The Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced the dates for its 80th edition, set to run Aug. 12-18, 2027.
Supported by Screen Scotland, the milestone edition will honour the festival’s long history while building on the success of its revitalised iteration, launched in 2024 under the leadership of CEO and festival director Paul Ridd and festival producer Emma Boa. Submissions open in Jan. 2027.
The 2026 edition featured a programme made up of 60% world premieres, which played out in four venues across the city, and boasted a 35% increase in admissions on 2025. Among the highlights was a sold-out “Trainspotting” anniversary event at Leith Theatre with live commentary from the production team, including stars Ewan McGregor and Ewan Bremner, and a club night DJ’d by Irvine Welsh and Darren Emerson, as well as the inaugural U.K. Film Conference which included a keynote from BFI CEO Ben Roberts.
In 2027 the film festival also joins Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival in celebrating eight decades of creativity and bringing audiences together in the Scottish capital.
“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. 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,” said Ridd.
“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.”