Edinburgh Festival listings
- Filter by:
- Art Festival
- Film Festival
- Fringe
- International Festival
- Jazz & Blues Festival
- Military Tattoo
- Festival of Politics
- Hitlisted
- Free events
Shorts: Interrogation, Rebellion, Subversion
A teeming mass of images that explode and expose global systems and structures of power. A roving manifesto that employs the filmic medium as a conductor through which to creatively interrogate the ecological, social and political implications of consumerism, power structures, freedom and art. This is provocative…
Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Fri 28 Jun
Shostakovich Late
ROSL Arts. Shostakovich's Cello Sonata (13 Aug) and searing String Quartet No. 8 (20 Aug) plus Schnittke and others. Rothko, Cavaleri Quartets, Yelian He, cello, Yasmin Rowe, piano. Different programme each evening. Stiff musical nightcap for Fringe diehards. Includes glass of wine beforehand. www.roslarts.org.uk. All…
Royal Overseas League, Edinburgh
Tue 13 Aug
Tue 20 Aug
Song Circle / My Yellow Ukelele
Gill Bowman. Fun for wee ones! Classic nursery rhymes, Scottish children's songs, a hamper of toys and shaky eggs for under-2s. For the 2-5s dress up, sing and strum with Gill at My Yellow Ukelele. Ages 0-5.
Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh
Wed 31 Jul
Thu 1 Aug
Fri 2 Aug
The Tempest
n6 productions returns to the Fringe with their stripped back, claustrophobic production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Featuring live music, singing and dancing, this famous struggle for power and control is played out on an intimate stage where the cast explores the darker side of the Bard’s last masterpiece. At its…
theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh
Mon 19 Aug
Tue 20 Aug
Wed 21 Aug
The Complex (Kuroyuri danchi)
- 2013
- Japan
- 106 min
- Directed by: Hideo Nakata
- Cast: Atsuko Maeda, Hiroki Narimiya, Masanobu Katsumura
Hideo Nakata (Ring, Dark Water) returns with this horror about a young student who moves to a new housing complex and gets caught up in the mysterious lives and deaths of her neighbours.
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Sat 22 Jun
Tue 25 Jun
The Conjuring
- 2013
- US
- 112 min
- 15
- Directed by: James Wan
- Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor
Horror from the director of Saw and Insidious about a family terrified by a malevolent force in their new home. Real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Wilson (from the original Amityville case) are played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.
Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Thu 27 Jun
Sat 29 Jun
The Way We Dance (Kwong Mo Pai)
- 2013
- Hong Kong
- 110 min
- Directed by: Adam Wong
- Cast: Cherry Ngan, Babyjohn Choi, Lokman Yeung
‘How far are you willing to go for dance?’ Leaving her parents’ tofu restaurant behind, aspiring dancer Fleur enters university and promptly joins the hip-hop dance club. Her idiosyncratic moves are too advanced for the other dancers, but she finds approval from the chairman of the Tai Chi club, who encourages her to…
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Sat 22 Jun
Sun 23 Jun
This Is Martin Bonner
- 2013
- US
- 83 min
- Directed by: Chad Hartigan
- Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Richmond Arquette, Sam Buchanan
A gentle and absorbing study of loneliness and friendship. Martin Bonner is at a crossroads in life; he has just moved to Reno to work for an organisation helping newly released prisoners adapt to life outside the prison system. Travis Holloway meanwhile has recently completed a twelve-year prison sentence. Cut adrift…
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Wed 26 Jun
Sun 30 Jun
Three Sisters (San Zimei)
- 2012
- France/Hong Kong
- 153 min
- Directed by: Bing Wang
Three young sisters grow up without much parental interference in this quiet film about childhood resilience.
Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Sat 29 Jun
Verb Garden: The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas
Fair Pley / The Famous Spiegeltent. Debate, discussion and discourse in the company of some of the fiercest intellects this country has to offer. Are the Scots sick? Can we trust bankers? Is Edinburgh a hellish dystopia ruined by planners, toytown development and (whisper) trams? Can we stop ageing? How best do we plan…
The Famous Spiegeltent, Edinburgh
Fri 2 Aug
Sat 3 Aug
Sun 4 Aug
Vladimir McTavish and Keir McAllister Look at the State of Britain
A look at Britain's current landscape from two razor sharp comedians who twist pleasingly from satire to cheap shots in the blink of an eye.
The Stand Comedy Club III & IV, Edinburgh
Thu 1 Aug
Stand IV
£8 (£7) / 0131 226 0000
Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Over-18s only
£9; £8 / 0131 558 7272
Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Fri 2 Aug
Stand IV
£9 (£8) / 0131 226 0000
Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Over-18s only
£9; £8 / 0131 558 7272
Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Sat 3 Aug
Stand IV
£9 (£8) / 0131 226 0000
Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Over-18s only
£9; £8 / 0131 558 7272
Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The Wishing Well - Orchestral Folk Rock
Beguilingly orchestral and lush, The Wishing Well create spellbinding sounds that produce a rich tapestry of mesmerizing folk, pop and rock. Since their formation five years ago, the band has toured tirelessly, playing an impressive 1600 gigs on the international circuit. The Wishing Well has released two albums and…
The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh
Mon 12 Aug
Tue 13 Aug
Yumen
- 2013
- US/China
- 65 min
- Directed by: J.P. Sniadecki
A playful and poetic visit to a Chinese ghost town. Yumen is an abandoned oil town in the Northwestern province of Gansu in China. The filmmakers roam the ruins of the town in a film that transcends documentary by incorporating elements of performance and narrative. The lush colours and rich textures of 16mm evoke the…
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Fri 21 Jun
Sun 23 Jun
1,000 Suns
Gaffball Productions. For a teenager what's worse? Growing up in America? Or growing up after America? Five young people face the struggles of their post-nuclear lives, in a wasteland that was once America, after the Cold War turned hot. They strive to overcome the oppressive authority of their parents and teachers…
theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh
Mon 12 Aug
Tue 13 Aug
Wed 14 Aug
A 15th Century Artist Predicts 21st Century Radiology
Peter Abrahams, Professor of Clinical Anatomy at Warwick University, explores the value of Leonardo’s anatomical drawings as a tool for understanding the human body, and how closely the artist anticipated the range of imagery used by the medical profession today.
The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh
Mon 19 Aug
£10 (£8) / 0131 473 2000
35MM: A Musical Exhibition
As Told By & Greenwich Theatre. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, but what about a song? Can a picture inspire a song? How about 15 photos? In 35MM, a series of photographs by acclaimed photographer Matthew Murphy each inspire a song. Unique moments frozen in time, a glimmer of a life unfolding, a glimpse of…
Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh
Fri 2 Aug
Sat 3 Aug
Sun 4 Aug
A.C.A.B. All Cats Are Brilliant
- 2012
- Greece
- 88 min
- Directed by: Constantina Voulgaris
- Written by: Constantina Voulgaris
- Cast: Maria Georgiadou, Dimitris Xanthopoulos, Themis Bazaka
From turbulent Greece, an urgent invitation to resistance, solidarity and, finally, to dance! Electra is in her early 30s, an artist and activist living in Athens. She babysits for a living, argues with her parents and visits her boyfriend, a political prisoner. Above all she struggles to find her place in a troubled…
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Tue 25 Jun
Sat 29 Jun
A Long Way from Home
- 2013
- UK
- Directed by: Virginia Gilbert
- Written by: Virginia Gilbert
- Cast: James Fox, Natalie Dormer, Paul Nicholls
A thoughtful and confident drama featuring an impressive cast of established and emerging British talent. Joseph and Brenda (James Fox and Brenda Fricker) have been married for fifty years and are living out their retirement in Nimes. Their daily routine of letter writing and dinner at the same restaurant, has somewhat…
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Thu 20 Jun
Sat 22 Jun
A Play For Freedom (Freispielen)
- 2012
- Germany
- 76 min
- Directed by: Niko Apel
Is censored art better than no art at all? Four young actors from Tehran create a theatre piece that they plan to tour around Iran in a colourful truck, entertaining children in remote areas of the country. But, before they leave, their play has to be approved by the State, and tempers flare within the group when…
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Wed 26 Jun
Sat 29 Jun
A World Not Ours (Alam Laysa Lana)
- 2012
- UK/Lebanon/Denmark
- 93 min
- Directed by: Mahdi Fleifel
- Written by: Mahdi Fleifel
- Cast: Mahdi Fleifel
A personal study of family, friends, laughter, tears, hope and despair. 70,000 people living in 1 square kilometre is what makes Ain el-Helweh the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. This enlightening portrait, consisting of personal recordings, family archives and historical footage shot over twenty years…
Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh
Fri 21 Jun
Sun 23 Jun
AAA Batteries (The Symposium) - Free
Chris Turner / Bamberwell Productions / Free Festival. AAA Batteries present a new late night experience, where award-winning stand-ups and sketch groups unveil their newest jokes, observations and songs. Corralled from all corners of the Fringe, a selection of the Festival's finest comedians take to the stage, amiably…
Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Edinburgh
Thu 1 Aug
Fri 2 Aug
Sat 3 Aug
AAA Stand-Up Late
Bound and Gagged Comedy. Total sell-out 2010-2012 returns with a brand new line-up. Laura Lexx: 'probably the funniest solo comedian that we saw all week' (edfringe.com 2012). 'One of the most delightful performers you're ever likely to see' (GQ Magazine). Nick Dixon: Finalist-'So You Think You're Funny?' 2012.
Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh
Wed 31 Jul
Thu 1 Aug
Fri 2 Aug
Adrienne Truscott's Asking for It: A One-Lady Rape About Comedy Starring Her Pussy and Little Else!
Adrienne Truscott / Of The Wau Wau Sisters. Adrienne Truscott, one-half of the infamous Wau Wau Sisters, dressed only from the waist up and ankles down, undoes and does in the rules and rhetoric about rape, comedy and the awkward laughs in between. With commentary from George Carlin, Louis C. K. and Robert De Niro…
Heroes @ Bob's Bookshop, Edinburgh
Thu 1 Aug
Fri 2 Aug
Sat 3 Aug
Adventures of Andy Kershaw
Andy Kershaw. One of the UK's most decorated broadcasters, appearing in conversation about his life and widely acclaimed autobiography No Off Switch. Andy has won numerous awards throughout his career working for Radio 3 and for 15 years on Radio 1, where he shared an office with John Peel. More recently a presenter on…
Ghillie Dhu, Edinburgh
Fri 16 Aug
Sat 17 Aug
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs Revisited
Gilded Balloon. Daisey's play about America's mysterious technology icon is revisited for 2013. This is a hilarious and sometimes harrowing tale of Steve Jobs and the Chinese workers toiling to make your beloved iPhones. Explore the legality and morality of electronic sweatshops in China, complete with armed guards…
