Actor Paul Mescal’s new movie Aftersun is set to open the 75th Edinburgh International Film Festival.
The film, by Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells, debuted at Cannes’ Critics’ Week garnering rave reviews and won the French Touch jury prize.
It stars Normal People actor Mescal and newcomer Frankie Corio as a young father and his 11-year-old daughter who are on holiday at a resort in Turkey in the late 1990s.
Read More: Stacey Solomon continues wedding preparations with kids activities for big day
Framed as a look back at a father-daughter holiday in the late 1990s, with occasional mini DV footage adding to the period texture, the film is an ode to nostalgia with hints of something far darker.
The Edinburgh screening will mark a homecoming for Wells, who was born in the city and now lives in New York.
She said: “As a teenager, I spent just about all the money I had saved each summer on tickets to EIFF, sitting on the floor at Fountainbridge in hour-long queues for box office opening, leafing through the weighty program which offered my first exposure to independent and international cinema,” said Wells.
“In 2006, I bought tickets to the Duplass brothers’ The Puffy Chair based on its inch-square picture and synopsis. The Q&A that followed made clear how explicit the connection between filmmakers and their work could be; what personal filmmaking could be. In 2006, I attended the opening night film: The Flying Scotsman. In 2022, I’ll attend again. Edinburgh is home and so is the EIFF. I can’t wait.”
EIFF creative director Kristy Matheson said: “It means so much to have Aftersun open our festival and celebrate a homegrown talent whose artistry is entirely international in its scope and appreciation.”
Kildare native Mescal is currently preparing for his next big project which sees him star alongside Fleabag priest Andrew Scott in Andrew Haigh’s new feature, Strangers.
Loosely based on Taichi Yamada’s award-winning ghost story of the same name, Strangers follows Scott, in the role of screenwriter Adam, as he experiences a chance encounter with his mysterious neighbour Harry (Mescal) on a quiet night in contemporary London.
Puncturing the rhythm of his everyday life, as the pair grow closer, Adam is pulled back to his childhood home. There he discovers that his long-dead parents are both alive and well, and look the exact same age as the day they died, over 30 years ago.
The Crown’s Claire Foy and Rocketman’s Jamie Bell will be taking on the roles of Adam’s parents, with acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh taking the reins of the director’s chair.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival takes place August 12-20.
READ NEXT:
- Ukrainians 'sleeping on bare floor' at Dublin Airport as Government scrambles
New details emerge as gardai discover last sighting of couple found dead in Tipp
Met Eireann pinpoints spell of 30C weather and 'tropical nights' for some
WHO advises against use of two common prescription medicines for mild Covid
Adam Collard's loved ones issue warning to Love Island fans amid endless 'hate'
