In 2022, the Edinburgh International Film Festival—the world’s longest-running film festival—had almost dug its grave. It struggled through the pandemic and almost filed for bankruptcy, all while theaters could not screen films. 

Paul Ridd, head of acquisitions at Picturehouse Entertainment, was brought on the Edinburgh board to help revive the festival. In an interview with Variety, Ridd explains how “[he and his team] have tried to take advantage of the situation by almost starting from scratch to build something a bit new and a bit different, but honors all that history. So we’ve tried to integrate more closely into the Fringe and take advantage of the fact that we’re in that August time of the year and collaborating with the creative arts festival happening around us.”

After some restructuring, a revamped Edinburgh Film Festival kicks off on August 15th, showcasing a quality list of films and talent. Some notable titles include Alien: Romulus and The Outrun, which received acclaim for Soarsie Ronan’s Oscar-worthy performance.

“I think the powerful responses we’ve had to the festival,” said Ridd, “to the lineup, to what we’re trying to do, and to the announcements that we’ve made over the last few months have proved that there is a lot of goodwill and a lot of support.”