Filmhouse is Scotland's foremost independent cinema and home of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. 

An aimless, former tennis champion living a life of casual work and hedonism on the island of Fuerteventura finds himself drawn into a web of mystery involving a young, troubled family. Enigmatic and beautifully shot, this is a taut, mysterious and Highsmith-esque existential thriller from acclaimed director Jan-Ole Gerster (Oh Boy!, EIFF 2013). Unclassified: 18+

EIFF: Islands

Ángela is overjoyed upon learning she is pregnant. The question of whether her daughter will inherit her deafness impacts her and everyone around her. A tender and emotionally intelligent drama about love and resilience in a challenging world. Unclassified: 15+. Screens with Bumblebee (Abellón) (Spain, 19min).

EIFF: Deaf/Bumblebee

When an enigmatic artist (Jennifer Ehle) invites a young bartender to pose for her, a strange, confusing relationship develops that will change both women forever. An elegant, subtle drama with a chilly edge, this is a restrained and emotionally intelligent exploration of selfish desires, hidden motivations and what it takes to know yourself. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: In Transit

Oddball staff, wacky clientele and even ageing Hollywood idols cross paths at a small-town US cinema on the day of its closure in this darkly hilarious and beautifully shot love letter to cinema and cinemagoing. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Concessions

The clientele of a rundown Soviet-era health resort seek for love, health and happiness in war-torn Ukraine where air raid sirens and plumes of smoke from nearby Russian bombing raids disturb their much sought-after peace. This is a thoughtful, humane documentary that offers a unique perspective on the current situation in Ukraine. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Sanatorium

Eva Victor proves herself a multi-hyphenate talent to reckon with as she writes, directs and stars in this wonderfully funny and moving film full of beauty, wit and grace about a young woman wrestling with a trauma from her past and struggling to create a future for herself. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Sorry, Baby

A Yugoslav refugee rebuilds his life in Bristol, counselling by day and playing in a Balkan band by night. As shadows from his past return, he fights to protect the fragile bond with his daughter in this profoundly moving debut feature. Unclassified: 15+. Screens with Truckload (UK, 19mins).

EIFF: Surviving Earth/Truckload

A young woman embarks on a road trip to find her estranged father, aided by a charismatic stranger on the way. A film brimming with character and heart, this is a vivid and visually striking queer road movie that has a strong message of self-empowerment at its core. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Low Rider

Every year contestants from around the world travel to a scenic village in the Scottish Highlands for the World Porridge Making Championship where they compete for the coveted trophy, the Golden Spurtle. This gripping, hilarious and ultimately moving documentary offers a window into a uniquely competitive world. Unclassified: Suitable for all. 

EIFF: The Golden Spurtle

A mild-mannered Iranian mortician in Canada forms an unexpected bond with a dissident singer in exile in this unpredictable and gripping character study from director Abdolreza Kahani (A Shrine, EIFF 2024 Competition). Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Mortician

An ostracised neuroscientist is drawn out of hiding by an activist group of idealistic young scientists fascinated by his previously discredited theories. An offbeat, intriguing exploration of idol worship, consumerism and nonconformity, this mysterious film is dark, unpredictable and humorous in equal measure. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Novak

A fishing village on the Welsh coast is the breathtakingly atmospheric setting for this rough and tender love story about a married mussel farmer who falls in love with a handsome newcomer. Unclassified: 18+.

EIFF: On The Sea

Belgian auteurs and profound humanists Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne return with another riveting and moving study of human nature and social constraints. Here they explore the women at a shelter for young mothers, each with their own unique and moving stories to tell. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Young Mothers

An affecting, gorgeously crafted documentary about the remaining people in Malmberget in north Sweden, a small town collapsing into the mines beneath it. As residents reflect on the once vibrant community, the town itself is slowly dismantled around them. Haunting, reflective and beautifully shot, this is pure cinema. Unclassified: Parental Guidance. 

EIFF: Once You Shall Be One Of Those Who Lived Long Ago

Ondine Viñao’s visually stunning, punkish and remarkably assured debut is a modern retelling of an Aesop fable, in which two women from different worlds collide over one night at a debauched party and are faced with a bizarre offer from a charismatic stranger. Unclassified: 18+.

EIFF: Two Neighbors

A grief-stricken gravedigger reanimates her drowned lover in this lo-fi, punk riff on Frankenstein. Grace Glowicki’s surreal debut is a wildly funny, grotesquely tender story of love, death and transformation. Unclassified: 15+. Screens with Death's Peak (UK, 9min).

EIFF: Dead Lover/Death's Peak

A young woman finds herself in a derelict hotel as nightmarish visions from her past come to haunt her. Julie Pacino’s directorial debut is a darkly humorous psychological horror about female pain and identity. Unclassified: 18+. Screens with Drainomania (US, 15min).

EIFF: I Live Here Now/Drainomania

Prone to lashing out at staff, indulging in drug-fuelled binges, and wildly overselling the stability of her company, ruthless real estate agent Natasha (Polly Maberly) finds herself in debt to some vicious gangsters in this tightly wound and darkly hilarious new thriller. Unclassified: 18+. Screens with Sleazy Tiger (UK, 15mins).

EIFF: Odyssey/Sleazy Tiger

A grieving mother’s cycle of violence across the multiverse comes to a head when the chance for catharsis presents itself. A grittily inventive and unpredictable spin on revenge thrillers and the time travel genre with a real emotional core. Unclassified: 18+. Screens with Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting (US, 18mins). 

EIFF: Redux Redux/Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting

Explore the infinite possibilities of animation with a stunning programme of inventive, expressive and entirely unique tales from around the world. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Animation Shorts

In this hilarious, inventive reboot, director Macon Blair reimagines the cult character from the grisly 80s franchise. Featuring brilliant turns from Peter Dinklage, Elijah Wood and Kevin Bacon, this is a staggeringly violent and darkly humorous Toxic Avenger for the 21st century. Unclassified: 18+. Screens with TOE (US, 13min).

EIFF: The Toxic Avenger/Toe

A selection of the finest new short films from across the world, ranging from biting realism to surreal satire. Board games, Thanksgiving dinners and a dictator’s dog all play a part in this year’s short film competition, which explores the power and danger of relationships with lovers, friends and pets. Competing for a £15,000 prize named in honour of accclaimed editor Thelma Schoonmaker, this is a rich collection of World Premieres from a plethora of remarkable filmmaking talent. Unclassified: 18+.

EIFF: Competition Shorts

A powerhouse shorts programme showcasing some of the most extraordinary storytelling from across the globe, from Scotland and America to Sweden and Brazil. Reckonings with the past connects this year’s selection of astonishing short films, including meditative documentaries and heartbreaking queer stories. EIFF brings these remarkable films to the UK for the first time, in a showcase of pioneering shortform work. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Out of Competition Shorts

Two disillusioned teenage girls embark on a dangerous and life-changing journey to the Syrian border from the UK, in this powerfully evocative portrait of friendship, girlhood, and radicalisation from director and playwright Nadia Fall. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Brides

Fearlessly pushing back against custom, Sara Shahverdi, the first councilwoman in an Iranian village, challenges the patriarchy by teaching girls to ride motorcycles and resist child marriage, until her intentions are deemed suspicious. A subtly moving and timely documentary that is as humane as it is angry. Unclassified: Parental Guidance. 

EIFF: Cutting Through Rocks

An AI version of Werner Herzog narrates a crime mystery generated by AI in an absurd, deepfake universe. An eerie, fascinating exploration of the evolving nature of artificial intelligence in a world where it is ever more present. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: About A Hero

A lonely pensioner (Blethyn) strikes up an unlikely friendship with her troubled neighbour (Riseborough) in Paul Andrew Williams’ beautifully observed and tautly constructed thriller of suburban discontent and brooding violence. Unclassified: 18+

EIFF: Dragonfly

This gorgeous black-and-white film is an adaptation of a Welsh language opera with music by renowned composer Gareth Glyn. A unique blend of theatre and cinema, this is a rich and beautifully performed exploration of the troubled creative mind. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Fires Of The Moon

A heartwarming, homegrown family film, this star-studded Scottish fantasy follows a troubled young girl as she begins a new life with her tough aunt and discovers a supernatural talent that might help her win a contentious local pumpkin-growing contest. Unclassified: Suitable for all. 

EIFF: Grow

Three adult children and their mother reunite after the death of their abusive father and engage in a strange, cruel competition that shaped their childhood. As the games play out, hidden truths emerge. A bold, original and blackly comic satire that fearlessly skewers social constructs, the nuclear family and toxic masculinity. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Best Boy

A queer camboy agrees to spend the night with a mysterious stranger in this utterly gripping, unflinching and unexpectedly moving thriller exploring taboo desires and the horrible power of the past. Unclassified: 18+.

EIFF: Blue Film

A fading seaside hotel becomes the backdrop for creeping dread and darkly comic absurdity when a staff member vanishes without a trace. Samuel Blenkin delivers a deadpan performance in Harry Sherriff’s hauntingly funny debut. Unclassified: 15+. Screens with Terence (UK, 15min).

EIFF: Misper/Terence

Screening as part of Budd Boetticher: The Ranown Cycle. EIFF presents six compact and beautiful films directed by Budd Boetticher, which present the apotheosis of the Western genre and all-star classic Hollywood golden age movie icon Randolph Scott. Presented in collaboration with Edinburgh Film Guild and introduced by Ehsan Khoshbakht from Il Cinema Ritrovato. In Buchanan Rides Alone Scott plays lone gunslinger Tom who finds himself embroiled in a bitter feud in a corrupt town. Traditional Western thrills fuse with elements of the courtroom drama in this lurid and exciting tale. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: Buchanan Rides Alone (1958)

After a tragic loss, a pregnant woman’s affair with a charismatic singer spirals into mystery and danger in this gripping erotic thriller that explores grief, obsession and the haunting power of a fleeting, intense connection. Introduced by producer, screenwriter and former EIFF Director Lynda Myles. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Lynda Myles Celebrates: After This Death

Ordered to lie low in a remote countryside safe house, a crew of London criminals begin to turn on one another. Eddie Marsan and Sam Claflin lead a brooding, stylish thriller exploring control, moral reckoning and inevitable violence. Unclassified: 18+

EIFF: All The Devils Are Here

Screening as part of Budd Boetticher: The Ranown Cycle. EIFF presents six compact and beautiful films directed by Budd Boetticher, which present the apotheosis of the Western genre and all-star classic Hollywood golden age movie icon Randolph Scott. Presented in collaboration with Edinburgh Film Guild and introduced by Ehsan Khoshbakht from Il Cinema Ritrovato. Comanche Station finds Jefferson (Scott) locked into a battle of wills and fists with a corrupt gang intent on abducting the young woman he has recently rescued in exchange for a large bounty. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: Comanche Station (1960)

Director Dominik Moll (The Night of the 12th) returns with this spellbinding police thriller exploring the aftermath of a civilian injury on the streets of Paris. As an Internal Affairs team begins the complex task of unpicking a complicated case, they face evasion and cover-ups at every turn. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Case 137

Screening as part of Budd Boetticher: The Ranown Cycle. EIFF presents six compact and beautiful films directed by Budd Boetticher, which present the apotheosis of the Western genre and all-star classic Hollywood golden age movie icon Randolph Scott. Presented in collaboration with Edinburgh Film Guild and introduced by Ehsan Khoshbakht from Il Cinema Ritrovato. In Decision at Sundown, Scott plays vengeful husband Bart, intent on hunting down the man who wronged his late wife. But things may not be as simple as they initially seem in this thorny and violent reckoning with the past.

EIFF: Decision at Sundown (1956)

Diamonds Are Forever finds Bond in full revenge mode, intent on hunting down his arch nemesis Blofeld once and for all. But tracking Blofeld down will not be simple and will take Bond on another dazzling globe-trotting journey, taking in an extravagant chase in the Californian desert, cruel encounters with deadly assassins, and a final seabound showdown to rival anything in the franchise for scale and thrills. Classified: 12A.

EIFF: Diamonds are Forever (1971)

The very first Bond story to hit the big screen, Dr. No introduces the character with style and swagger as Bond investigates a diabolical plan by an evil scientist. Featuring the iconic appearance of Ursula Andress as definitive Bond girl Honey Ryder, as well as a dazzling array of iconic sets and sequences. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: Dr. No (1962)

In suburban Bangkok, a family’s faith is thrown into crisis when their daughter is kidnapped. From one of the UK’s most distinctive filmmaking voices, Simon Rumley’s new film is a thrilling, unflinching meditation on grief and vengeance. Unclassified: 18+

EIFF: Crushed

Sean Connery's second appearance as the iconic character in the spectacular From Russia With Love finds Bond locked into his first deadly battle with the mysterious, shadowy network of criminals known as Spectre. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: From Russia with Love (1963)

Selected by our special guest, Nia DaCosta, as a film that has influenced her filmmaking career, Doug Liman’s black comedy thriller about a drug deal gone wrong is a kinetic ride stacked with 90s pop culture references. Luminous performances from Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes and Timothy Olyphant, Tarantino-esque interlocking timelines and a cracking soundtrack make this a treat on the big screen. Classified: 18+.

EIFF: Go (1999)

Featuring arguably the definitive Bond song and many of the character's best remembered big screen moments, Sean Connery's third appearance as Bond finds the super spy caught up in a web of conspiracy and chaos orchestrated by the dastardly millionaire Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) in one of the most completely joyous action films of the era. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: Goldfinger (1964)

In this classic Ealing comedy, Alec Guinness stars as a brilliant young chemist who is determined to create a fabric that will never stain or wear out. But he and his invention fall foul of factory workers and management who worry he will put them out of business. Presented here in a stunning new 4K restoration from StudioCanal, this classic British satire remains as fresh and funny as ever. Classified: Suitable for all. 

EIFF: The Man in the White Suit (1951)

Adapted from an Elmore Leonard story, The Tall T finds Scott in the role of a luckless ranchman who winds up mixed up with ruthless outlaws intent on claiming a ransom for a recently married heiress. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: The Tall T (1957)

Featuring astonishing underwater fight sequences, breathless chases and Bond's incredible utilisation of a nifty jetpack, Sean Connery's fourth outing as the super spy is a rollicking action adventure in which the formula and scale for the films that followed is arguably first fully expressed. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: Thunderball (1965)

Sean Connery's fifth adventure as the iconic character is one of the most spectacular films in the series, featuring daring aerial combat, hijinks in outer space and one of the most elaborate villain lairs ever conceived for cinema as Bond squares off against the evil Blofeld (Pleasance), who is intent on transforming the space race into the next frontier of his dastardly plans for global domination. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: You Only Live Twice (1967)

Filmed in striking, austere black and white, Hungarian writer-director Bálint Dániel Sós’ auspicious debut feature is a gripping, tightly wound family drama which examines the repercussions of a tragic incident involving two children. Unclassified: 15+

EIFF: Growing Down

Sixteen-year-old Lucia joins a Catholic girls’ choir and befriends older AnaMaria, but her attraction to a restoration worker during a choir getaway will strain the friendship and challenge her beliefs in this striking coming-of-age debut. Unclassified: 18+

EIFF: Little Trouble Girls

An experimental reflection on the changeable and complex nature of memory through the lens of neurodivergence. This is the latest unmissable project from filmmaker Andrew Kötting, led by the worldview of his daughter, Eden. Unclassified: Suitable for all. 

EIFF: The Memory Blocks

A film about a film that never was, Charlie Shackleton’s meta documentary explores the tropes, moral loopholes and shock tactics of the true crime genre with wit, originality and playfulness. Unclassified: 18+

EIFF: Zodiac Killer Project

Selected by our special guest Kevin Macdonald as a film that has hugely influenced him, this classic 1957 Soviet-era war film directed by Mikhail Kalatozov explores the physical and psychological impact of WWII on the Russian psyche. Winner of the Palme D’Or at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Classified: Parental Guidance.

EIFF: The Cranes are Flying

EIFF is delighted to partner with NFTS Scotland and The Sean Connery Foundation to present the World Premiere of six short films created via the inaugural Sean Connery Talent Lab. These rich, vibrant and diverse films showcase six new filmmakers of immense talent and promise and spotlight a variety of perspectives on Scotland and Scottish stories. Unclassified: 18+

EIFF: NFTS Sean Connery Lab Shorts

EIFF is delighted to partner with Scottish Documentary Institute to present the short documentary films created through the Bridging the Gap training programme. Inner forces and outside influences shape this collection of short films which offer surprising, intimate and poetic insights of contemporary Scotland. Unclassified: 15+.

EIFF: Bridging the Gap Shorts

Ride Lonesome finds Scott in the role of stoic bounty hunter Ben who faces off against various brutal outlaws in his quest to return a wanted murderer to face justice. Classified: 12A.

EIFF: Ride Lonesome (1959)

EIFF presents the raucous Scottish classic on the big screen for all to enjoy. Featuring the soaring music of Big Country, and directed with aplomb by Michael Hoffman, this riotous 1985 comedy follows the wild adventures of two Edinburgh teenagers who rob tour buses and escape by motorbike, armed only with sneezing powder and joke shop masks. Classified: 12A. 

EIFF: Restless Natives (1985)

From the microscopic to the planetary, this programme traces the invisible threads between nature, identity and power, exploring bodies, systems and imagined futures, and blending poetic vision with political urgency. Unclassified: 18+.

EIFF: Experimental Shorts

Ken Loach's 2006 Palme D'Or-winning film is a heartfelt and stirring epic exploring the rift that emerges between two brothers who find themselves fighting against one another in the conflict over Irish independence in the early 1920s. Presented from a 35mm print, this screening will be preceded by a special introduction by the filmmakers. Classified: 15. 

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