Jim Broadbent to head up EIFF's Michael Powell jury

British actor Jim Broadbent is to head up the jury for the Michael Powell Award at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

The Oscar winning actor will be joined on the jury by Japanese actress and producer Kiki Sugino and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival founder Tiina Lokk.

The jury will present awards for Best British Feature Film and Best Performance in a British Feature Film.

Broadbent said: “It’s very exciting to be Chair of the Michael Powell Jury. I have always had the most brilliant of times at the Edinburgh Festival and I’m sure the Film Festival will be equally stimulating; and I relish the opportunity to see such a great range of films in such special company.”

The Michael Powell Award, together with all the festival’s other awards, were scrapped for the 2011 edition. The last winner of the award was Nick Whitfield for Skeletons in 2010.

The International Feature Competition Jury will be chaired by actor Elliott Gould, with the jury also including independent producer and former Karlovy Vary International film festival programme director Julietta Sichel and multi-award winning filmmaker Lav Diaz, whose latest film, Florentina Hubaldo Cte will screen at EIFF in the Philippine New Wave strand.

For the first time, the International Feature Competition will include documentary films alongside narrative films.

The inaugural Student Critics Jury Award will be deliberated by a jury of three aspiring film critics who will work with two established critics (Sight & Sound’s Nick James and Dana Linssen of De Filmkrant) as mentors across the duration of the Festival to develop their writing and critical skills.

The International Short Film Competition Jury includes Bratislava programmer Erwin Houtenbrink, Scottish actor Ewen Bremner and Buenos Aires programmer Javier Porta Fouz.

In addition to their jury duties, Jim Broadbent and Elliott Gould will be the subjects of In-Person events during the festival.