18/06/2008 05:01:00
The 62nd Edinburgh International Film Festival will be launched tonight, marking the first time that the festival will take place in a month other than August since its conception in 1947.
This evening's opening night gala will see the World premiere of The Edge of Love, a biopic about Dylan Thomas written by Glasgow-born playwright Sharman MacDonald.
The film, which stars MacDonald's daughter Kiera Knightley, has already attracted widespread attention, with a Swansea gallery displaying official memorabilia from the movie.
In total, the Edinburgh Film Festival will screen 142 feature films from 29 countries, including 15 World premieres and 72 UK premieres.
According to the BBC, the film festival's organisers have said that the event promises "the best the film world could offer".
The film festival's shift from August to June has attracted much praise and criticism. However, festival director Hannah McGill claimed that Edinburgh was "overburdened" by the "vast cultural offering in Edinburgh in August".
Traditionally, the month has seen the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Recent years have also seen the addition of the likes of the MediaGuardian International Television Festival, the Edinburgh Art Festival, the Edinburgh Mela and the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.
By moving the Edinburgh International Film Festival outside this crowded cultural space, it seems that the event is gathering a lot more attraction in its own right.
Stars expected to turn out on tonight's red carpet include Joely Richardson, Jaime Winstone and Sean Connery, who recently announced that he would unveil his memoirs at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this year.