Edinburgh Film Festival: Renee Zellweger directorial debut to have world premiere as full line-up revealed

Renee Zellweger will present her directorial debut in Edinburgh.

She is best known for her portrayal of 1990s heroine Bridget Jones, where she fought off the attentions of Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in her quest to find a husband.

But now, Hollywood actress Renee Zellweger is to hold the world premiere of her directorial debut film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) - with an animated short film.

Paul Ridd, director of the EIFF, revealed the world premiere of the Bridget Jones star’s first film, They, as the full line-up of this year’s festival is announced.

Filmmaker Ben Wheatley is also to appear at the festival, where the premiere of his latest film Bulk will be shown. He will also take part in one of a series of industry talks to take place at the Tollcross Central Hall.

Alongside nine other short animations, Ms Zellweger’s film, They, will be shown in four separate screenings at Filmhouse, Cameo and Vue.

How Renee Zellweger’s film was secured

Mr Ridd told The Scotsman the festival had been contacted directly by Ms Zellweger’s representatives over the potential inclusion of her film in the festival programme.

He said: “The animation is very playful, it’s beautiful to look at. It's such a surprising thing, because we were approached by Renee Zellweger’s reps with this film. We saw it and we were blown away by it.

“It's nice to see somebody who's so obviously known as a major Hollywood star branching out of doing something of her own and directing at the first time, it’s a really big coup for us.”

US actress Renee Zellweger is to premiere her directorial debut film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. | AFP via Getty Images

The film, which will be shown on August 16, 19 and 20, deals with environmental issues. The film’s programme entry states: “As the world reaches peak negativity, our hero’s plot for peace backfires with drastic consequences.”

Mr Ridd added: “It’s very playful and emotional and there’s something about the story that is what she wanted to express. It’s a really exciting, left-field turn for her career.”

This year’s festival has 43 feature films - slightly up on last year’s figure of 37.

“It's a bit of an increase,” said Mr Ridd. “But what we've set out from day one is the idea of keeping it intact, so that in the programme, every film has its place; every film has its audience. And in effect, if you were going to spend six, seven days with us across the festival, in theory, you could pretty much cover the whole programme.”

A film on competitive porridge making in the Scottish Highlands, Golden Spurtle, which Mr Ridd described as a “real audience pleaser”, will be shown as part of the festival’s documentary series, as will Gar O’Rourke’s Sanotorium, which looks at the situation in Ukraine.

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Diversifying the festival

The EIFF was relaunched last year under new management, following the collapse in 2022 of arts charity the Centre for the Moving Image.

However, Mr Ridd said the festival wants to diversify funding sources to create a strong mixture of public funding and corporate sponsorship, but admitted the landscape was “challenging”. It was one of the recipients of a multi-year funding grant from Creative Scotland at the beginning of the year, and also recently received money from the Scottish Government’s Expo fund. However, more is needed.

“I feel like we offer something up to the world that is unique in terms of the kind of the kind of philanthropic aspect of it,” he said. “The fact that we are so invested in the future of Scottish filmmakers, the Scottish film industry, the UK film industry and the international industry - I think that's very appealing, but it will take time. We're a new organisation, entirely separate from the festival as it previously existed. It's an ongoing process.”

The locations for this year’s EIFF

Earlier this week, the festival announced the venues where the festival will take place, including the newly-reopened Filmhouse and the Cameo cinema, as well as a theatre in the National Gallery of Scotland.

“What we established last year was what our footprint looked like, what the profile of the films was, and what this kind of shape of the programme would be,” said Mr Ridd.

“Now, having built on that over the last year, we're offering something which is an even bigger scale than last year. Add to that being able to play films in the Cameo and also the reopened Filmhouse and our pop up at the National Galleries of Scotland and what we're really opening up is as many access points as possible for people to engage with our cinema.”

For the second year, the festival is selling tickets through the Fringe app, while it is also screening films at Monkey Barrel Comedy - a Fringe venue.

“It's a great opportune moment to lean into all the other arts festivals and Fringe happenings that are going on,” said Mr Ridd. “There's so much talent and so many audiences in the city at that time who are kind of very keen to engage with this kind of work.

“People who are engaging with the film festival specifically will be able to very easily see as much as possible. But there's also strong points of entry for people who are engaging with Fringe shows.”

The Sean Connery film prize

The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence returns this year to present a programme of contemporary international film and new filmmakers. The competition comprises ten feature-length world premieres, with the winning filmmaker awarded £50,000 to support their future projects. Decided by an audience vote, the winner will be announced at the end of the festival.

The undisputed standard-bearer for Scottish actors on the global stage! His definitive portrayal of James Bond across seven films set the benchmark for the character and defined the suave secret agent for generations. Beyond Bond, his rugged charisma and distinct Scottish accent made him a beloved leading man in diverse films like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Untouchables (for which he won an Oscar), ensuring his timeless fame and enduring cultural presence for over half a century. | Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Isabel Davis, executive director at Screen Scotland said: “Paul and the team have surpassed themselves with this year's exceptional, must-attend programme. As the major backers of EIFF, we're overjoyed that the Filmhouse is back in action as a key part of the festival’s new footprint, alongside other great spaces.

“And we are excited by the expanding industry role, providing a springboard for acquisitions, a place for relationships to be forged between Scottish, UK and international filmmakers and professionals, and for emerging talent to encounter the world's greatest films and filmmakers. Tollcross Central Hall as an industry hub is a gift of a space and set to become the focal point for incredible conversations and encounters across the festival.”

The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 14 to Wednesday, August 20.