Coronavirus in Scotland: Edinburgh International Film Festival called off

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has become the first of the city’s major summer events to be called off in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

Timothy Spall was among the guests at the Edinburgh International Film Festival last year. Picture: Brian Anderson/Shutterstock.

Organisers have pulled the plug on the event, the longest continuously running film festival in the world, but are hoping to salvage some elements to stage them later in the year.

The EIFF was traditionally staged in August, but changed its dates in 2008 to try to avoid competition with other major events and deploy a wider range of venues, including the Festival Theatre, which hosts its biggest gala premieres.

The plug has been pulled on the film festival the day after the Beltane Fire Festival and the Edinburgh Science Festival, both of which were due to be staged next month, were cancelled.

Ewan McGregor has been a regular guest on the Edinburgh International Film Festival red carpet. Picture: Lloyd Smith.

Cultural venues across the UK have been going into lockdown since the public were urged to limit “unnecessary” social contact and avoid venues like cinemas and theatres on Monday night.

The film festival, which was due to be held from 17-28 June, is run by the Centre for the Moving Image, which along with the Filmhouse cinema in Edinburgh and the Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen, both of which have been closed with immediate effect.

The cancellation of the festival emerged days after plans for a new £50 million home for the EIFF and the Filmhouse were revealed.

CMI chief executive Ken Hay said: “It is with huge regret that we have taken the necessary decision

to both close the Filmhouse in Edinburgh and the Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen for the

foreseeable future, as well as postpone the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2020.

“As the longest running film festival in the world we are keen to continue even through these

hard times, and we are looking at which elements of it may be delivered later in the year. We

will keep you informed as plans develop.

“For now, we would like to thank our funders, sponsors, partners, staff, donors, patrons,

filmmakers, sales agents, distributors, members and audiences for their loyalty, support and

understanding in these unprecedented times.”