It has the proud claim to fame as the world's longest continually-running celebration of cinema. There was much that was familiar as the Edinburgh International Film Festival returned nearly two years on from its sudden financial collapse. Nostalgia was definitely in the air as one of its original venues, the Cameo Cinema, took centre stage to host its opening night curtain-raiser, The Outrun, and a genuine A-list star Saoirse Ronan.
The organised chaos of the EIFF’s opening night also made a comeback, with photo calls and press interviews taking place in a jam-packed cafe-bar before Ronan, author Amy Liptrot and director Nora Fingscheidt headed down the red carpet for a final round of pictures. I had time to file my own copy before taking my seat long after the advertised start-time – to a few dirty looks in the audience from various chums who suspected I had single-handedly held up proceedings. Among those heckling me was new council chief executive Paul Lawrence, who is now ultimately responsible for keeping the city moving and the festivals going each August.
Perhaps after noticing that the bus stop outside the front door of the Cameo had been closed to accommodate the premiere, before the lights finally went down one wag in the audience said to me: “Maybe Saoirse Ronan is still on the No 16 bus.” It was a slightly more calming scene a couple of hours earlier at the Caledonian Hotel, where I met with The Outrun director Nora Fingscheidt for a quick chat before we both headed off to the cinema. Before the interview began, Fingscheidt, who is expecting a baby, gave me my most terrifying moment of the month, when she sought my advice on which outfit she should wear out on the red carpet, out of three choices on her mobile phone.
I’m not saying she took my advice, but let’s just say my choice made the cut. The historic heart of Edinburgh is famously awash with posters in August, with railings, bins, lampposts, shop windows and buildings commandeered to promote shows. The National Galleries of Scotland has, of course, a prime spot at the foot of The Mound to promote its own exhibitions.
Its new summer show is devoted to Sir John Lavery, the artist sometimes referred to as the “Belfast-born Glasgow Boy” due to the time he spent in the city and his links with the Glasgow Boys – the radical young painters who emerged in the city in the late 19th century. Perhaps keen to capitalise on the number of Irish visitors in the Scottish capital over the summer, the marketing team at the National Galleries have focused on Lavery’s roots with their campaign for the show. It has been so successful that I hear comedy fans have even been snapping up tickets to see “The Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Tour.
” Imagine their surprise at the grandeur of the Royal Scottish Academy building, then experiencing the “sumptuous portraits, impressionistic landscapes and idyllic scenes of leisure” that Lavery painted in New York, Paris, Morocco, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland and Italy. To be fair, that sounds a pretty appealing alternative to back-to-back comedy shows..
