Edinburgh Film Festival Sets Aug. 12-18, 2027 for Its 80th Edition

The Edinburgh International Film Festival will run Aug. 12-18, 2027, for its 80th edition, the festival has announced, with submissions opening in January 2027.

Screen Scotland supports the milestone edition, which falls in the same summer that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival also mark eight decades.

Who is running it?

The 2027 edition will be the fourth under CEO and festival director Paul Ridd and festival producer Emma Boa, who launched the revitalised festival in 2024 after the organisation's earlier collapse and near-closure. That turnaround is now the festival's central sales pitch — and, so far, the numbers back it.

The 2026 edition programmed 60% world premieres across four city venues and recorded a 35% increase in admissions over 2025. Highlights included a sold-out "Trainspotting" anniversary event at Leith Theatre with live commentary from members of the production team, among them Ewan McGregor and Ewan Bremner, plus a club night DJ'd by Irvine Welsh and Darren Emerson. The festival also hosted the inaugural U.K. Film Conference, featuring a keynote from BFI CEO Ben Roberts.

What has the festival promised?

Ridd set the anniversary in expansive terms.

"We are beyond excited to celebrate our fourth edition as the revamped and revitalised festival in August next year, as well as 80 years of EIFF," Ridd said. "This is a major milestone in the story of our historic Festival, and we intend to do this anniversary justice with an exciting range of films, events and unforgettable moments in our beautiful city."

He added: "World premieres remain a huge priority for us as do our competitions, as we bring fresh and exciting films to audiences, industry and press. We are committed to engaging with the next generation of talent as well as established voices, providing a curated and commercial platform for work to be celebrated and found. Over the coming months we will be opening up submissions, and continuing our close dialogue with the film and screen industries, building on the successes of our 2026 edition to continue to make EIFF a place where the future of filmmaking is not simply discussed, but actively shaped. Bring it on."

What does this change for filmmakers and audiences?

For filmmakers, the practical answer is a date: submissions open in January 2027, and the festival has committed publicly to premieres and competitions as priorities. For audiences, it means one summer in which all three of Edinburgh's major August institutions celebrate 80 years — a coincidence the city's tourism machinery is unlikely to let pass quietly.

What the announcement does not say is equally telling. There is no word yet on venues, competition juries, programme strands or funding beyond the Screen Scotland arrangement. Ridd's "exciting range of films, events and unforgettable moments" is a promise, not a programme; the 2026 admissions figure gives it credibility, but 2027's success will be judged on what actually screens.

The festival has eleven months to fill in the detail.

By Tom Whitfield