Edinburgh International Film festival flew by, and then I emerged blinking into the real world. Feels like a bit of a blur now, but memories linger of the good times, great chats, boiling weather (!), and especially of some of the amazing films I saw – including Uncertain Terms, and the beautifully crafted I Believe In Unicorns.
My favourite of the fest though was the stylish and gorgeously shot Set Fire To The Stars starring Elijah Wood and a standout performance from Celyn Jones as eponymous poet and raconteur Dylan Thomas. I was lucky enough to attend an interview with Elijah Woods, who fielded lots of ‘difficult’ but heartfelt questions from Lord Of The Rings fans (and revealed his love of vinyl and swearing) – stardom on his level is a definite double-edged sword – but was sorry he didn’t get more time to discuss the film. SFTTS also features a bit of a scene-stealer from Shirley Henderson, and has shades of Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Wolf, but not perhaps, in the way you imagine…. but no more info in case of spoilers!
Since then I’ve been editing a feature script as it garnered a bit of interest at the EIFF (which is nice) and needs to go out for a few reads, and been invited along for some writerly brainstorming at a production company. Other things too, including a new(ish) project that may become a feature; it’s very influenced by the landscape and changeable weather and feels quite tentative but exciting at the moment.
Already missing the comforting EIFF film hub and constant presence of film-minded folk in every bar and cafe. EIFF 2014 was definitely a good one!
mandy lee 