Edinburgh International Film Festival: Sir Sean Connery's legacy honoured with new prize backed by star’s family

Audiences will choose the winner of the best feature film award, which will be run in Sir Sean Connery’s name

Sir Sean Connery’s family is to become a major backer of the reborn Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

A prestigious new award for best feature film at the event is to be instigated in his memory from this summer. Festival audiences will choose the winner of the annual £50,000 Sean Connery Prize from a programme of world premieres.

The prize is being backed by the Sean Connery Foundation, which was launched two years ago to “honour the legacy” of the Edinburgh-born actor, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 90.

Sir Sean Connery outside the Filmhouse cinema on Lothian Road during the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Picture: David Cheskin

Best known for his portrayal of James Bond, Sir Sean was a regular visitor to the film festival and was a long-time patron of the 77-year-old event. The film festival prize has been announced months after the foundation revealed plans for a permanent film and TV school in the city.

It has joined forces to create the new Sean Connery Talent Lab, a year-long programme that is hoped to become a “cornerstone of the Scottish film industry”.

The foundation was also involved in an industry taskforce created to try revive the film festival after the sudden collapse of the Centre for the Moving Image, the arts charity that ran the event in recent years, in October 2022.

Its recovery plan is being led by leading producer Andrew Macdonald and Paul Ridd, who was appointed as the new EIFF director in November.

Sir Sean Connery at the "Dressed To Kilt" charity fashion show in New York in 2009. Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Mr Ridd has vowed to lead the event into “a bright new future with world-class films, world-class filmmakers and engaged audiences at the heart of everything we do”.

Ten specially-selected feature films will be in the running for the Sean Connery Prize, which will be one of two major awards handed out at this year’s festival, with the other going to the best short film.

His son Stephane Connery, chair of the foundation, said: “From the moment we launched the Sean Connery Foundation, we have been focused on expanding opportunities for talented young people from Scotland to access rewarding careers in the film industry, particularly those who face disadvantage.

“Investing in a revitalised Edinburgh International Film Festival is another piece of that puzzle, providing a local showcase for global talent, where young Scots can find inspiration, mentors and role-models to fuel their own film education journey.

Sir Sean Connery after being knighted by the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in 2000. Picture: David Cheskin/PA.

"My only wish is that Sean could join us to award the prize himself. He would have loved it.”

Jason Connery, Sir Sean’s son, who has pursued a career as an actor and filmmaker, said: “Dad made it a priority to attend the Edinburgh Film International Festival. He knew first-hand what it meant to work hard and struggle for opportunity. He also knew how hard it is to make an extraordinary film.

"With this prize, we link his legacy as a talent who rose from humble means to achieve global success, with the next generation of artists forging that same path, and we do it by supporting the film festival he so loved, in the hometown he cherished.”

Mr Ridd said: “Sean Connery was a vital patron of EIFF, consistently showing up to support new talent and gracing countless red carpets. He loved Edinburgh and he loved the festival.

Sir Sean Connery unveiling a plaque to mark the site of his birthplace in Fountainbridge in Edinburgh in 2010. Picture: Jane Barlow

“We are thrilled to establish the prize to honour this iconic Scottish star and we are immensely moved by the generosity of the Sean Connery Foundation, which shares our respect for cinema history and excitement for its future.”