“Did you fall asleep?” That was my first impression of the very first film festival I attended. This was a question frequently asked between journalists meant to represent not if a film was necessarily a snooze, but simply if it stood out enough among the many features and shorts you see. I’ve been very lucky to have the chance to attend prestigious film festivals really early into my writing career when it still wasn’t a career, but rather an extravagant hobby and consuming obsession. By the time I was 20, I had already attended the Cannes Film Festival with a student accreditation that allowed me to plunge into the intense world of seeing 10 films in a roll, barely eating in between intervals and forgetting what sunlight actually feels like, sunk in the darkness of the cinema halls. At the time the whole experience felt overwhelming and that question I had overheard in my first screening at 8AM suddenly made sense. I could barely produce a singular review, based on one of the 15 films I had seen for 72 hours. I was in awe of the professionalists who somehow managed not to be submerged by the intensity and delivered polished pieces on tight deadlines. I longed for the moment my writing and critical skills would be so refined I’d be able to do this full time without a doubt of the quality of the articles.
Skipping forward four years, I still haven’t found the magical answer to uncritically writing criticism, but I was given the chance to finally attend my first film festival not as an enthusiast, but a professional and if anyone, including myself, ever has an objection about having the right to call myself that, I have my press accreditation proudly hanging in my room to prove them wrong.
My journey to the Edinburgh International Film Festival came into my life out of the blue after a film tragedy struck – Anfa Collective’s application for press accreditation at the Venice Film Festival was not accepted. Just like that, my dream to witness Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein before anyone else was buried 6 feet under and, unlike Frankenstein’s monster, had little to no hope of coming back to life. In my desperation, an innocent conversation with a colleague about to visit Scotland became my silver lining and the application for Edinburgh was quickly sent from the back of my workplace’s stock room. That same evening my film quest was confirmed to be a fact.
Between August 17th and August 19th I saw 10 films, 2 of them being accompanying short films, and one “In Conversation” Q+A. For the sake of this “in retrospect” piece, I will go through the programme of each day, giving a brief description and opinion on the films. Murphy’s Law, despite seeing two films that were in competition for the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence aka the Scottish Palme d’Or, none of them ended up being the winner. The prize, worth 50,000 pounds, was awarded to Iranian filmmaker Abdolreza Kahani’s “Mortician”, based on the popular vote. This was also the first major difference compared to other festivals – the lack of jury presence. The ultimate power lying in the hands of the regular viewer makes the festival a lot more accessible.
After landing my first destination was picking my pass from the headquarters where Industry & Press could enjoy some time to themselves in between screenings and events. Despite the idea of collective space for sharing and networking, apart from during the specifically designed networking events, the rest of the time people were mostly keeping to themselves, rigorously typing on their keyboards. It reminded me of the scene in Alex Garland’s “Civil War” where all journalists gather before going on the front line only that the only thing we were threatened in Edinburgh was a crowded street or a film that’s not our cup of tea.
Securing the modern equivalent of an inn, aka a hostel, as my sanctuary for the two nights, I headed to my first screening which remained the only one that was screened in a regular chain cinema.
Day 1: “Redux Redux” (dir. Matthew McManus & Kevin McManus)
+ “Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting” (Alexander Thompson)
A double bill centred around complex mother-daughter relationships in very unusual settings. The 18 min short directed by Alexander Thompson “Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting” brings back a familiar face on screen, this being Milly Shapiro whose memorable performance in “Hereditary” still haunts the audience. This time her head doesn’t go flying off a car (spoilers!!!), instead we follow her character Em who is supposed to fulfill a ritual of slaying a mythical creature in front of her mother. Themes of empathy and generational trauma are scrapping the surface, yet although entertaining and well-acted the dialogue feels very stiff at moments. The highlights are certainly the visuals, not only the black and white pallette, but also the visual effects of the griffons’ design. Bonus points for the director showing up and emphasising that the film was a product of only human creativity, as well as marking the first short film I’ve seen that had a disclaimer for not using AI.
The sci-fi thriller feature “Redux Redux”, part of EIFF’s Midnight Mass Selection, is the definition of an amusing, yet unfulfilled premise. Directed by Kevin and Matthew McManus and starring their sister Michaela McManus in the title role, the film follows Michaela’s character Irene who, consumed by grief, has dedicated her life to travelling through various alternative universes with one goal only: killing the man who murdered her daughter in every one of them. This vicious loop of hollow revenge is interrupted when Irene stumbles upon the man’s next victim who might just be her ‘rescue rope’ from meaningless existence. Unfortunately, as much as it’s entertaining to watch, “Redux Redux” never reaches the potential of its intriguing concept as it falls too quickly into familiar waters. Instead of serving as a good tool of challenging the moral compass of the character as for instance reaching a universe where the man has not committed the crime, the Multiverse is trapped into a ‘groundhog day’ type of narrative. It feels more repetitive and tiring that surely enhances the feeling of dullness and decay in the character’s will to live, but makes the exploration of the established multiverse appear slightly undercooked. The acting is definitely the strongpoint, especially the dynamic between Irene and Mia (newcomer Stella Marcus). It’s refreshing to see such a female-driven narrative especially in that kind of genre and vengeance-orientated plot, frequently dominated by a strong unhinged male figure. It’s also good to see the tired trope of an old grumpy adoptive father/daughter being, for once, abandoned for the adoptive mother/daughter that feels more loud, energy-charged and full of conflict, yet undeniable gushing with protectiveness, wisdom and care. Overall, despite my belief this could have potentially worked better as a short film, “Redux Redux” takes the silver medal and remains up in the ranking of favourite films from the festival.
(Actress Stella Marcus was present for a quick Q+A after;)
“Two Neighbours” (dir. Ondine Viñao)
My first film from the Competition Feature Selection was screened in a tiny venue in the National Gallery of Scotland. “Two Neighbours” puts Aesop’s fable Avaricious And Envious in a modern setting where a spoilt socialite Stacy (Chloe Cherry familiar face from Euphoria) and a struggling writer Becky (Anya Charlota) are thrown into a lascivious party where their polar opposite lifestyles collide. Ondine Viñao’s debut is highly ambitious satire, tackling meme culture and social class division with a curious supernatural twist to it. The themes sometimes seem to be slightly scattered all over the place, but the film is at its finest when it focuses around the juxtaposition, greed and excess and rivalry between Becky and Stacy that is highly hyperbolised as an emphasis on the patriarchy’s ongoing need to put women against each other. After the screening Viñao and her writing partner Jordan Johnson were present and expressed their discontent of the comparison between their film and Saltburn simply because both productions were shot in the same mansion. Personally, there were no similarities between ‘Saltburn’ and ‘Two Neighbours’ apart from the social class element, but certain patterns in the camera work and the buildup bore resamblence to Yorgos Lanthimos and Ruben Östlund’s early work. The standout was definitely Ralph Ineson who is already having a great year, but his interpretation of the genie here and his command of the screen is beyond memorable. A strong debut by a NY artist who certainly knows her way with the medium and how to balance a satire, yet not my personal favourite of the festival.
Day 2:
Early gray morning on my second day found me running to the FilmHouse venue for the first official press screening. Originally built as a church in 1831, the venue is now refurbished after its brief closure in 2022, yet it has preserved its vintage style. This came as a big contrast to what I actually had to see there.
“The Toxic Avenger” (dir. Macon Blair)
Another member of the Midnight Mass Selection, “The Toxic Avenger” became the first film to see ahead of its official premiere, so naturally it had an embargo. The film ended up being a pleasant surprise in the superhero fatigue era, because of its unusually violent and explicit nature which made me doubt if it will be possible to find a distributor (spoiler – it has!). To sum it up in one phrase would be that it tries hard to be like “Kick-Ass”, yet it ends up being more like Halle Berry’s “Catwoman” and somehow it still works. Based on a comic book, created by Lloyd Kaufmann and a remake of the cult classic film from 1984, the story follows the mistreated janitor Winston Gooze (Peter Dinklage) who works for the corrupt pharmaceutical company BTH and barely makes two ends meet for the sake of his stepson Wade (Jacob Tremblay). After discovering he is sick and needs money for medication, Winston becomes desperate and seeks help from the CEO of BTH Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon) which ends in utter humiliation and an unfortunate toxic accident that transforms Winston into the ‘hero’: the Toxic Avenger.
There are two types of bad movies – horrible ‘bad’ movies that simply are unwatchable and don’t hit any marks and then good ‘bad’ movies that despite their flaws a certain type of audience somehow connects with them and leads them to a cult classic status, with the best example still being ‘The Room’. “The Toxic Avenger” is the latter type. Highly entertaining that takes the piss out of the superhero genre, it never takes itself too seriously to become obnoxious. It’s surprisingly hilarious despite often relying on vulgar jokes. There was another aspect that caught my attention as a Bulgarian that could escape other viewers and it was the film location. It has recently become popular for big budget studios to shoot their riskier projects that still require VFX in studios that are well-equipped, yet cheaper, just in case their fears for the commercial success of the given film are justified. Nu Boyana Film Studios are recently getting lots of exciting Hollywood project more recently Edgar Wright’s upcoming ‘The Running Man’. It was definitely a surreal phenomenological moment for me watching an American film in a Scottish cinema and slowly realizing that spotting a few Bulgarian actors in the background wasn’t just a coincidence as the landscapes and later on the credits fully confirmed my suspicion. Definitely not a memorable piece of cinema you’d see as a part of the Criterion closet, but a fun easy watch nonetheless.
“All The Devils Are Here” (dir.Barnaby Roper)
After jokes about toxic genitalia my yellow film road led me to the Cameo Picturehouse which ended up being not only my favourite venue of the festival, but certainly entered my list of favorite cinemas. One of Edinburgh’s oldest cinemas, it has preserved its Edwardian charm and almost feels as walking back in time.
The tonal shift takes me from a corrupt and toxic Tromaville, New Jersey to the bleak Dartmoor with “All The Devils Are Here”.
The film is a quiet, yet at moments gruesome slow-burning typical Brit thriller that had me wondering when was Ray Winston gonna show up (he didn’t!). It follows a veteran robber Ronnie (Eddie Marsan) who teams up with a newbie driver (Tienne Simon) and an uncontrollable maverick (Sam Claflin) to complete a task of robbing a bank. However, when the heist goes terribly wrong and they end up running over a shadow on the road, the gang is now to take cover in a remote cottage in the countryside where they’re to wait for seven days for it to blow over before their boss (Rory Kinnear) contacts them. The only rule is they’re not to leave the house under any circumstances.
The narrative is built as a chamber piece that could have worked even better as a theatre play as the tension rises between the outlaws. The unsettling dread of the Dartmoor bogs enhances the feeling of isolation and soon enough doubt and suspicion plants in the criminals’ minds.
“All The Devils Are Here” is at its best when it doesn’t try to be more than what it presents itself to be initially – a dialogue-driven grounded story about human nature. Unfortunately, it decides to abandon everything it has established for a cheap turn at the very end. Could easily have been the strongest entry of the festival if it hadn’t reached for the shock factor that takes away too much of the films overall value and would definitely leave viewers rolling their eyes.
In Conversation with Nia DaCosta
Breaking the loop of running from one cinema to another, I rushed back to the headquarters for the first and only Q+A conference I attended with the one and only Nia DaCosta. From the moment she walked on stage, there’s something really warm and comforting about her presence. It didn’t really feel like she was lecturing us about the ways of the industry as it all felt very intimate and grounded.
The conversation opened with a question about the driving force behind DaCosta’s work and her early inspirations or introduction to the cinema scene. She laughed it off citing childhood trauma as the answer to all her later doings. She also shared that before falling in love with cinema it was reading that had her attention and maybe its storytelling at its core that she enjoys mostly. Later, HBO and films were to become a part of her escapism.
There was lots of emphasis from the start about how unfortunately in your early career your worth as an aspiring artist is often linked to validation which is something everyone can relate to. Can we really call ourselves writers or directors or painters if it’s not what pays our rent yet?
There was a curious remark that sent me back to my Danny Boyle conversation as they both quoted “Apocalypse Now” as a strong influence earlier on.
Perhaps it was a requirement whenever they were hiring directors for the new 28 Years Later movies.
DaCosta at some point turned towards the audience and cheekily asked if we all have a film we’ve seen when we were way too young and we were definitely not the target audience. Apart from “Apocalypse Now” she mentioned “American Beauty” and in particular Annette Bening’s ‘I’ll sell that house today!’
Her presence in the industry as a Black female director was brought up on several occasions especially in the way she navigates through projects. She did mention growing up as a Black American how important Spike Lee’s work was to her and the experience of growing up with bootleg films and VHS that are recorded and passed down through neighbors and that sense of community physical media gave before the progress of the medium circa 2007. DaCosta seemed pretty reassured that artists get better at being wrong with time and that worshipping films leads to realizing your capability of defending your creative choices as an artist despite personal doubts or external pressure.
The moderator went through her work starting with the short film “Little Woods” set in rural America that also marked her first collaboration with Tessa Thompson. DaCosta spoke of the difference between directing TV vs features considering her involvement in “Top Boy” where the showrunner is the ultimate boss and the strong singular vision often overpowers separate episodes directors. She emphasized on the fact the show was definitely not in her comfort zone and it was challenging, but satisfying to see how you give everything despite it not being your cup of tea.
Speaking of her Candyman remake, DaCosta gave the receipt to a great pitch. Especially for a reboot, presenting it as a version of someone else’s story without claiming it is key as well as transmitting the film as it would potentially be. For instance with Candyman, it was about emphasizing the brilliance of the first and tailoring the horror factors to the present.
The most interesting aspect of the talk was about her relationship with Marvel and her collaboration with Jordan Peele. They’re both specific creative entities with a certain work system and the key is figuring out how their process/system works and fitting your vision around it. DaCosta was firm that scripts should be left for the scriptwriters to have and she always respects it by keeping close while shooting and if there’s improv, it’s more during rehearsing in contrast to Peele who is experimental while filming.
“Tension creates some good work.” It’s important to remember that it’s always someone’s first time experiencing something and with “Candyman” it was DaCosta’s first studio film and Peele’s first time only producing so it was a lesson for everyone.
“Sometimes you have to let yourself down the river, but sometimes you’re head down the river, because you’re dead’”
The change of the medium was brought up again with the expansion of the Marvel universe on streaming. DaCosta says the quicker you realize that it’s ’not your monkey, it’s not your circus’ the better. Letting go of the need of creative control is essential with big company projects where there’s always unexpected shifting and constant lack of clarity. With experience, you learn to collaborate better and disagree in a healthier way so communication is a key tool for directors.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover DaCosta was a PA to a Steve McQueen pilot that wasn’t picked up eventually and that it was no other than Jonathan Glazer that convinced her to join the 28 Years Later franchise of which she couldn’t really speak much except for the fact it won’t be a stylistically Danny Boyle film as she was given full control and apparently there will be more infected to much DaCosta’s liking.
For relaxing, DaCosta resorts to therapy and being with your community. She’s also an avid video game player citing « Control » and « The Last of Us » and if she could be attached to another franchise, she’d like to do an adaptation of « The Breadgivers ».
Almost two hours went by in the blink of an eye as DaCosta was hilarious and honest with her experience, and it felt like talking with a fellow classmate at a workshop, not someone who’s shared air with Kevin Feige.
“Hysteria” (dir. Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay)
I found myself again in the comfort of the red seats in the Cameo Picturehouse for another member of the Out of Competition selection that was previously screened and won the Label Europa Cinemas Award at the Berlinale earlier this year.
The film follows Elif who is an intern in film production and is trying to break into the industry. When a burned Quran is found on set, Elif finds herself in the middle of a game of secrets and accusations where everyone has a motif.
This German film not only is my favorite of what I saw throughout the festival, but it made the list of my favourite film of 2025. No one makes social commentary films as well as the Germans, or the French from time to time. Compelling and controversial, « Hysteria » tackles questions about identity crisis in German society and division among communities based on religious or social norms and status. Prejudice, xenophobia and selfishness are expressed through multiple perspectives as the director asks the audience to what extent we could go to achieve our sick ambitions. I can argue that despite the shocking ending that chills you to the bone, the message of the film could have been louder even with the last 20 min cut out, but nonetheless a necessary conversation disguised as a tense whodunnit.
“In Transit” (dir. Jaclyn Bethany)
After a deserved dinner, I once again returned to Cameo which at this point I could refer to as home where in the presence of the writer and main actress Alex Sarrigeorgiou and director Jaclyn Bethany I saw another In Competition Feature “In Transit”.
The reticent tone tells the story of a painter and her muse set in a small village in Maine. Lucy (Alex Sarrigeorgiou) is a bartender with unfulfilled potential who keeps a simple life taking care after the legacy of her father by pouring pints. One day a stranger who happens to be an artist on creative retreat (Jennifer Ehle) interrupts her stagnant way of living by inviting Lucy to be a model for her new project. Day by day the two women become more and more fixated on each other threatening to cross a line that will change the course of their lives.
The plot is not revolutionary, but the beauty of it lies in its tenderness and simplicity. There’s many long scenes with no dialogue or background music that Bethany has given enough space to flourish. Sarrigeorgiou matches Ehle’s reserved energy that tells stories without moving her lips or twitching an eye.
I had the chance to have a quick chat with Sarrigeorgiou after the screening about being a young aspiring artist that sow the seeds for a potential upcoming interview.
I left that screening feeling like a proper journalist.
Day 3:
The morning caught me slightly under the weather feeling a little disappointed that my festival adventure was coming to an end so soon. I tried to attend a networking event, but my feet eventually led me back to the national gallery to see a curious double bill.
“Surviving Earth” (dir. Thea Gajic) + “Truckload” (dir. Aella Jordan-Edge)
Fresh out of Tribecca “Truckload” is a hilarious short film written and starring Evie Jones and inspired by her own life story. It follows Lizzie who after a near-fatal traffic accident is ready to return into the real world, but is her mum (Jodie Whittaker) ready to let her go?
Witty, quick-passed, relevant and absolutely hilarious, « Truckload » reminds us about the importance of independence and looking for a place of belonging and in the lack of one, a community ready to accept and support you in any step of your journey. Great to see stars like Jodie Whittaker and Joe Dempsie supporting independent short project, providing platform for the aspiring artists in look for discovery and funding, of course.
“Surviving Earth” was probably the most personal film for me and deservingly lands third in my ranking. Following the story of a Yugoslavian refugee in Bristol who during the day is a counsellor and at night member of the band “Balkan Express”, the film provides a realistic, humorous and yet melancholic look in the experience of what is it to be an Eastern European immigrant in a Western country. With captivating, vibrant soundtrack the film successfully shows the identity crisis of longing for your home yet feeling out of place there, but at the same time not really fitting in where you are either. This alienation and lack of sense of belonging is well-represented in the character of Vlad (Slavko Sobin) and his relationship with his daughter who he’s trying to desperately keep close in contrast to everything else that slips through his fingers. Filled with traditional Balkan music, customs and cultural diversity, it’s obvious this project was made with love and affection which makes the ending even more so heartbreaking. I truly wish one day I’d see a movie with Eastern European representation that’s not one bit tragic, but still « Saving Earth » is a touching ode to all the dads who try to do their best and all the souls who fit everywhere, but belong nowhere.
“After This Death” (dir. Lucio Castro)
This film by the Argentinian director Lucio Castro is a slow-burn Hitchcockian thriller that has a strong, slightly disjointed build-up that eventually leads nowhere.
Pregnant Isabel (Mia Maestro) is a voice actress that spends her time wandering around in nature when one day she meets an enigmatic stranger (Lee Pace) who later on she discovers to be the lead singer of an underground band. The two start a passionate affair that ends up as abruptly as it began and it leaves Isabel to deal with the consequences of her fractured marriage, the musician’s disappearance and the band’s cult following.
Intriguingly eerie at times, the film never quite matches the initial ominous premise. The narrative seems slightly disjointed and leads to an ending that’s simply underwhelming. Mia Maestro gives a layered performance filled with grief, doubt and despair, but unfortunately there’s not much that will keep the steam of “After This Death” alive after the ‘death’ of its festival run (pun intended!)
Even though it wasn’t my top film of the festival, I did walk out of it with a feeling of satisfaction. Possibly because the overall experience of the festival gave me that feel of belonging despite being in a foreign city on my own and simply by sharing a row with someone in the cinema, hearing gasps within the crowd with each plot twist in “Hysteria”, or moving to the rhythm of the harmonica in “Surviving Earth”. Being in the presence of likeminded people reminded me where I wanna be and as I was heading back to Dublin I felt my passion for writing being revived.
P.S. Little did I know that it would take me a broken laptop and two months to get this written down, but time gives clarity to any judgment especially a film-related one.
