**Due to the situation with COVID-19, EIFF is currently postponed.**
As the longest continually running film festival in the world, EIFF is now preparing its 74th edition which will take place in Edinburgh from 17 to 28 June 2020.
Since 1947, the Festival has brought ground-breaking, exciting and original films from all over the world to enthusiastic and engaged UK audiences and a wide variety of press and industry guests and delegates. EIFF seeks to discover and present the most creative and innovative developments in world cinema, bring filmmakers to local, national and international attention, and provide a dynamic and responsive platform for engagement with them and their work.
EIFF is especially interested in films by emerging filmmakers whose work manifests stylistic boldness, strength of form, and the ambition to use the medium in a way that resists cliché.
AWARDS
The following awards will be given at the 74th Edinburgh International Film Festival.
FEATURE FILM AWARDS
The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film
Named in homage to one of the most original and imaginative artists in the history of British cinema, with a career spanning 60 years, the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature was inaugurated at EIFF in 1990 to honour imagination and creativity in British filmmaking and is regarded as a mark of prestige both within and outside the UK film industry. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to new British feature fiction films, and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.
The Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film
Judged by the Michael Powell Award Competition Jury, the Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film celebrates and promotes the great tradition of the art of film performance in the UK.
The Award for Best International Feature Film
EIFF seeks to represent global trends in cinema by introducing important new films and new filmmaking directions. The Award for Best International Feature Film highlights filmmaking from outside the UK that is imaginative, innovative and deserving of wider recognition. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to new live-action feature fiction films from any country outside of the UK and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.
The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film
EIFF began life in 1947 as the First International Festival of Documentary Films and is dedicated to presenting the best new documentary work to its audiences. The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film highlights bold and inquisitive documentary filmmaking from around the world. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to new documentary feature films from all countries and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.
The Audience Award
EIFF’s Audience Award is one of the Festival’s most popular awards with the public, filmmakers and distributors alike. The award is voted for by cinema-goers attending public screenings. Eligible films are selected from across the EIFF programme by the Artistic Director.
SHORT FILM AWARDS
The Award for Best Short Film
The Award for Best Short Film affirms EIFF’s long-standing support of directors of short films and is intended both to recognise the outstanding achievements possible within the short format and to offer encouragement for the feature filmmakers of the future. The award, which carries a cash prize, is open to short-form, live-action fiction, documentary, experimental and animated films and will be decided by a jury of respected film professionals.
The McLaren Award for New British Animation
Inaugurated in 1990, the McLaren Award for New British Animation provides a focus for new British short animation and recognises the spirit of creativity. The award, named in honour of Norman McLaren, the renowned Scottish-born animator and innovator, is decided by audience vote.