess a relationship characterised by obscure resentments and frequent public humiliations. Was Mr Morrison Senior a bully and a shameless philanderer - or just a larger-than-life soul who always meant well? Directed by Anand Tucker (Hilary and Jackie) from a script by David Nicholls (Starter for Ten), this is an emotional, often hilarious examination of those ever-complicated family ties. Get ready to phone your dad. 

Breach

Film Director Billy Ray arriving at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for the film premier of Breach

Chris Cooper in Edinburgh for the film premier of Breach

Ryan Phillippe at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

BREACH   Ambitious FBI rookie Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe) is less than thrilled when he's assigned to a new detail: working for and covertly reporting on long-serving agent Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper). As he gets closer to his grouchy new boss, Eric's confusion increases. Hanssen is certainly a maverick, but a clever, oddly likable one. Why the cloak-and-dagger tactics? Who is Hanssen really, and why does he scare the top brass so? Following up on the promise of his impressive directorial debut Shattered Glass, and drawing exemplary performances from the quietly assured Phillippe and the always magnificent Cooper, writer/director Billy Ray shows a masterful command of his material. A serious, fact-based thriller with tension and intelligence to burn.

The Serpent

Producer J Helmann with Olga Krylenko and director Eric Berbier for the premier of The Serpent

Olga Krylenko at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Director Eric Berbier at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

THE SERPENT   Opportunistic thug Plender (Clovis Cornillac) has a near-failsafe money-making system. Identify a weak, wealthy, married target. Send in a gorgeous girl. Get photos. Demand payment. But when Plender catches up with an old schoolmate made good, fashion photographer Vincent (Yvan Attal), the scale of his operation suddenly expands - as does the extent of the damage done. Because the two men have a history, and - at least the way Plender sees it - there's a considerable debt to be paid... Based on the British novel Plender, by Ted Lewis, this dark-hued tale of blackmail, guilt and vengeance is as sinuous and twisty as its title suggests.

Saxon

The cast and director at the Edinburgh International Film Fsetival for the premier of Saxon

Neelam Bakshi at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Drew Edwards at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Michelle Connolly at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Sarah Matravers at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for the film premier Saxon

Sean Harris at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Director Greg Loftin at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Producer Elise Valmorbida at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Michael Portman at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

SAXON   Wildly acclaimed when it surfaced in script form on Kevin Spacey's TriggerStreet.com, Greg Loftin's piercing debut gives a weird new lease of life to the classic Western. Just out of jail, Eddie (Sean Harris) has already lost an eye to an angry loan shark. Hoping to score enough funds to keep the other one, he contacts his wealthy ex Linda (Sarah Matravers) - who still lives on the grim estate where they both grew up, despite a million pound windfall. Turns out she needs help too: her husband Kevin has disappeared, feared murdered. Offering his sleuthing services, Eddie soon comes eye-to-eye with the spectres of his own past... Sizzling with tension and vivid, near-surreal imagery, this is a forceful and confident debut.

Special People

Special People at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

David Proud from the film Special People at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Dominic Coleman in Edinburgh for the film premier Special People

Robyn Frampton at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Sasha Hardway at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Justin Edgar director of Special People

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

SPECIAL PEOPLE    Enlisted to teach a class of wheelchair-users about filmmaking, the neurotic Jasper gets a little more than he bargained for. His charges seem to know more than he does about his subject; they're not impressed by his own heartfelt social realist oeuvre; and they meet his every suggestion with the blank indifference peculiar to the streetwise adolescent. Extended from his own 2005 short film (shown at EIFF 2005), Justin Edgar's engaging, smartly-written feature questions condescending outreach projects, self-defeating attitudes within the disabled community, and the vacuity of the film business - all with a sly wink and a healthy helping of self-parody

The Counterfeiters

Adolf Burger at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

From The Counterfeiters to the film festival, Karl Markovics, Adolf Burger and  Stefan Ruzowitzky

Adolf Burger from where the memories and the film are based

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

THE COUNTERFEITERS   In 1936, the Nazis established the largest counterfeiting operation in history, with the intention of flooding the British and American economies with fake currency. Enlisted to assist were any concentration camp inmates with skills in the right department - among them master forger, gambler and playboy Salomon Sorowitsch. Wonderfully played here by Karl Markovics, 'Sally' is a charismatic rogue who is at first energised by his new task (and by the superior quarters and treatment that his status affords him). But as the war grinds on, the moral frailty of Sally's position becomes more and more apparent, and he must choose which side he's on. Absolutely gripping, and crackling with class and intelligence, this is an instant classic - and a must for anyone who loved The Lives of Others.

Extraordinary Rendition

The cast from the film Extraordinary Rendition at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Jim Threapleton in Edinburgh for the film premier of Extraordinary Rendition

Omar Bedouni in Edinburgh for the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Ania Sowinski at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Producer of Extraordinary Rendition Andy Noble

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

EXTRAORDINARY RENDITION   This striking debut unflinchingly addresses a great humanitarian scandal of our age, namely the titular practice whereby a state delivers criminal suspects to foreign soil to evade the processes and prohibitions of its own domestic judiciary. Omar Berdouni (United 93) plays Zaafir, a London-based academic who likes to push his students into edgy discussion. The nature of his research and personal contacts rings alarm bells somewhere - and Zaafir is plunged into a nightmare that will leave him permanently changed. Atmospheric, powerfully insightful about the lasting effects of torture on both victim and perpetrator, and boldly ambiguous about the political background to its key events, this film announces Jim Threapleton as a singularly important writer/director.

Flying - Confessions of a Free Woman

Jennifer Fox in Edinburgh for the premier of Flying - Confessions of a Free Woman

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

FLYING - CONFESSIONS OF A FREE WOMAN   With blinding frankness and charm, noted US documentarian Jennifer Fox lays bare her own personal life, and explores how it relates to those of women in contrasting cultures around the world. Fox's own travails - choosing between two lovers; trying for a baby in her forties - are addictive viewing, but it's her chats with new friends across the world that truly stun. The scene in which she timidly introduces a group of dumbfounded Indian women to the concept of masturbation is extraordinary, while the Somalian victims of genital mutilation put Fox's own problems firmly into perspective. A compulsive real-life soap opera that will heighten your awareness of all that you take for granted.

Waz

Tom Shankland at the film premier Waz

Screenwriter Clive Bradley

Tom Shankland at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Stellan Skarsgar at the film premier Waz

Stellan Skarsgar and Tom Shankland at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

WAZ   Investigating a string of grisly murders and associated attacks, idealistic rookie detective Helen Westcott identifies a connection with a horrific gang rape case from some years before. But why are Helen's superiors so loth to listen to her reasoning? And what is the meaning of the algebraic formula found at each new crime scene? With excellent performances from Melissa George, Stellan Skarsgård and Selma Blair, this atmospheric and disturbing debut injects the intelligence back into high-concept horror - think Se7en rather than Saw. HM This film is directed by Skillset .  EIFF Trailblazer Tom Shankland.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival Jury

The Jury Jonathan Coe, Jay Weissberg, Natalie Press, Kate Dickie, Geoff Gilmore

Natalie Press Jury member for the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Geoff Gilmore Jury member for the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Kate Dickie Jury member for the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Jay Weissberg Jury member for the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

THE JURY   The Edinburgh International Film Festival the longest continually running film festival in the world, announced the members of the Michael Powell Award jury that will preside over the landmark 61th Edition.  Named in honour of one of Britain's most original filmmakers, and inaugurated in 1993.  The Michael Powell Award, which is sponsored by the United Kingdom Film Council, is given to the best new British feature film in the festival.  Judged by an international jury, the award celebrates imagination and creativity in British filmmaking.

Sky Movies Best Documentary Award

Sky Movies Best Documentary Award Jeffry Blitz, Penny Woodcock and Pawel Pawlikowski

Jeffry Blitz Best Documentary Award

Penny Woodcock Best Documentary Award

Pawel Pawlikowski Best Documentary Award

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD   Introduced by the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2006, the award recognises a singular and compelling achievement in non fictional making and is intended to honour work which reveals a fascination with a particular subject, rendered onscreen with style, truthfulness and integrity to its scources.

Death Proof

The car arriving with Zoe Bell for the premier of Death Proof

Zoe Bell arriving for the premier Death Proof

Zoe Bell at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

DEATH PROOF   Framed as a 70s drive-in indulgence - complete with grainy stock, jump cuts and flamboyant violence - but as contemporary as only the creator of instant hipster cults could make it, Death Proof is a trip. Two carloads of sharp-talking vixens find themselves targeted in turn by insatiable psycho-killer Stuntman Mike - but still find time to discuss old movies, slate bad boyfriends, and perform the odd diverting lapdance. Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Tracie Thoms and Zoë Bell are among the starlets keeping the hotpants brief and the tempo snappy, while Kurt Russell has the time of his life in the bad guy role. The most indulgent, shameless, lovable chick-centric B-romp since Russ Meyer was in his prime.

Waiting Room

Rupert Graves from the film Waiting Room

Ralph Little at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Rodger Goldby film director of Waiting Room

Rupert Graves, Anne Marie Duff, Ralph Little and Rodger Goldby

Frank Finlay from the film Waiting Room

Anne Marie Duff at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

WAITING ROOM   Lone parent Anna (Anne-Marie Duff) is involved with next-door neighbour George (Rupert Graves), whose marriage has settled into a rut. Meanwhile care worker Stephen (Ralf Little) is having doubts about his own long-term relationship. When Anna and Stephen meet by chance, each glimpses the happiness that has hitherto been so elusive.... Quietly assured in its lived-in sense of naturalism, yet effortlessly sophisticated, this is a hugely entertaining debut from writer/director Roger Goldby. Poignant, frequently funny performances from a fine British cast help enormously. Intelligent, adult entertainment, The Waiting Room is a bracingly clear-headed account of relationships hitting a sticky patch - but also a deeply romantic movie that will renew your faith in love at first sight.

Sparkle

Amanda Ryan, Shaun Evans and Stockard Channing arriving for the film Sparkle

Amanda Ryan and Shaun Evans at the premier of Sparkle

Stockard Channing

Amanda Ryan at the premier of Sparkle

Neil Hunter and Tom Hussinger being interviewed before the film

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

SPARKLE   This winning combination of sly charm, beautiful performances and witty dialogue is a worthy follow-up to Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter's 2001 gem The Lawless Heart (EIFF 2001). Their latest romantic comedy follows ambitious young Sam (Shaun Evans) as he moves down to London from the North. A liaison with older executive Sheila (a superb Stockard Channing) pleasurably advances his career - but when he hits it off with the alluring Kate, things get really complicated. Throw in the sweetly reticent relationship between Sam's mum (Lesley Manville) and her kindly landlord Vince (a tremendous Hoskins), and you have a film of seductive appeal and - well - sparkle.

Control

Sam Riley arriving for the film premier Control

Anton Corbijn director of the film Control

Producer of Control Orian Williams

James Anthony Pearson at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Alexandra Maria Lara and Sam Riley at the film premier Control

Alexandra Maria Lara entering the cinema for the premier of Control

Samantha Morton at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Samantha Morton at the film premier Control

Craig Parkinson at the premier of Control

Toby Kebbell at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

The cast at the film premier Control

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

CONTROL   It's easy to forget that Ian Curtis, lead singer with Joy Division, was only 23 when his rise to fame was tragically curtailed. His short spell in the spotlight was characterised by an inimitable stage presence and a singular lyrical gift, but also by agonising private conflicts. This feature debut by photographer Anton Corbijn - who took many of the definitive pictures of Joy Division - pays eloquent tribute to its hero, played in a breakout turn by Sam Riley. Samantha Morton co-stars as Curtis's wife Debbie, on whose book the film is based. Distinguished by its intimate connection to its subjects and its unexpected flashes of irreverent humour, this is a work as elegant and emotionally charged as the music that it celebrates. 

This Filthy World

John Waters entering the cinema for the premier of This Filthy World

John Waters at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

THIS FILTHY WORLD    I was the only kid in the audience who didn't understand why Dorothy would ever want to go home to that awful black and white farm, when she could live with winged monkeys and magic shoes and gay lions...

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

Hallem Foe

Guests arriving for the start of the 61st Edinburgh International Film Festival

Richard Holloway and daughter with Hannah McGill Artistic Director

Irvine Welsh

Jamie Bell arriving for the premier and being met by Hannah McGill Artistic Director

Jamie Bell, Hannah McGill Artistic Director

Jamie Bell

Peter Jinks

Director of Hallam Foe, David MacKenzie

Jamie Bell,  David MacKenzie and Hannah McGill Artistic Director

Gillian Berrie, Jamie Bell, Hannah McGill Artistic Director and David MacKenzie

Peter Jinks, Gillian Berrie, Jamie Bell, Hannah McGill Artistic Director and David MacKenzie

Sir Menzies Campbell

Guests Sir Menzies Campbell and wife

Tilda Swinton

David MacKenzie and Tilda Swinton

Jamie Bell and Tilda Swinton

Franz Ferdinand from the soundtrack of Hallam Foe with Jamie Bell

Alex Kapranos

Nick McCarthy

John Waters arriving for the start of 61st film festival

John Waters

John Waters being interviewed for the film festival

Jamie Bell going in to the cinema for the start of the 61st Edinburgh International Film Festival

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

The 61st Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007 [Hallem Foe]

HALLAM FOE is a darkly funny, bittersweet coming of age story about a 17-year-old who likes to watch the world from a tree house in the grounds of his father's house in the Scottish Borders. The film features Jamie Bell in his first starring role in a UK film since Billy Elliot and co-stars Sophia Myles ("Tristan + Isolde", "Thunderbirds"), Claire Forlani ("Meet Joe Black") and Ciarán Hinds ("Munich"). It is a magical story of redemptive love, loss and life on the rooftops of Edinburgh. Young Hallam is almost over the sudden death of his mother when he begins to suspect that his beautiful step-mother may have had a hand in her death. Fleeing his family for Edinburgh, he lives on the rooftops of the Capital, where his new-found obsession with voyeurism takes a dangerous turn as he falls in love with a girl who happens to look just like his mother…

David Mackenzie (“Young Adam”) directed “Hallam Foe” from a script he and Ed Whitmore adapted from Peter Jinks’ novel of the same title. Gillian Berrie produced the film. Executive producers are Duncan Reid, Peter Touche and Matthew Justice.

Brilliantly directed by David Mackenzie our opening night film is a fiercely original romance, as charming on the surface as it is dark at heart. It's also a major breakthrough for both of its young stars, whose charisma and chemistry fairly leaps off the screen. Packed with stylish detail, from its David Shrigley titles to its Domino Records soundtrack, this adaptation of Peter Jinks' novel is an unforgettable gem.

Showing off some of the skills that these actors have used

South Korean B-Boy crew from the film Last for One

South Korean B-Boy crew from the film Last for One

South Korean B-Boy Crew

Copyright photographs taken by Andrew Murphy

All copying strictly forbidden in part or whole

Information from the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2007

LAST FOR ONE   South Korean B-Boy crew Last for One, stars of Benson Lee's brilliant film Planet B-Boy (screening as part of EIFF's Mirrorball Section - Sat 18 and Sun 19 August) will be showing off the skills that made them one of the world's leading b-boy crews.

Last for One  is a b-boy performance ensemble from South Korea and is one of the most internationally respected b-boy crews currently active in the world. They won 1st place at the 2005 Battle of the Year in Braunschweig, Germany, the largest b-boy event in the world, and took 2nd place at the 2006 Battle of the Year. They have performed all over the world, including the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Spain, China, Japan, Taiwan, Cambodia, Thailand and the Phillipines.

To contact the Edinburgh International Film Festival for more information, log onto the website below:

The Edinburgh International Film Festival

______________________________________________________________________

All material contained on this Internet site is the copyright material of Andrew Murphy of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh.   All copying from www.murphysedinburgh.co.uk and www.murphysedinburgh.co.uk in part or whole is strictly forbidden.

e-mail:  murphysedinburgh@btinternet.com

______________________________________________________

Index

Click the link below for the page index

______________________________________________________