World Premiere of Robert Carlyle’s Directorial Debut ‘The Legend Of Barney Thomson’ to Open Edinburgh International Film Festival | The Fan Carpet Ltd • The Fan Carpet: The RED Carpet for FANS • The Fan Carpet: Fansites Network • The Fan Carpet: Slate • The Fan Carpet: Theatre Spotlight • The Fan Carpet: Arena • The Fan Carpet: International

World Premiere of Robert Carlyle’s Directorial Debut ‘The Legend Of Barney Thomson’ to Open Edinburgh International Film Festival


05 May 2015

Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is delighted to announce EIFF Honorary Patron Robert Carlyle’s feature film directorial debut, THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON, will open the 69th edition of the Festival on Wednesday 17 June, where it will receive its World Premiere.

Directed by and starring Robert Carlyle alongside Emma Thompson and Ray Winstone, the red carpet will be rolled out at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh, where the stars and filmmakers will attend the Opening Gala with the darkly humorous Glasgow-set thriller, kicking off the 12 day Festival.  Tickets for the film’s Public Screening on Wednesday 17 June at Festival Theatre go on sale on Wednesday 6 May.

Starring alongside Carlyle, Thompson and Winstone are Tom Courtenay, Ashley Jensen, Martin Compston, Brian Pettifer, Kevin Guthrie, James Cosmo, Stephen McCole and Samuel Robertson, with a screenplay by Colin McLaren and Richard Cowan.

Director Robert Carlyle said “After a career-long association with EIFF it gives me enormous pleasure to have THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON chosen as Opening Night film. It really is such an honour for me to have my first feature as director premiered here in Edinburgh at the Festival that has played such a huge part in my life."

Mark Adams, the new Artistic Director of EIFF said “We are thrilled to be opening this year’s Festival with Robert Carlyle’s wonderful black comedy. It is a marvellously macabre and playful film, impressively directed and with a terrific cast. It is the perfect film to kick off what promises to be an exciting festival.”

Based on the book “The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson” by Douglas Lindsay, THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON is a dark comedy that tells the story of Barney (Carlyle), an awkward barber who inadvertently stumbles into serial murder, with both absurd and macabre consequences. Complicating matters further, Barney’s mother Cemolina (Thompson) has a secret of her own, causing a bloody and comedic chain of events. While Barney clumsily tries to cover his and his mother’s tracks, the local police inspector Holdall (Winstone) fights his own battles within his inept homicide department as he tries to solve the crime of the century. A black comedy of errors unfolds as the police try to capture the murderer at large.

THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON is produced by John G Lenic, Kaleena Kiff, Brian Coffey, Holly Brydson and Richard Cowan. The film is executive produced by Doug Apatow and Kirk D’Amico. The film will be released nationwide late summer 2015 through Icon Film Distribution.

About Edinburgh International Film Festival
Established in 1947, Edinburgh International Film Festival is renowned around the world for discovering and promoting the very best in international cinema - and for heralding and debating changes in global filmmaking. Intimate in its scale, ambitious in its scope, and fuelled by pure passion for cinema in all its manifestations, EIFF seeks to spotlight the most exciting and innovative new film talent, in a setting steeped in history.

Notable films premiered in recent years have included: A MOST WANTED MAN, COLD IN JULY, FRANCES HA, WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS, THE IMPOSTER, BRAVE, TABU, THE HURT LOCKER, MOON, FISH TANK, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, MAN ON WIRE.

EIFF is supported by Creative Scotland, the BFI, the Scottish Government through the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, the City of Edinburgh Council, and EventScotland.

The Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) was founded in 2010 with a mission to be at the forefront of the development of film and the moving image in Scotland.  The CMI currently comprises EIFF, Filmhouse in Edinburgh and the Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival Limited is a company registered in Scotland No: SC132453.  It is a subsidiary of the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) which is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status with Scottish Charity No. SC006793.

About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.  We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life.  We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit Creative Scotland.  Follow us ‪@CreativeScots and Facebook.

About EventScotland
EventScotland is working to make Scotland the perfect stage for events. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit EventScotland. Follow EventScotland on Twitter @EventScotNews. EventScotland is part of VisitScotland, the national tourism organisation which markets Scotland as a tourism destination across the world, gives support to the tourism industry and brings sustainable tourism growth to Scotland.

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