EIFF begin search for new artistic director

Chris Fujiwara has departed after three years in the role. Picture: Neil Hanna

The departure of Chris Fujiwara has left the event facing a race against time to find a replacement after the Japanese-American author and critic decided to leave with another year left on his contract. His deputy, Diane Henderson, has responsibility for programming next year’s festival until a new artistic director is found.

Mr Fujiwara, who has led a revival for the event during his tenure, has not provided an explanation for his departure, instead merely stating that he is keen to “pursue other activities.”

However The Scotsman understands he and the festival have parted company early by mutual consent after agreeing that both he and the event should move on after three years.

Insiders at the event say they are already scouting around the world for a new artistic director who can expand the audience of the event.

Mr Fujiwara is widely regarded as having partly restored the festival’s reputation during his tenure, which followed a disastrous rethink of the event in 2011, when red carpet galas and award ceremonies were banished and fewer film premieres were programmed under Australian director James Mullighan.

Although ticket sales have risen steadily during his time, they are still lagging well behind the numbers being notched up by the EIFF when it was staged in August.

Mr Fujiwara’s time in the post has been dogged by speculation over whether the festival - which moved to the middle of June in 2008 - would return to its traditional slot in August. Next year will see the Edinburgh International Festival return to an earlier slot in the calendar, bringing it into line with the Fringe for the first time in 18 years.

The departure of Mr Fujiwara, who was a surprise appointment when he was unveiled in September 2011, is all the more surprising because he only agreed to extend his contract with the event in June 2012, after a critically-acclaimed debut programme.

At the time, he said: “Working on this year’s EIFF has been one of the most challenging and fulfilling experiences of my career. The interest and enthusiasm of the festival audience and the dedication and professionalism of the festival staff and volunteers have transformed my view of the importance cinema can hold in people’s lives.”

However, in a brief statement issued by the festival, Mr Fujiwara said: “It’s been a genuine honour to work with the team in Edinburgh and contribute to the rebirth of the festival over the last three years. However, I have decided to step down from my role at the festival to pursue other activities.”

Film producer Bob Last, the chair of the EIFF board, said: “Chris Fujiwara’s programming has reminded EIFF and our audiences of how important and inspiring it is to be challenged by technique, by content, by a diversity of view points, and by innovation.

“As we reach out to wider audiences we will remain grateful to Chris for his contribution to EIFF at one of its most challenging moments.”

Edinburgh-based film critic Richard Mowe said: “Chris Fujiwara is standing down sensibly at a time in the calendar which gives any successor space to plan ahead with the existing team.

“He was not perhaps an obvious candidate but he has succeeded in putting his mark on the event after disastrous couple of years and to a degree has restored its international reputation.

“Confidence, however, has not been completely revived and London-based media and distributors have still to give the festival whole-hearted support.

“Any new incumbent could, perhaps, be someone of stature closer to home. There are plenty of candidates and the board to do not necessarily have to cast their net wide. They do need to make up their minds faster than the last time when the process became extremely protracted.

“The festival is definitely in better shape than when Chris first arrived but it still lacks a cohesive identity and global profile.”

Jonathan Melville, editor of the film website ReelScotland, said: “Chris Fujiwara had the Herculean task of taking over a festival reeling from 2011’s PR disaster and he’s to be applauded for getting things back on track. He felt like a safe pair of hands and his commitment to new filmmakers and documentary resulted in strong programmes.

“Without wanting a repeat of 2011, perhaps it’s time for the festival to rethink its priorities and refresh things for 2015, with a bold new artistic director working closely alongside the established team to stand out on the international scene.”

ANALYSIS

Alistair Harkness: ‘He provided a solid foundation for EIFF’s future’

Chris Fujiwara did a fairly decent job of re-invigorating the festival and trying to refocus attention on the films.

His choices could be a little obscure at times, but that wasn’t always a bad thing, and he certainly seemed to be building up the profile of the festival again, at least to the point where distributors seemed willing to launch some of their more festival friendly fare in Edinburgh.

There also seemed to be be a gradual rise in the number filmmakers and actors attending the festival in support of their films, which always helps to create a bit more buzz around the event.

His legacy might just be that he’s provided a solid foundation for the EIFF to continue adapting to the increasingly crowded festival scene. As for the kind of individual they should be looking for next, that’s hard to say: the level of scrutiny surrounding the appointment tends to be a little out of proportion to the actual job (nobody ever seems to have these debates about who runs the London Film Festival for instance).

But if the festival gets someone who can hit the ground running, work with the current team and put their own stamp on proceedings as well, there’s no reason why it can’t continue to change with the times in interesting new ways.

• Alistair Harkness is The Scotsman’s film critic.