Edinburgh Film Festival sets 80th edition dates for 2027

Edinburgh International Film Festival will hold its 80th edition on Aug. 12-18, 2027.

The dates were confirmed on Oct. 14, 2026, according to Variety. Seven days. Mid-August. Right in the heart of the city's summer season.

Submissions for the 80th edition will open in January 2027. That is the window when film-makers put their work forward for selection. It gives directors and producers months to prepare premieres, paperwork and travel plans. For first-time entrants, it is the starting gun.

The milestone edition is supported by Screen Scotland. The agency backs film and television in Scotland, from development to audiences. Its support helps the festival to programme widely, invite guests and reach beyond the cinema doors. It also ties a national showcase to national funding.

2027 will be a triple birthday in Edinburgh. The film festival joins the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival in celebrating eight decades each. All three trace back to the same post-war idea: bring artists and audiences together in one city each August. The shared anniversary sets up a big summer for the Scottish capital, with visitors likely to move between film, theatre, comedy and music on the same trip.

The present version of the film festival launched in 2024. It is led by chief executive and festival director Paul Ridd and festival producer Emma Boa. Ridd took over as director in December 2023, as detailed in The Hollywood Reporter. Their team rebuilt the event for a new run, with an emphasis on new work and larger crowds.

Momentum is building. The 2026 programme was 60% world premieres. That means six in ten films had never played to a public audience anywhere before Edinburgh. The festival played across four venues in the city. Admissions, the count of seats filled, rose 35% compared with 2025.

A film festival is part cinema and part meeting place. Audiences see new work on a big screen. Film-makers introduce it in person. Programmers from other events watch closely for what to book next. A high share of first screenings puts Edinburgh firmly in that conversation.

For audiences, this means a date to save early. August in Edinburgh is busy. Hotels fill. Streets fill. An 80th edition with first-seen films at its core gives visitors a clear reason to book ahead.

Film-makers outside Scotland can plan too. January opens the door. August brings the screen.