(cid:238)(cid:263)In(cid:235)u(cid:277)(cid:266)H (cid:242)(cid:273)Te(cid:251)n(cid:260)Ti(cid:248)n(cid:260)L (cid:239)(cid:268)(cid:271)M (cid:239)(cid:264)St(cid:242)v(cid:260)L (cid:349)0(cid:348)2 Here’s a small selection of some EIFF 2012 highlights not to be missed
Wednesday 20
Opening Night Gala: Killer Joe UK premiere. Edinburgh Festival Theatre. 9.30pm. Chris (Hirsch) wants to have his mother killed for the insurance and keep it from his naïve younger sister (Temple), so he hires the titular Joe (McConaughey) to do the job: mayhem ensues. A sickly funny down-at- heel Texan noir about dislikeable characters doing unspeakable things, it’s twisted, trashy fun. Thursday 21
Mirage Cineworld. 6pm. Travelling from Seoul to his hometown of Incheon, a prize-winning novelist loses his wallet on the train. Seeking help from the people he once knew in Incheon, the writer gradually finds himself forced to confront the painful high-school incident that scarred his psyche and furnished the unacknowledged inspiration for his work. A hard-hitting debut feature from director Yang Jung-ho. Also Tue 26 Jun. Cineworld. 8.15pm.
Black’s Game Cineworld. 6.10pm. A young slacker with violent tendencies does a job for a gang of drug dealers. Impressing his superiors, he works his way up to a high position in the gang … just as the crooks are setting up their biggest deal yet. Energetic, made with flair, and brimming with local colour, Black’s Game brings some refreshing Icelandic twists to a classic gang-thriller plot. Also Mon 25 Jun. Filmhouse. 8.50pm. Pusher Cineworld. 8.20pm. A London drugs dealer finds himself on the wrong side of a ruthless Mr Big when a massive deal goes disastrously wrong in Luis Prieto’s striking, energetic remake of the 1996 feature that propelled Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson, Drive) into the international spotlight. Also Fri 22 Jun. Cineworld. 9.15pm.
Hail Cineworld. 8.30pm. A hard-hitting Australian drama with powerful similarities to Snowtown. Daniel P Jones plays a version of himself, alongside a cast largely consisting of non-actors, in an occasionally near-hallucinogenic telling of his battle to escape the lure of crime and the consequences of betrayal and grief. Also Sat 23 Jun. Cineworld. 8.30pm. The Invader Cineworld. 8.40pm. An illegal immigrant is driven by obsessional desire and murderous revenge. From the surreal opening, it’s clear that this is no run of the mill look at immigration and exploitation. Amadou is an earnest, hard- working African who finds himself lost and alone in Brussels, where he becomes fixated with an attractive businesswoman. There are echoes of Taxi Driver as he is drawn down a path of self-destructive passion in which no one he comes into contact with will remain unscathed Also Thu 28 Jun. Cineworld. 9pm.
Lovely Molly Cineworld. 8.50pm. Eduardo Sánchez, co-director of The Blair Witch Project, returns with a persuasive
bid to reconquer his place in the forefront of filmic terror. Two newlyweds move into the wife’s long-uninhabited family home in the countryside. With her truck-driver husband away for days on the road, the wife is left alone to face escalating assaults from a mysterious force. Her predicament is not helped by the fact she’s an ex-junkie with father issues… Also Sun 24 Jun. Cineworld. 3.05pm. Friday 22
Nuclear Nation Cineworld. 6pm. After the 11 March 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster, residents of Futaba, a town in Fukushima Prefecture, are relocated to an abandoned high school in a suburb of Tokyo, 150 miles south. With a clear and compassionate eye, filmmaker Atsushi Funahashi follows the displaced people as they struggle to adapt to their new environment. Also Thu 28 Jun. Cineworld. 8.15pm. Tahrir: Liberation Square Cineworld. 6.10pm. An exhilarating, immersive, impressionistic account of the revolution that lead to the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in February last year. Director Stefano Savona’s camera weaves through crowds chanting slogans, captures the horror when it is realised that live ammunition is being used on protestors, eavesdrops on heated discussions about what kind of government should replace Mubarak, and, finally, witnesses the joy of victory. Also Sun 24 Jun. Cineworld. 1pm.
Either Way Cineworld. 6.30pm. Alfred (Hilmar Guðjónsson) and Finnbogi (Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson) work together painting the dividing lines on Icelandic public roads, in a sparse and uninhabited landscape. Having only each other for company – being visited sporadically by a jovial trucker plying them with drink - the two men’s personal differences are the source of equal parts laughter and frustration. Also Sat 23 Jun. Cineworld. 1pm. Kid-Thing Filmhouse. 6.30pm. The Zellner brothers bring their trademark deadpan humour to a poignant and disturbing tale of growing up wild. Also Sat 23 Jun. Cameo. 6.55pm.
A Woman’s Revenge Cameo. 6.50pm. Rita Azevedo Gomes’ sumptuous, painterly and unabashedly theatrical adaptation of a short story from Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly’s 1874 anthology Les Diaboliques, tells the tale of Roberto, a bored, decadent dandy in the nightly pursuit of ever-harder-to-find distraction. Also Sat 23 Jun. Cineworld. 5.50pm. Grabbers Filmhouse. 10.45pm. When a trawler is attacked, and the shore is found littered with dead marine life, something is clearly wrong on Erin Island. There must be a reasonable explanation... or could it be an invasion of bloodsucking aliens from outer space? Grabbers is an exciting, light-hearted “monster movie” that affectionately tips its hat to everything that ever fell from the sky, or crawled from the
sea onto a cinema screen. Also Mon 25 Jun. Cineworld. 9pm. Saturday 23
begin to take hold, the terrified volunteers find themselves trapped, isolated, and in mortal danger. Also Sun 24 Jun. Cineworld. 5.20pm.
Fusion Shorts Cameo. 3.10pm. Some short films just don’t fit! This year our short fiction, documentary, experimental and animation programmers have put their heads together to create a truly eclectic programme of international short films that defy categorization.
Dr Seuss’ The Lorax Cineworld. 2pm. A 3D, animated version of Dr Seuss’s fable about the environmental threats posed by corporate greed. In a world where nature has been virtually abolished, a twelve-year- old boy goes on a quest for a real tree to give as a present to the girl he loves. His quest leads him first to the misanthropic Once-ler and then to the Lorax, guardian of the colourful Truffula trees. For all ages! Also Sun 24 Jun. Cineworld. 2pm.
Typhoon Club Filmhouse. 3.15pm. One of Somai’s masterpieces. As a typhoon approaches their small Tokyo suburb, a group of high-school students confront issues of sexuality, mortality and their place in the world. A riveting work with a rich and beguiling atmosphere, showing the director’s full dynamic range. Dragon (Wu Xia) Cineworld. 5.40pm. A supremely imaginative blending of A History of Violence, TV’s Sherlock and Chang Cheh’s 1967 classic One-Armed Swordsman, Wu Xia is a visually ravishing, compelling and (rare in the genre) thoughtful kung fu actioner, with Hong Kong superstar Donnie Yen taking on both acting and choreographic responsibilities. Also Sun 24 Jun. Cineworld. 3.25pm.
Here, There Cineworld. 6.25pm. In the snowy forests of northern China, a lonely man herds reindeer and busies himself with his daily tasks, looking forward to visits from his wife and son. In Shanghai, a young restaurant worker becomes drawn to a troubled young woman and tries to care for her. In Paris, a young Chinese student is robbed of his passport. He receives unexpected help from an elderly compatriot who knows the ins and outs of their new city. Also Thu 28 Jun. Cineworld. 8.50pm. The King of Pigs Filmhouse. 10.45pm. This dark and gritty animation portrays the brutal world of school bullying as the starting point for a lifelong perpetuation of the instinct for violent revenge. Haunted by their troubled childhoods, Jung Jong-suk (Yang Ik-june) and Hwang Kyung-min (Oh Jung-se) reunite one evening and recall their school days spent attempting to avoid abuse by their classmates who relented only when made the subject of vicious attacks themselves. Also Sun 24 Jun. Cineworld. 6pm.
Guinea Pigs Cameo. 11.25pm. At a remote medical compound, a group of strangers begin clinical trials of an experimental drug called Pro-9. As the drug’s sinister, unexpected side-effects
Sunday 24
THE 99 Unbound Cineworld. 1.20pm. Introducing to the screen in crisp computer generated animation the super heroes of Naif Al-Mutawa’s comic strip ‘The 99’, this feature debut from British animator Dave Osborne brings together the first five heroes connected by their special relationship with the Noor stones; Gem stones imbued with the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. Each represents one of the 99 attributes of Allah. Also Mon 25 Jun. Cineworld. 7pm.
Never Too Late Cineworld. 3.15pm. A delicate and moving tale about a young man returning to Israel after years spent living in South America. Hertzel (Nony Geffen) struggles to adjust to life at home, and having taken a job hanging posters he sets out on the road, encountering a mix of settled people and other lost souls on the way. Also Sat 30 Jun. Filmhouse. 7.15pm. Sexual Chronicles of a French Family Cineworld. 6.10pm. Sexual frankness of a very Gallic kind abounds in Jean-Marc Barr and Pascal Arnold’s wholly aptly-titled fifth joint directorial outing. Mum, Dad, Brother, adopted sister and Granddad are all at it – all but 15-year-old Romain, in fact, who fears there’s no end in sight for his virginity. But when he is caught in the act of filming himself in a bout of classroom onanism, a sudden new awareness and openness is triggered across the whole family… Also Fri 29 Jun. Cineworld. 6.10pm.
Leave It On the Track Cineworld. 8.45pm. Roller derby is the fastest growing (and, arguably, most entertaining) women’s sport in the world. In Austin, Texas, it’s the end of season championship bout and the undefeated Cherry Bombs are taking on the Hellcats. Also Sat 30 Jun. Cineworld. 5.30pm. Papirosen Cameo. 9pm. Young filmmaker Gastón Solnicki spent more than a decade recording the lives of various members of his Argentine Jewish family on video. The result is an engrossing and dramatic documentary that gathers together the vivid personalities and the sometimes painful memories of four generations of Solnickis. Also Tue 26 Jun. Cineworld. 6pm.
One Mile Away Filmhouse. 9.30pm. A compelling tale of courage and determination with a smooth hip-hop soundtrack. Dylan and Shabba, members of rival Birmingham gangs, attempt to broker a peace agreement after being introduced by filmmaker Penny Woolcock, who had directed Dylan in the drama 1 Day (also screening). Also Tue 26 Jun. Cineworld. 8pm.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter edfilmfest