Edinburgh unveils first titles including projects from David Mackenzie, David Hare

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced the first details of its 2011 line-up, which will include the world premiere of David Hare’s political thriller Page Eight and the UK premiere of David Mackenzie’s sci fi film Perfect Sense.

Starring Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon and Ralph Fiennes, Page Eight is Hare’s first film as a director in 20 years. It is due to screen on UK television channel BBC 2 later this year.

Hare, who wrote the screenplay for The Reader and The Hours, said he “couldn’t be happier than for its world premiere to be at Britain’s most interesting and influential film festival.”

EIFF will also screen the UK premiere of Scottish director David Mackenzie’s sci-fi film Perfect Sense starring Ewan McGregor and Eva Green. The film world premiered at Sundance.

Other world premieres at the EIFF will include Niall MacCormick’s coming of age drama Albatross starring Jessica Brown Findlay and Sebastian Koch and Karl Golden’s Weekender, a comedy drama about the 1990s Ibiza scene starring Jack O’Connell. Golden was in Edinburgh last year with his dark birdwatching drama Pelican Blood.

European premieres include Matthew Parkhill’s thriller The Caller with Stephen Moyer and Rachelle Lefevre amd Gaby Dellal’s tragic small-town drama Angels Crest which stars Thomas Dekker and Jeremy Piven.

The festival also promises to support first-time Scottish directors with the inclusion of Carter Ferguson’s Glasgow-set romantic comedy Fast Romance and Terry McMahon’s crime thriller Charlie Casanova.

EIFF director James Mullighan said: “The Edinburgh International Film Festival has long been regarded as the ideal launch pad for important new British cinema and the place at which UK emerging talent is nurtured. The films announced today confirm that those twin traditions continue into 2011. Of the nearly 3000 films submitted to EIFF, 58 were British feature fiction films and we’re delighted to be in a position to showcase some of them to Edinburgh audiences in June.”

The full line-up for the 65th Edinburgh International Film Festival, which will run June 15-26, will be announced later this month.