Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is back this year and hosted by Edinburgh International Festival. It opens with the world premiere of Silent Roar, a teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire set in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides from BAFTA nominated Scottish writer and director Johnny Barrington.
The debut feature is produced by Scot Chris Young and includes a cast of emerging talent including Louis McCartney and rising star Ella Lily Hyland who is soon to be seen in Amazon Prime’s Fifteen Love. The film’s score is created by award-winning composer Hannah Peel. The film was shot in the beautiful surroundings of Uig on the Isle of Lewis, and draws inspiration from Barrington’s teenage years on the Isle of Skye.
Silent Roar stars newcomer Louis McCartney as Dondo, a young surfer struggling to accept his father’s recent disappearance at sea. Caught up in grief, he is brought to his senses by rebellious crush Sas (Ella Lily Hyland), a high achiever who dreams of escaping the island. When an oddly-behaved new minister arrives on the island, Dondo begins to have cosmic visions.
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Hope Street), Ella Lily Hyland (Fifteen Love), Mark Lockyer (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Fiona Bell (The Nest, Shetland), Victoria Balnaves (Trust Me), Anders Hayward (Looted) and Chinenye Ezeudu (Sex Education).
Hosted by Edinburgh International Festival in 2023, EIFF will present a hand-picked programme celebrating the work of local and global filmmakers and ensuring the flame of EIFF burns bright for future generations of passionate cinema fans.
EIFF runs from Friday 18th to Wednesday 23rd August 2023.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 