Festival (2005)

August in Edinburgh sees the population of the grand, historic Scottish capital swell with actors, directors, street performers, comedians, media high flyers and audience.

Director:

Annie Griffin

Writer:

Annie Griffin

Stars:

Lyndsey Marshal, Paddy Bonner, Selina Cadell

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lyndsey Marshal	...	Faith Myers
Paddy Bonner	...	Man on Street
Selina Cadell	...	Estate Agent
Amelia Bullmore	...	Micheline Menzies
Daniela Nardini	...	Joan Gerard
Chris O'Dowd	...	Tommy O'Dwyer
Billy Carter	...	Conor Kelly
Jimmy Chisholm	...	Radio Producer
Raquel Cassidy	...	Petra Loewenberg
Stephen Mangan	...	Sean Sullivan
Gabriel Quigley	...	Receptionist
Deirdre O'Kane	...	Frida Finucane
Meredith MacNeill	...	Mary
Megan Dodds	...	Dina
Jonah Lotan	...	Rick

Storyline

'Festival' is a black comedy set during the annual Edinburgh Fringe festival. The film is based around both the judging of a major comedy award and the performers at one of the smaller venues. Various plot strands interweave, including the bitter relationship between a famous self-obsessed British comic and his ever-suffering assistant, an actress debuting at the festival with a one-woman show about Dorothy Wordsworth and a depressed, rich housewife who spies on the stoned Canadian theatre troupe to whom she has rented out her house.

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Plot Keywords:

male rear nudity | hand job | male explicit nudity | explicit sex | edinburgh scotland | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

User Reviews

festival of fun.

Festival. Written by Annie griffin who is best known for her channel 4 series 'the book group' (I have to admit at this point that I seemed to have missed that one) and staring familiar faces from the world of comedy shows such as 'green wing', 'Garth Marenghi's dark place' and 'this life'. This film is almost a mock-umentary. It parodies the Edinburgh fringe festival and some of the characters that inhabit this world of shows, plays and street theatre. The first thing to say is too much bagpipes!! I hate them with a passion. But that is a personal thing and no real reflection on the film, which is very good. The best bits of this kind of fly on the wall look at all things fringe like are the bits where the cast are taking the p#ss out of the whole pretentiousness of it all. The comedy-judging panel arguing over whether comedy should or shouldn't get laughs is brilliant. Elsewhere the film is punctuated with great one liners delivered by a huge cast who range from drunk comedians to sex mad journalists, an over enthusiastic one woman performer to a person so famous they don't care and have given up trying. It is in the subtlety of these characters, who were it not for the festival would probably have never met, that the story get it's rich ideas. If you have ever been to the fringe you will recognise the sense of madness portrayed of a city under siege from people from all walks of life convinced they have talent. Some have and go on to bigger things others fall by the wayside. This is a story of these people and of those who have made it but could lose it or in the case of one character hasn't made it after 8 years at the festival. Funny, dark and an insight into human nature alongside creativity. Festival will not be for all, but for those who visit they will come away rewarded. I have resisted giving away the best scene lets just say it happens to the ventriloquist.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 2005 (UK)

Also Known As:

Festival

Filming Locations:

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$168,055

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour, UK Film Council, Young Pirate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color