Mark Adams named Edinburgh artistic director

Mark Adams, Screen International’s chief film critic and reviews editor, has been appointed as artistic director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Adams will step down from his post at Screen at the end of February, and he starts the artistic director role in March. He will continue as the chief film critic for The Sunday Mirror.

Before joining Screen four years ago, Adams was Head of Programming at the National Film Theatre in London, and was Director of Cinema at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, and has programmed for numerous film festivals around the world. He has also written for Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Moving Pictures International.

He replaces Chris Fujiwara, who stepped down from EIFF in September.

Adams said; “I have had a wonderful time working with Screen and its amazing group of critics and journalists. Now I’m thrilled to be helping the Edinburgh International Film Festival develop and grow and am looking forward to bringing new, challenging, entertaining and exciting cinema to the city. This is a great festival that deserves its recognition and can only get better and better.”

Ken Hay, CEO of EIFF, said “We are delighted to have Mark joining the team. His passion for film, his fantastic experience as a programmer, journalist and critic, along with his reputation in the UK and internationally, make him the ideal choice to drive the future success of the Festival.”

Wendy Mitchell, editor of Screen, added: “Mark has done a fantastic job as our chief film critic and reviews editor. We wish him all the best in this exciting new challenge and look forward to collaborating with him in his role at EIFF.”