The Edinburgh International Film Festival is establishing itself as a serious launchpad for filmmakers, according to festival director Paul Ridd, who is now in his third year at the helm. Speaking to Deadline ahead of the 2026 edition, Ridd credited the festival's competition strands with giving it a distinct identity and pointed to a record number of world premieres this year as evidence of its growing standing on a crowded festival calendar. He highlighted the festival's willingness to champion overlooked or controversial work, citing last year's Blue Film as an example of a title other major festivals had rejected before it went on to secure UK and US distribution.

This year's festival runs from 13 to 19 August and will debut 21 feature films, with 10 competing for the Sean Connery Prize. Competition titles include Mission, Scottish director Paul Wright's drama starring George MacKay and Rosy McEwen; documentary The Mad World of Harvey Kurtzman, featuring contributions from Terry Gilliam and the late Stan Lee; and Borges and Me, Little Miss Sunshine producer Marc Turtletaub's latest directorial feature. Ridd noted that seven of last year's 10 competition films went on to secure distribution in the UK, US or both, underlining the festival's role in supporting both emerging and established filmmakers.