Edinburgh Film Festival launches new producers programme

The Edinburgh International Film Festival will promote Scottish producers at four International Festivals over the next year through their 2010 Features Scotland programme, which is supported by the Scottish Government Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and Scottish Screen. The scheme launches at EIFF in June and inaugural participants are Wendy Griffin, Carolynne Sinclair Kidd, Micky MacPherson, Suzanne Reid, Andy Green and Ciara Barry.

Consultant Mia Bays will be the Features Scotland development advisor.

After the scheme launches at EIFF, they will also travel to Toronto, Berlin and London film festivals.

The programme will involve education/training, masterclasses, networking events and more. Each producer will be paired with an advisor.

EIFF Artistic Director Hannah McGill said: “We are immensely grateful to the Scottish Government for their continued support of EIFF and Scottish filmmakers through the Expo fund. This investment will enable us to aid a dynamic group of individuals in making their way confidently into the international film market, and promoting their projects worldwide. We look forward immensely to seeing the scheme bear creative fruit in the near future.”

Bays added: “EIFF and Scottish Screen’s support for their up and coming producers and the commitment to take them to four of the world’s major film festivals is invaluable as it involves not just sending them and showing them the ropes, but also putting them in front of really key people and tailoring the experience to each individual producer. I wish I’d have had the same such platform when I started out instead of learning the hard way!”