FILM festival organisers expect a few sleepless nights in the run-up to opening day. Is the programme mix right, will the stars and audiences turn up, and who’s picking that hotshot new director up from the airport?

Those in charge of the Edinburgh International Film Festival this year have added reason to be waking at 3am. Opening in June for the first time in its 60-year history, the world’s oldest, continually running film bash is going it alone.

No longer will it nestle among the other festivals that take over the capital in August. How much of a good, or bad, thing that will be we’ll soon discover.

The move to June 18-29 is meant to boost ticket sales (which make up a third of the festival’s budget), attract big name stars and movies, and make Edinburgh stand out in a crowded film festival market. Squeezed between Cannes, Venice and London, Edinburgh has always had it tough. But will two months make much of a difference?

Being even closer to Cannes has already brought its difficulties. Cannes had the world premiere of Indiana Jones 4, plus half of Hollywood turning out to sell their movies. Acts like that are tough to follow. Edinburgh’s big opener is The Edge of Love, with Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller due to attend the gala premiere next Wednesday.

The big hope is that cinemagoers, not suffering the distractions of the Fringe or main festival, will turn out in huge numbers to catch a first glimpse of forthcoming releases. Obvious crowd pleasers, such as Pixar’s Wall.E, should attract big audiences. As for the rest, that will depend on cinemagoers’ willingness to take a punt on the new and the different.

Ultimately, the success of the June move could depend on the G (for Glasgow) factor. Glasgow has a worldwide reputation as a great cinemagoing city. Audiences will queue round the block and in the rain to see a picture, but will they get on the train, or into the car, to see a film in Edinburgh?

What do you think? Let us know if you’re planning to attend the EIFF, what you’ve seen and, most importantly, what you thought of the movies. The Herald will be reviewing three films a day throughout the festival, in addition to the regular movie coverage in Thursday's Going Out.

Coming soon
Next week: A stellar British cast including Brian Cox and Joseph Fiennes do hard time in prison break drama The Escapist.
June 27: Courage above and beyond the call of duty in wartime thriller Female Agents.
July 4: There’s something out there in The Mist, taken from the Stephen King novel.
July 11: A reissue for Billy Wilder’s sublime The Apartment.
July 18: A real-life amour fou laid bare in the documentary Crazy Love.

Pick of the week
Doesn’t live up to the pre-release excitement, but Ed Norton in The Incredible Hulk is worth a look.